TUCSON, Ariz. – It is always nice to end the weekend on a high note and that is exactly what the Aggies did on Saturday afternoon.
 
NM State (2-1, 0-0 WAC) picked up a 3-0 victory over LIU (1-2, 0-0 NEC) by way of set wins of 25-23, 25-13 and 25-21.
 
In the match, the Aggies were led offensively by Molly Johnson who stacked up a match-high 15 kills on a blistering .652 hitting percentage. Freshman Bianca Perez was the Aggies' leading assister as she finished with 17 assists on the day. Meanwhile, a trio of Aggies bolstered the defensive side of the game with Darian Markham leading the way with 16 digs while Mari Sharp posted 13 and Rylee Fay finished with 12.
 
"We had some improvement in some areas for stretches," noted Mike Jordan We were better defensively and took some good transition swings. We're 2-1 and that's where we should be after the first weekend, but we've got a lot of work to do. I'm looking forward to the practice opportunities this week."
 
SET ONE
The Aggies looked a little disconnected to start the match – falling behind 6-1 before scoring three straight points. LIU tried to keep the Aggies at bay early as they clung on to a 9-5 lead.
 
However, this would be the major turning point in the match as NM State strung together nine straight points led by three kills from Johnson.
 
With a 14-9 lead in hand, the Aggies looked in control until LIU went on a 6-2 run themselves to draw within one point (16-15).
 
Back-to-back kills from Katie Birtcil and Mari Sharp created some distance between the Aggies and Sharks for a moment until LIU came back to tie the set at 23 behind a 3-0 run.
 
The Aggies immediately put a stop to LIU's comeback bid when Snow pierced the Shark defense with a kill. An LIU error would then give the Aggies the set win.
 
SET TWO
The beginning of the second set was an exact mirror image of the start of the first set as NM State jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Eventually, a block assist involving Ryleigh Whitekettle and Mari Sharp handed the Aggies a commanding 15-6 lead.
 
The nine-point gap would remain consistent through the middle of the set as a Lia Mosher kill put the Aggies ahead 20-11.
 
The second set would prove to be the least competitive as NM State capped off a 25-13 win with a solo block from Whitekettle.
 
SET THREE
Contrary to how the second set went, the third set was close nearly the entire time. In fact, until the Aggies won the set 25-21, neither side went ahead by more than three points.
 
On the way to a match-clinching set victory, NM State picked up its first kill of the set from Mari Sharp as the Aggies trailed 1-2 very early.
 
After LIU scored four straight points to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead, Molly Johnson recorded back-to-back kills to even the score at 10.
 
NM State then went on a three-point run to take hold of a 14-11 lead. An LIU burst tied the set at 16 then the two sides would trade points until Mia Peterson and Molly Johnson were able to give the Aggies a 21-18 lead.
 
This would go on to be the blow that LIU would be unable to survive as the Aggies went on to claim a 25-21 win.
 
MATCH NOTABLES

• Michigan State graduate transfer Molly Johnson notched a career-high 15 kills in just her third appearance with the Aggies. Surpassing her previous career-high of 14 when she was still a Spartan.
• Darian Markham led the Aggies in digs for the third time this season as she dug out 16 balls to notch her 17^th straight game with 10 or more digs.
• Mari Sharp also reached double-digit digs, finishing with 13 to mark the second time she has posted 10-plus digs this season after doing so just seven times last season.
• The win over the Sharks was win number 530 for the Aggies' leader Mike Jordan.

 
UP NEXT
The Aggies' non-conference slate rolls on as they travel to east to compete in the Davidson Classic on Sept. 2-3. While in North Carolina, the Aggies will square off with Lindenwood (9/2), North Carolina A&T (9/2) and Davidson (9/3).
 
This will mark the end of a road stretch as they will welcome UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 9-10.
 
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