First Serve
• After dropping their WAC opener on Thursday, the Aggies will return to Lou Henson court for a midday match against California Baptist on Saturday.
• This match comes as the second among a four-match WAC homestand the Aggies currently find themselves amidst.
• Despite emerging from the Trojan Challenge with just one victory last weekend, the Aggies did finish on a high note as they defeated Milwaukee, 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20) in their final match in Los Angeles.
Weekend Notes
• In the loss on Thursday, the Aggies were led by
Molly Johnson who tallied nine kills on 23 swings against the Vaqueros.
• In a season in which the Aggies have relied heavily on the attack of junior outside hitter
Katie Birtcil, last Saturday's win over Milwaukee was the most balanced attack NM State has posted all season as four different Aggies tallied double-digit kills. Birtcil led the way with 15 while
Mari Sharp finished with 13 and
Lia Mosher and
Molly Johnson each finished with 10 apiece.
• Mosher's 10-kill performance coupled with her play throughout the rest of the three-day event awarded her with a spot on the Trojan Challenge All-Tournament Team - marking her second non-conference all-tournament selection of the season (Davidson Classic).
• Last weekend, Mosher posted 21 total kills to average 2.10 kills per set while managing an impressive .514 hitting percentage on 35 swings. Mosher also finished the weekend with seven total blocks and posted 2.45 points per set.
• Currently, four different Aggies rank among the top five in the WAC across four major statistical categories.
Lia Mosher ranks fifth in the WAC in blocks per set at 1.07 while
Rylee Fay ranks first in the league in service aces per set at 0.56.
Darian Markham's average of 4.41 digs per set is good for third-best and Birtcil's mark of 3.29 kills per set also ranks third in the WAC.
• Additionally, Fay ranks 25th among all Division I servers with her aces per set average and 28th in total aces (23).
• As a team, the Aggies are currently holding opponents to a .178 combined hitting percentage - a mark that is good for third in the conference.
• Fay's seven-ace outing against North Carolina A&T on Sept. 2 ties her for fifth-most aces in a four-set match this season among all D-I programs and is also tied for most in a four-set match in program history.
• In 2022, the Aggies have stepped up their defensive play at the net compared to this time last season. Through 12 matches this season the Aggies are averaging 2.27 blocks per set - nearly a half-block better than last year's mark of 1.78 per set during their 12-game pre-WAC slate a season ago.
Keep Up with the Aggies
Fans looking to tune in to this weekend's matches will be able to do so for free via WAC International at WACInternational.tv. Play-by-play announcer
Adam Young will be on the call for the Aggies on Thursday. Fans can also tune in to 91.5 FM KRUX to listen to Young's call on the radio. The radio broadcast will also be available online at this link: https://kruxstream.nmsu.edu/KRUX.
Live stats will also be available to fans this weekend via StatBroadcast at this link: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?gid=nmst.
Scouting California Baptist
• The Lancers enter Saturday's match with a .500 record after defeating Southern Utah at home on Thursday to move to 6-6 on the season. The Lancers are also one of six WAC programs to earn a win in their opener.
• The Lancers leading attacker is Christine Graff who manages 3.37 kills per set while posting a .305 hitting percentage on the season. Graff is one of three Lancer hitters who average better than three kills per set s Scherine Dahoue and Mia Jerue average 3.17 and 3.04, respectively.
• Defensively, Paige Johnstone paces the Lancers in digs - hauling in 3.87 per set. Meanwhile, the duo of Chandler Gorman and Ashlyn Nevrla will be the Aggie attackers' biggest hurdles at the net as they each average at least one block per set.
• Despite the Lancers making the move to Division I just five seasons ago, they have been able to hold their own against the strong Aggie program, including winning the previous two matchups. However, NM State has claimed victory over CBU five times in their eight meetings.
Up Next
Following Saturday's contest against the Lancers, the Aggies will continue WAC play with a home tilt against WAC newcomer Southern Utah on Thursday, Sept. 29. The match against the Thunderbirds is set to get underway at 6 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday's match via Ticketmaster at this link.
