DALLAS - Conference USA released their 2023 Volleyball Postseason Awards on Thursday ahead of the conference tournament. NM State landed five members on awards lists, highlighted by senior Darian Markham earning Libero of the Year honors. Outside hitter Ryleigh Whitekettle was named to the All-CUSA First Team. Elsewhere, Markham was joined by fellow upperclassmen Mari Sharp and Kacia Brown on the All-Conference Second Team. Lastly, Las Cruces native Maggie Lightheart secured a spot on CUSA's All-Freshman Team.
Darian Markham has been the engine of the Aggies' defense all season, while personifying consistency and reliability. The senior libero has now appeared in 264 consecutive sets, dating back to Oct. 2021. Markham surpassed 1,500 career digs earlier this season, and now sits at third in program history with 1,566. She averaged a career-high 4.60 digs per set in her final regular season, and led the team with 0.37 service aces per set.
Ryleigh Whitekettle was the lone Aggie to earn All-CUSA First Team honors. The redshirt sophomore led the team in kills per set for the entire season (3.19). Additionally, her .295 hitting percentage paces all Aggies who have a minimum of 3.0 attempts per set. Defensively, Whitekettle is third on the team with 66 blocks, including 15 blocks solo.
Three Aggies were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Darian Markham was an easy choice for an All-Conference selection, after winning the aforementioned Libero of the Year. She was joined on the Second Team by fellow upperclassmen Mari Sharp and Kacia Brown.
Mari Sharp is one of just two four-year Aggies, and has been a leader on the court ever since being named to the All-CUSA Preseason Team in August. Sharp brought production on offense and defense all season long, ranking third in kills (238) and kills per set (2.45), while her 2.04 digs per set trailed only Markham. Kacia Brown found a much larger role in 2023 than a season ago, especially on the block. The redshirt junior led the Aggies with 1.08 blocks per set in CUSA play, and trailed only Ryleigh Whitekettle after posting nearly three points per set (2.98). Brown grew as the season progressed, and owns NM State's highest hitting percentage in CUSA action at .276.
Finally, NM State landed one member on the All-Conference Freshman Team. Maggie Lightheart has seen an increased role as the season has progressed, especially in conference play. The Las Cruces native has the highest ace percentage of any Aggie with at least 10 serves (12.0%). Additionally, she stepped up in teammate Mari Sharp's absence against Jax State on Oct. 20. In her first career start, Lightheart racked up multiple career-high marks, including 13 kills on 32 attempts and seven digs.
These five women will lead NM State into the first CUSA Tournament in program history this weekend. The Aggies begin action as they take on LA Tech at 2:00 PM MT on Friday, Nov. 17. The preview of that match is attached to this page, and can be found at nmstatesports.com.
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