LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Coming off a straight-set victory over Chicago State, Mike Jordan has his squad ready to host a Conference USA opponent for the fourth and final time this season. Sam Houston will take the 773-mile trip to Las Cruces, where they will be looking to avoid elimination from postseason play. The last-place Bearkats currently sit at 1-13 in CUSA as the lone team with a weekend off before the conference tournament. Every other member has four matches left on their conference slate, with the exception of UTEP, who plays Nov. 10-11 against Liberty. NM State finds themselves fifth in the league standings at 7-5, with a 15-9 overall record.

 

Match 1 - Friday, Nov. 3 at 6:00 PM

Match 2 - Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 PM

 

Scouting the Bearkats

Sam Houston holds a 7-20 record in 2023 under the direction of 40th-year head coach Brenda Gray. Since coming to Huntsville in 1984, Gray has collected 763 wins and 571 losses. Gray is easily the winningest coach in program history, earning trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and 1996. 

 

From the front row, Sam Houston typically turns to McKenzie Morvant for clutch production. The junior middle blocker ranks inside the top-10 in blocks (88), kills (233) and hitting percentage (.308)  among all CUSA qualifiers. 

 

On the back row, it's hard to find a more reliable defensive specialist than Hannah Baker. The 5'9" junior was the lone Bearkat selected to the Preseason All-CUSA Team, and leads the conference at 4.83 digs per set (473 overall). Across from her, of course, will be Darian Markham. Baker and Markham (4.74) are the top two leaders in digs per set in the conference, and are sure to provide a battle on the defensive end. 

 

Baker is also third on the team with 119 assists, and has tossed 23 service aces so far this season. One of her best performances of the 2023 season came against Tulsa, where she posted 43 digs in a close five-set loss. 

 

Baker and Morvant are two of three Bearkats to play in all 102 sets this season, joining Avery Fowler. Pacing the squad with 616 assists, Fowler will likely quarterback the Bearkats' offense for a majority of each match. The sophomore setter ranks seventh in CUSA with 5.98 assists per set, and is second on the team with 230 digs. 

 

What's at Stake

NM State is currently fifth in CUSA at 7-5, with four matches remaining. However, the Aggies could finish as high as second. With two victories against Sam Houston, and a perfect weekend on the road against FIU, the Aggies would enter the conference tournament at 11-5, simultaneously giving FIU at least six losses. Middle Tennessee (9-3) is currently in second, but takes on first-place WKU (12-0). The Hilltoppers haven't lost a regular-season conference match since Oct. 2018, and will hand MTSU their fourth and fifth losses if that streak continues. In that scenario, UTEP, NM State and MTSU would be in a three-way tie for second. Due to CUSA round robin tiebreaker rules, NM State would enter the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed, followed by MTSU, then UTEP. 

 

What to Watch For

• The best two liberos in CUSA are set to square off. The Bearkats' Hannah Baker leads the conference with 4.83 digs per set. NM State's Darian Markham is not far behind with 4.74 on the season. 

• Senior Day: Two four-year Aggies will be honored after Saturday's match; outside hitter Kaitlin Espiritu and libero Darian Markham.

• Outside hitter Mari Sharp is six kills away from joining the exclusive 500 kills, 500 digs club. The last Aggie to do so was Tatyana Battle in 2018. 

• Strength vs. Weakness: The Aggies are second among CUSA teams in opponent hitting percentage (.175). Sam Houston is second-worst in the conference, with a team hitting percentage of .157. 

 

How to Follow

Neither match this weekend will be streamed live. Friday's match is available to listen on 91.5 FM KRUX, called by Adam Young. Saturday's 1:00 PM match will not have live video or radio, but both matches will be broadcasting live statistics via StatBroadcast. Those links can be found at nmstatesports.com. 

 

For complete coverage of NM State Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateVBall), Instagram (@NMStateVBall) and like us on Facebook (NM State Volleyball). You can also follow along with Aggie Volleyball via NMStateSports.com.

 

##NM State##