LAS CRUCES, N.M. - On an intense, emotional Senior Day, NM State Volleyball earned their fourth straight win on Saturday. For the second time this season, the Aggies have come out on top in four consecutive matches, with the other streak coming in September. In a repeat of Friday night, NM State edged out the Bearkats in a clutch fifth set. The Aggies played a fifth set for the sixth time in 2023, moving to 5-1 in such matches. Sam Houston wrapped up their conference slate with a 1-15 record, and is now 7-22 overall. NM State (17-9, 9-5) notched their first reverse sweep of the season. 

Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-2 (18-25, 26-28, 25-10, 23-25, 15-12)

While the opening set showed promise early on, an abundance of attack errors quickly put things out of reach. NM State did manage to put up 18 points, but their eight attack errors led to a team hitting percentage of just .030. Darian Markham, who was honored after the match, posted four of her 16 digs in the first frame. Despite her efforts, a poor offensive showing lent the 1-0 advantage to the Bearkats. 

In one of the most exciting sets the Pan American Center has hosted this season, NM State found themselves ahead early, but couldn't extend their runs. A 7-5 lead seemed promising, but all five Bearkat points had come off of service errors. The Aggies would go on to post eight service errors in the set, which was a glaring issue the later the match went along. Despite the serving struggles, NM State found themselves ahead 24-20, armed with four straight set points. However, four straight errors tied things up at 24 all. A pair of kills kept the Aggies afloat, but an 8-2 Sam Houston run was too much, closing things out 28-26. 

In the best 35-point stretch of the entire season, NM State ferociously bounced back to a dominant win. Despite falling behind 2-3, the Aggies put together a 23-7 run, ultimately winning by their best margin this season; 25-10. As a team, they combined for a hitting percentage of .440, and an impressive six service aces. Bella Castro got in on the action with five of her 12 digs in the third, as she was a major proponent of holding Sam Houston to just two kills in the entire set. Elsewhere, Rilen Garcia put up eight of her 30 assists in the middle set, en route to a convincing win that cut the Bearkat lead in half. 

NM State carried their momentum into the fourth set, led by Kacia Brown's defense. The redshirt junior tallied a block assist on three consecutive points, as part of a four-block set for the Aggies, in which she was involved in all of them. Darian Markham supplemented the offense with six straight successful serves to end the frame. Within the span, she diced up the Bearkat defense with three aces in just four points. 

Momentum seemed to be dwindling for the Aggies as the fifth set began with three straight attack errors. The lead would swell to 11-7, before Mike Jordan called for Sidney McIntosh to make her first appearance of the afternoon. The junior put up a quick kill in between two rapid Sam Houston timeouts. The run had only just begun however, as the Aggies went on to win eight of the last nine points. The match later ended on one of Kacia Brown's 12 kills, sending Sam Houston home with a final score of 15-12.  

Notable Stats/Leaders

• Bella Castro set a career high with 12 digs in the win. Her previous high was six against UTEP.

• For the second consecutive match, four Aggies posted 10 or more kills. 

• As a team, Saturday ranks in the top-five among total team digs (69) and service aces (nine). 

• NM State has tied their longest winning streak of the season, taking four in a row. Their previous streak came back in September, before conference play began. 

From the Floor

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on what stood out in the win: "People coming off the bench and making plays; giving us a lift energy-wise. I decided today, instead of going longer with the same people, that I would sub more, and play a lot of people. Most of the people that came in did a pretty good job in short spurts. That's why you have depth, right? Hopefully, we can use this as a little motivation, and go win two on the road and get the two-seed."

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on what seniors Darian Markham and Kaitlin Espiritu have meant to the program: "I just appreciate them as people. They've grown so much. Different careers for both, right? One injured and never getting to play. Another one that is elite and will go down in history near the top of the leaderboard. You value them as human beings, and all they bring to the table. I'm just proud of the young women they're becoming."

Darian Markham, on the first reverse sweep of the season: "I was a little upset that we started out bad, but I'm glad we were able to turn it around and produce."

Senior libero Darian Markham, on what she'll remember about her time as an Aggie: "I think about the people I have come into contact with; people who have been here, and people who have gone. I met so many great people here and made so many long-lasting friends. I'd do anything for my teammates."

Senior outside hitter Kaitlin Espiritu, on what she'll remember about her time as an Aggie: "I feel happy about it. I feel fulfilled in a sense. Whether or not I had time on the court, or whether or not I racked up big stats, it was good time spent around good people. I think I've grown and changed as a person, so I think no matter what, it's benefited me. It can only be a good experience. It's taught me a lot about persistence and dedication. I feel like I've always been a dedicated person, but being here, it's challenging because everyone's competing against each other for spots. It teaches you to work harder and really fight for yourself."

Up Next

For the final two matches of the regular season, the Aggies will be in Miami, Fla. FIU will be the host for the last test before both teams head north for the conference tournament in Lynchburg, Va. The matches against the Panthers will take place on Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11. With two wins by NM State, and two wins from WKU over Middle Tennessee, the Aggies would be the No. 2 seed in the CUSA Tournament, avoiding the currently-CUSA-undefeated Hilltoppers until the Championship Round.

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