LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The legendary Pan American Center will be back in use for the first time in 177 days. NM State Volleyball will return to their home court for the first time in the 2023 season, after playing the Crimson & White Scrimmage in the Auxiliary Gym a week ago. The Western New Mexico Mustangs will visit the Aggies in an exhibition match at 6:00 PM on Saturday.
2022 Recap
The 2022 season was a disappointing campaign relative to years prior, with the Aggies finishing 16-12 overall, and 7-7 in WAC play. Katie Birtcil was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year, and the Aggies were predicted to win their fourth consecutive regular-season WAC title in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Birtcil finished 2nd Team All-WAC, and the Aggies finished 6th in the standings, falling in the first round of the WAC Tournament to Grand Canyon. Lia Mosher joined Birtcil with 2nd Team honors, but both have graduated.
Looking Ahead
With a new season comes new opportunities. Now members of Conference USA, the Aggies will look to their revamped roster to improve on last year. NM State brings back 13 returners, with 10 departures, including key contributors Rylee Fay, Molly Johnson, and Taylor Snow, on top of Birtcil and Mosher.
The eight newcomers are an athletically gifted group looking to fill some of those gaps. Starr Williams was recently named to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team, alongside returners Mari Sharp and Ryleigh Whitekettle. Williams is a 6'3" strong hitter from California, having spent two seasons at Long Beach State. The R-So. transferred in January 2023, bringing much-needed size and athleticism to the front row.
Also new to the squad are four true freshmen: Bella Castro, Mia Daniel, Jacqueline Gomez-Gallegos, and Maggie Lightheart. Castro, Lightheart and Gomez-Gallegos are local talent from Centennial, Mayfield and Las Cruces HS respectively. Daniel comes in from Fort Bend Hightower HS in Missouri City, a suburb of Houston.
The final two new members are transfers Aspen Aldous and Peyton Castillo. Aldous is a 6'2" setter who spent time at Dayton and most recently Chandler-Gilbert CC in Arizona. The high school All-American averaged 10.69 sets per season last year, leading the team. Castillo, a 6'0" setter, will face a familiar foe, having spent the 2022 season with Western New Mexico. She tallied 356 assists and 137 digs.
Scouting the Mustangs
Last year, these two squads met in an exhibition, also in the Pan American Center. The 3-0 sweep went comfortably in the Aggies' favor, as NM State hit .293, holding the Mustangs to .036. In 2022, WNMU went on to finish 3-25 overall and 1-15 in Lone Star Conference action.
WNMU is led by Head Coach Geno Frugoli and returning senior OH Jazmyne Walker, who tallied 310 kills and 353.5 points in 2022. The Mustangs boast a more developed roster this time around, with an average of 2.62 years of experience per player, compared to 2.29 in 2022.
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