LAS CRUCES, N.M. – After last weekend's first-ever trip to Missouri State as conference opponents, the Aggies returned home to the Pan American Center to start a two-match series with the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee on Friday night. Career nights by Maggie Lightheart (23 kills), Tess Fuqua (six aces) and Zoe Zeigler (eight blocks) powered the Aggies to a four-set victory, putting them back in the win column, improving to 12-10 overall and 5-4 in CUSA action. 
 
Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-1 (25-14, 25-27, 25-20, 25-21)
 
FIRST SET
Tess Fuqua put the Aggies ahead early in the opening set, collecting a kill and three aces to help the Aggies force a Blue Raider timeout following a 5-0 start. A quick three-point burst by the Blue Raiders put the score at 7-4, though the Aggies found their form later in the set with by a Zoe Zeigler kill to force another MTSU timeout. 
 
Following Fuqua's hot start to the match, fellow Las Cruces native Maggie Lightheart put together a strong first frame, stuffing the stat sheet with six kills, five digs and a pair of blocks. Fittingly, Lightheart would collect the final point in the set to secure a 25-14 victory. 
 
SECOND SET
A reversal of fortune hit the Crimson & White to open the second frame, falling behind 4-0 before an MTSU service error put the Aggies on the board. The early lead proved pivotal for Middle Tennessee, who held the edge until a Lightheart ace pushed NM State back ahead 18-17. A quick 5-1 answer quickly halted the hosts' momentum before Makayla Martinez knotted the affair at 24-24 with back-to-back aces. The crowd's ovation would be short-lived, though, with the visitors prevailing 27-25.
 
THIRD SET
The Aggies found their form once again in the third frame, taking a 3-1 edge early following a pair of Blue Raider errors and a combo block by Jaelynn Kohli and Zoe Ziegler. Three straight Lightheart kills pushed the NM State lead to 6-4 as part of a nine-kill set for the junior. 
A 6-0 run in favor of the Aggies ensued, highlighted by a trio of Jaelynn Kohli kills and a career-best fifth ace for Tess Fuqua. The Aggies upped their hitting percentage in the third frame (.333), spearheaded by Maggie Lightheart's nine kills on 18 swings.
 
FOURTH SET
Trailing two sets to one, the Blue Raiders would not go down without a fight – taking a 7-2 advantage early in the frame. Kills by five different Aggies, including four by Tess Fuqua tied the match at 12-12 before an error from MTSU gave NM State its first edge of the fourth set (16-15).
 
Among the nation's best at the service line, Lightheart notched her second ace of the contest to put the Aggies five points away from victory (20-17), prompting a last-gasp timeout from Middle Tennessee. Zoe Ziegler landed a kill before sealing the match with a block alongside Tess Fuqua to win 25-21.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Maggie Lightheart tallied a career day on the offensive end, posting 23 kills for the most by an Aggie in a single match this season, on a personal season-best .429 hitting percentage.
• The last Aggie to reach Lightheart's mark was Mari Sharp, who picked up 23 kills against Sam Houston in the 2024 CUSA Championship Quarterfinals. 
• Tess Fuqua started Friday's contest with an impressive showing at the service line, setting a new career best with six aces. Three of her perfect serves came in the first five points as her team roared out to a 5-0 lead. 
• With a solo rejection in Friday's contest, freshman Kate Sinclair has now tallied at least one total block in 21 of 22 matches for NM State this season, only failing to do so in a Sept. 12 matchup with New Haven. 
• Zoe Ziegler boasted a career-best eight blocks in the win, recording the most by an Aggie this season and the most since Nicole Briggs' nine blocks on Sept. 27, 2024.
• Nellie Reese led the team with 23 assists and five digs in the win, pacing her squad in assists for the 15^th time during her senior campaign.
• After amassing just eight total aces across their four-match losing skid, the Aggies returned to their usual form at the service line, landing 13 aces in the win.

• NM State's 12 blocks were one short of its season high, helping hold MTSU to a .165 hitting percentage.

 
FROM THE FLOOR
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the win: "I thought when we were defending well, we were playing good volleyball. There were lulls defensively we need to clean up, but other than that, it was a good team win. Rilen [Garcia] did a good job coming off the bench and Kaylee [Peterson] came in with an ace, too. We gave ourselves good transition opportunities to score, and we saw that first contacts are very important. As we defend well, I think we'll play better. Hopefully we'll build on this and do it again tomorrow."
 
Junior outside hitter Maggie Lightheart, on her career outing: "I just felt like it was time for us, especially since we had been on a little skid in this recent part of the season. I think we really needed a win today and hopefully we get one tomorrow. I just wanted to play the best I could for my team. I think in terms of hitting I was proud of myself, but I think I could have done some other things better, like digging and a few serves here and there."
 
Senior setter Nellie Reese, on returning to the win column: "We definitely needed a confidence boost and we needed to remember that winning's a habit. With such a young team, we have to get into that habit. We all know how to win, but we need to know how to win together. That's something we're working towards and I think today really helped."
 
UP NEXT
NM State returns to the Pan American Center for the second and final match against MTSU on Saturday. The contest is slated for 1:00 PM as NM State looks to improve on its 6-2 home record and end the weekend above .500 in league play. The bout between the Aggies and Blue Raiders will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatesports.com/stats. 
 
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