LAS CRUCES, N.M. – For NM State Volleyball in the regular season, it doesn't get any bigger than this. The Aggies host UTEP this weekend as both sides look to remain unblemished in Conference USA play. Last year, NM State ended the Miners' hopes of a CUSA Championship from Memorial Gym in an instant classic, five-set comeback. This fall, Ben Wallis' bunch is off to yet another hot start, receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll as the group eyes a second consecutive NCAA Tournament trip. Mike Jordan's group looks to extend its 15-match home winning streak and stake its claim atop the league heading into the final month before postseason action.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Who: [RV] UTEP (14-2, 4-0 CUSA) at NM State (11-6, 4-0 CUSA)
Where: Pan American Center – Las Cruces, N.M.
When: Friday, Oct. 10 at 6:00 PM MT / Oct. 11 at 4:00 PM MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatesports.com/stats
All-Time Record vs. UTEP: 68-27-1
Last Meeting: (3) NM State 3 at (2) UTEP 2 – Nov. 23, 2024 (CUSA Semifinals)
 
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the matchup with UTEP: "This is Ben [Wallis]'s best team yet. They're loaded with experience and veteran players that are very skilled. I think they're a fantastic team that's going to pose a tough couple days. Ultimately, we have to be prepared to grind and get ready for battle."
 
LAST TIME OUT
NM State hosted Sam Houston a week ago, toppling the Bearkats in two four-set affairs. The Aggies roared out to a 2-0 set advantage both times, slipping in the third before answering in set four on both Friday and Saturday. The wins swelled the Crimson & White's home winning streak to 15 matches, now dating back more than a year. At 4-0, NM State finished the weekend as one of just three unbeaten squads remaining in CUSA. 
 
Maggie Lightheart led the way with an efficient 17 kills on Friday before Jaelynn Kohli took charge with 15 in the series finale. Rilen Garcia remained in the starting lineup as the captain paced her team in assists for the fourth straight match. A trio of Aggies notched six blocks in Saturday's victory, smothering the Bearkat attack to the tune of a .048 hitting percentage. 
 
THIS ONE MEANS MORE
For NM State, no rivalry is as storied as the Battle of I-10. The two sides have met 96 times entering the weekend, with the Aggies holding a commanding 68-27-1 advantage in the series. Ben Wallis, the Miners' head coach, was also a former assistant under Mike Jordan from 2013-18.
 
As for the women stepping onto the floor, two Aggie stars will carry extra motivation this weekend. Captain Rilen Garcia, a Santa Teresa High School product, grew up attending matches at both UTEP and NM State, with her hometown just several minutes away from Memorial Gym. Freshman Jaelynn Kohli, an Eastlake High School graduate, hails from El Paso itself. The team's leader in kills per set is set for her first contest against her hometown program, looking to carry momentum from her productive weekend that included 28 kills on a .236 percentage. 
 
SERVE AND PROTECT
NM State leads Conference USA in total blocks (148) and aces (126) this season. The Aggies have held 11 of their 17 opponents to a sub-.200 hitting percentage, doing so at a higher rate than last year's squad (16 of 33 matches). The 2024 unit also posted eight or more blocks in 16 of 33 contests. This fall's team, however, has tallied at least eight rejections in 13 of 17 matches thus far, ranking 37^th in the nation with 148 team blocks.
 
At the service line, NM State has been equally as dominant. The Aggies have averaged 1.91 aces per set, up from last year's 1.30 mark. Eleven aces stood as the group's high-water mark in 2024, which has already been eclipsed three times this campaign. In this year's season opener against Eastern Washington, the unit amassed 15 aces, falling just two short of the four-set program record. Additionally, on Sept. 13, Maggie Lightheart racked up seven masterful serves as part of a 14-ace night for the home team against New Haven. The Crimson & White have combined for six or more aces in 10 of their past 12 outings, bringing their season total to 126 perfect serves to rank 12^th in NCAA Division I.

VOLLEY BOSS
Rilen Garcia was anointed as the captain for NM State Volleyball in the offseason ahead of her fourth season with the program. The vocal leader and local product has been a role model throughout her time with the Aggies since arriving in 2022. 
 
The senior has led her squad in assists across each of the past four matches, earning a spot in the starting lineup in the last three. Garcia followed up a 47-assist weekend at Delaware with a total of 44 against Sam Houston. The setter also notched season-high dig totals in each match versus the Bearkats, tallying seven on Friday before nine in Saturday's triumph.
 
NOTHING LIGHTHEARTED ABOUT HER
In her first two years with the program, Maggie Lightheart cracked the starting lineup just three times. So far in 2025, the Las Cruces native has started all 17 matches and missed just one set. The junior has the most Aggie kills (187) this season following a 30-kill weekend in which she led the squad with an efficient 17 on Friday. Her 180 digs also place her second atop the team leaderboard after notching a team-best 19 in Saturday's four-set win.
 
Additionally, Lightheart paces Conference USA with 40 aces on the campaign, placing her fourth across all of NCAA Division I and well ahead of last year's program leader (30, Martinez). The third-year Aggie has landed three or more aces in eight contests this year, doing so both times against Sam Houston last weekend. 
 
TINY BUT MIGHTY
Makayla Martinez has emerged as a consistent starting libero in her sophomore season. The second-year Aggie already has more digs in 2025 than her entire freshman campaign, leading the team with 199. Both her total and average per set (3.83) rank sixth in CUSA, despite missing three September matches with an injury. 
 
The Albuquerque native has led the team in digs nine times this year, including seven of the past eight matches. She has surpassed 20 digs twice in 2025, with her most coming against Little Rock (27). The sophomore has also racked up 59 assists and 15 service aces this year, ranking fourth on the team in both categories.
 
SWEET 16
As a true freshman, Kate Sinclair has made an immediate impact. The Canadian has entered the starting lineup in each of the past 16 matches and appeared in all but two sets. The middle blocker leads the team in total blocks, tallying 63 on the season, including seven solo rejections. The first-year Aggie has posted four or more denials in seven of the past 10 outings, tallying 43 over the span while leading her team in seven contests. 
 
Offensively, Sinclair's 84 kills have come on a .278 hitting percentage; a clip that leads the team (minimum 3.0 attempts per set). The Canadian is hitting .313 in conference play while averaging 2.06 points per set. In her last nine contests, she has finished with a clip of .350 or higher six times, including her career best of .462 at UNM (Sept. 16).
 
FEELIN' FOXY
Among the Aggies' 13 returners, few took a leap quite as large as Mia Fox. After notching just 17 kills and six blocks as a freshman, the middle blocker has accepted a much heavier load in 2025 as the lone returner at her position.
 
This year, Fox has amassed 125 kills and 60 blocks while being one of two Aggies to start all 17 matches. The sophomore has led the squad in denials on nine occasions, most recently notching six last time out against Sam Houston. In four of NM State's last five matches, she reached a double-digit total in kills, averaging a .229 hitting percentage over the stretch.
 
SCOUTING THE MINERS
UTEP is under the direction of Ben Wallis, who boasts a 130-61 record in his seven years with the program. The Miners are out to a 14-2 start this season, most recently making quick work of Liberty in El Paso last weekend. With an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, the program earned its first-ever appearance in the bracket a season ago. 
 
The squad is led on the floor by Kaya Weaver, averaging 2.56 kills per set on a .409 hitting percentage. The middle blocker was named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29 after the opening weekend of league action. Elsewhere, Torrance Lovesee leads the squad in kills, mostly coming courtesy of setters Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler in Wallis' 6-2 system. Lastly, Danika Washington teams up with Weaver to lead the team in blocks, while newcomer Fuka Sekita's 200 digs sit atop her team's leaderboard.
 
NM State and UTEP met in the CUSA Championship Semifinals last November on the Miners' home floor. The Aggies fell behind two sets to one before mounting a comeback for the ages. Mari Sharp led the way with 20 kills and 10 digs while Nellie Reese and Rilen Garcia paired up for 48 assists to upset Ben Wallis' bunch and clinch a second consecutive title match appearance. 
 
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