LAS CRUCES, N.M. – To mark the end of the preseason, NM State Volleyball took on Lubbock Christian in an exhibition on Saturday. The Aggies prevailed in straight sets, taking down the Division II Lady Chaps in a comfortable sweep. An Aggie barrage in the front row led to a combined .320 hitting percentage and 11 total blocks. 
 
FIRST SET
The Aggies never trailed in the opening frame, due in large part to five blocks and four aces as a unit. Four Aggies made their first start in the Pan American Center, including Tess Fuqua after recovering from injury in 2024. LCU hit just .031 in the frame as the Aggie front row held strong en route to a 25-16 set win. 
 
SECOND SET
After changing sides, the home team held its momentum. Eighteen kills overpowered LCU's eight, as the Aggies climbed to a .282 hitting percentage in the second stanza. Three more aces extended NM State's runs as another set went 25-16 in its favor. 
 
THIRD SET
The final frame was near perfection on the offensive end. With 16 kills and zero errors, NM State smashed .444 as a group. After 26 total digs through the first two sets, the home squad tallied 20 in the shortest frame of the afternoon. A duo of aces rounded out the team's total to nine on the day as the Crimson & White cruised to a 25-14 victory and closed out a sweep.
 
FROM THE FLOOR
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the win: "I think there are a lot of things we need to clean up. Our size gave them problems. Our block numbers were high, but the touches weren't very good. We got tooled a lot and we need to clean that up. Offensively, we had some good moments. We were fairly low error, and that got better as the match went on. We learned a little bit, we played somebody else and nobody got hurt."
 
Sophomore middle blocker Mia Fox, on the sweep: "I think we all talked about how we needed to work better technically. I feel like in practice, we run a fast tempo, so today was a little easier. There was a lot of good talking in the front row, too. I feel like I've kind of been given a bigger role and I'm expected to do a little more coaching within the group now that I'm a sophomore. There's some more pressure to do well on the court, but I like pressure, so it's all good."
 
Junior outside hitter Maggie Lightheart, on her performance: "I have my team by my side and that really calms my nerves. The energy helped us a lot today because we all had each other's back. It really helps knowing that my teammates are with me no matter what. Even if I have a bad pass or get us into a mess, they're always ready to be there for me and clean it up. I'm proud of how we all played today." 
 
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