LA JOLLA, Calif. – NM State Volleyball wrapped up its stay at the UC San Diego Invitational on Saturday, taking down the hosts in four sets. The Aggies controlled the match, holding the Tritons to a .039 hitting percentage with 10 blocks and a season-high 54 digs. Zoe Ziegler (13) and Mia Fox (11) each set Division I career highs in kills to lead the charge in what was the Aggies' second victory of the young campaign. 
 
Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 15-25, 25-15)
 
FIRST SET
Kate Sinclair was the lone addition to the starting lineup on Saturday as both sides exchanged nine ties in the first 22 points. Maggie Lightheart, fresh off a seven-ace day on Friday, kickstarted a 4-0 run with a pair of aces to pull ahead 15-12. Later, Bianca Perez stepped onto the floor, landing her first collegiate kill as a hitter to highlight a 5-2 spurt. Sinclair closed out the frame with a kill to push her side ahead 1-0 by a 25-21 mark.
 
SECOND SET
A Triton ace knotted up the second frame at 9-9 before a Maggie Lightheart kill sent Nellie Reese went back to serve. Back-to-back blocks from Sinclair highlighted a 4-0 run that forced a UCSD timeout. Later, with a five-point advantage, Mia Fox entered the most impressive stretch of her two-year career. The middle blocker dominated a six-point stretch in which she landed a kill five times. Her fifth of the stretch prompted set point for the Aggies, in which she joined forces with Bianca Perez on a block to cap off a 5-0 run. 
 
THIRD SET
The Tritons responded well in set three, taking a 7-2 lead and forcing a Mike Jordan timeout. UCSD never looked back, holding NM State to at least a five-point deficit the rest of the way. While the hosts hit above .400 in the stanza, the Aggies matched their seven kills with as many errors, falling 25-15.
 
FOURTH SET
Zoe Ziegler took control in the final frame, notching four kills and a block on just seven attempts. The Cypress CC transfer's 12^th and 13^th kills of the afternoon were separated by just a point, pushing her side comfortably in front 18-11. Following their sloppy third set, the Aggies hit .333 in the final outing with just two errors. Bianca Perez got involved in the action with two of her career-high three kills coming in the fourth. Just three points after Mia Fox's career-best 11^thsmash of the contest, Nellie Reese sent her team home happy with an ace to close things out 25-15.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• The Aggies' .210 hitting percentage was their highest of the season, doing so with 43 kills and a season-low 17 errors on 124 swings.
• After averaging 4.76 aces per match in 2024, NM State is posting 8.0 per contest thus far in 2025.
• Maggie Lightheart entered the season with 13 career aces. The junior tallied 10 this weekend, including three against the Tritons. 
• The Aggies needed just 43 kills to topple UCSD, setting a mark seven below that of any four-set win from a season ago. 
• California native Zoe Ziegler followed up her solid debut on Friday with a 13-kill, three-block day on a .407 hitting percentage. The 6-foot-6 outside hitter led the team in kills, setting a new high in the Crimson & White. 
• Mia Fox entered the weekend with a career high of four kills. After notching 15 across Friday's two matches, the sophomore added a new career-best with 11 against UCSD, setting a career high in her third straight match. 
• Tess Fuqua filled the stat sheet on Friday with 18 kills and as many digs across two matches. She did so once again at UCSD on Saturday, notching a team-best 18 digs, setting a new career high. 
• For the third straight match to open the year, Nellie Reese earned a start and paced the team in assists, picking up 23 in the victory.

• Bianca Perez returned to the stat sheet for the first time since 2023 after missing a season due to injury. The fourth-year notched three kills on eight swings, adding a pair of blocks in her first showing as a front-row attacker.  

 
FROM THE FLOOR
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the victory: "Getting a win on the road against a solid Big West team without Ashley [Herman] and Jaelynn [Kohli] is a really good team effort. Everyone stepped up, especially defensively, and I'm really proud of them. Bianca [Perez] came up with some timely plays, then Mia [Fox] and Zoe [Ziegler] were great. When the third set got away from us, Kaylee [Peterson], Bella [Castro] and Rilen [Garcia] came in, competed really well and gave us a chance to rest some people. I'm proud of the way we regrouped. Again, that was a really good team win."
 
Junior outside hitter Zoe Ziegler, on her 13-kill outing: "Being back in the Cali air with this team really allowed me to flourish today. I connected with the setters on a deeper level today and really built that trust. I also had family and friends there to support me, which really led my drive to compete today. They remind me why I'm here. I'm just really excited to succeed with this program and represent Cali the right way."
 
Sophomore middle blocker Mia Fox, on her performance: "We did really well as a unit defensively today. Everyone did their part and the communication was all in. It was just a total group effort."
 
UP NEXT
NM State will stay on the road for another trio of matches next weekend. The Aggies will head to The Prairie State for the Saluki Bash across Sept. 5 and 6. On Friday, the Crimson & White are set to face Southern Illinois, the host, before taking on Eastern Illinois six hours later. Then, on Saturday, the Aggies' weekend slate will conclude with a bout against former WAC foe Kansas City. The matchup with the Salukis will be streamed on ESPN+, while all matches will be available to follow live via StatBroadcast. 
 
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