LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returned for the final installment of a two-match series against the New Haven, taking to the Pan American Center court for a rare Saturday night contest. The Aggies (6-2) cruised through the first two sets, with the Chargers (1-6) making it a battle in the final frame. After notching a career-best seven aces on Friday night, Maggie Lightheart led the way for NM State, totaling a team-high 14 kills. 
 
Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-22) 
 
FIRST SET
Jacqueline Corcoran and Claudia Rossi notched their first collegiate starts for the Crimson & White as Mike Jordan tweaked the lineup. Tess Fuqua and Rossi tallied the first two points of the match on a kill and ace respectively. A 6-1 burst in favor of the visitors put the Aggies down 10-6, prompting a timeout from Head Coach Mike Jordan.  
 
The timeout would serve as a rallying point for NM State, powering a stretch that saw the Aggies turn what was a four-point deficit into a 19-14 advantage. The run was punctuated by a Kaylee Peterson ace; one of three the senior from Decatur, Texas, would record on the night as she set a new career high. 
 
Following a New Haven timeout, the front row for NM State took charge, with a pair of kills from Zoe Ziegler and a solo block from Kate Sinclair, spearheading an Aggie run that saw five straight points to end the first game 25-16. 
 
SECOND SET
The shortest set of the night saw the Crimson & White hold the Chargers to their worst hitting percentage of the weekend (-.038), courtesy of two blocks and 11 digs from the home side. Knotted at six following a Tess Fuqua kill, back-to-back aces from the service line by Kaylee Peterson secured the Aggies' largest lead of the set to that point (12-6). Plagued by errors throughout much of the match, UNH gifted the Aggies a quartet of points to grow the home team's lead to 20-13. For the third straight match, setter Claudia Rossi notched an ace before a bad Charger set gave the Aggies a 25-15 win.
 
THIRD SET
In a repeat of yesterday's third set, the Aggies and Chargers would battle through much of the final frame. Consecutive kills by sophomore Mia Fox gave her side a quick 3-1 lead, with the Chargers needing a timeout following a combo block by Tess Fuqua and Kate Sinclair that put the home team up 11-4. The visitors would slowly claw at the NM State lead, bringing the match within two points (14-12). Later, quartet of successive points for the Crimson & White grew the lead to the largest of the third frame (18-12). Holding match point, junior transfer Zoe Ziegler notched the match-securing kill, sending the crowd home with a final set score of 25-22. 
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• NM State held New Haven to a .043 hitting clip on Saturday night, marking the second-lowest mark by an Aggie opponent this season. The match was also the sixth of the season in which the Aggies held their opponent below .200. 
• After notching fourteen Aggie aces in a three-set match on Friday, the Aggies tallied another six aces on the night, putting them at 20 on the weekend. 
• Making her second consecutive start at libero, Las Cruces native Bella Castro tabbed eight digs, while adding in a career-best six assists on the night.  
• Following a pair of sweeps over New Haven, NM State has now recorded three straight, winning nine total sets in a row.
• Following her first collegiate kill a night prior, Jacqueline Corcoran tallied her first two-kill outing on Saturday.
• Last year's squad held opponents to a sub-.200 hitting percentage in 16 of 33 matches. The 2025 group has already done so in six of eight matches so far, including a .043 mark on Saturday. 
• Kaylee Peterson recorded a trio of service aces on the night, setting a single-match career high that improves her career total to seven.
• NM State now holds a 2-0 all-time record against New Haven with the win over Division I's newest member.

• The Aggies have now notched eight or more blocks in six of eight matches this season. In 2024, NM State had done so in just 16 of 33 matches. 

 
FROM THE FLOOR
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the win: "We attacked it better. We didn't set it better. We didn't give them as many points today. They passed it better, which forced us to play a little more, but we've got to be cleaner and smarter. There's a big learning curve with this group right now. We wanted to get a different matchup on them, which is why we flipped the wheel a bit. Jacqueline (Corcoran) can help us in the serve receive game and she did that. She's got to lower the errors, but she did her job."
 
Redshirt sophomore setter Claudia Rossi, on her first collegiate start: "I think we did really well playing as one from the jump. Starting fast and jumping out to a hot start was something we needed to work on. Being at home feels so much better, too. Coming back after my injury last year and playing with this group in front of these fans was something I had definitely missed."
 
Freshman middle blocker Kate Sinclair, on her increasing role: "It's been incredible. If you asked me three months ago whether I thought I'd even play, I would've said there was no way. To be here and be a part of this team is a pleasure. I couldn't ask for a better family to be a part of."
 
UP NEXT
NM State continues its nine-day stretch of seven matches on Tuesday in the Duke City. The Battle of I-25 will be a two-day affair, with the first bout taking place in Albuquerque at 5:00 PM. The next day, both squads will square off in the Pan American Center at 6:00 PM. Tuesday's contest at New Mexico will be streamed live on Mountain West Network and available to follow via nmstatesports.com/stats.
 
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