TULSA, Okla. – The first day of the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational was a two-match affair for NM State Volleyball. The Aggies, nearing the end of a nine-day, seven-match gauntlet, first squared off against the hosting Golden Hurricane before taking on Little Rock. The Crimson & White took just one set on the day, suffering their first losing skid of the season and dropping to 7-5 overall with one match left in non-conference play.
 
MATCH ONE – NM State at Tulsa
Set-by-set: NM State loses 0-3 (19-25, 18-25, 13-25) 
 
FIRST SET
Nine ties and six lead changes would pass early on in the frame before Tulsa took over late. Tess Fuqua's 15^th ace of the year put her side ahead 7-6 before Kate Sinclair notched blocks on back-to-back points, pulling in front 10-9. Following a service error from the hosts, NM State's lead stood at one. The Golden Hurricane pulled off an ensuing 7-0 run that saw three Aggie attack errors. The deficit never crept back below five, with Tulsa taking set one by a score of 25-19.
 
SECOND SET
In a flash, the second frame seemed likely to mirror the first as the Crimson & White fell behind 5-1 on an ace. Kate Sinclair picked up a kill and her sixth block of the morning before Jaelynn Kohli followed up with a pair of kills that kept their side in the fight. Mia Fox later notched a solo block and an ace just seconds apart to put the Aggies in front 13-11, but a 7-2 Tulsa push stopped the visitors' momentum in its tracks. Four straight NM State attack errors accelerated a five-point run to end the set as Tulsa pulled ahead 2-0 by a 25-18 mark. 
 
THIRD SET
Jacqueline Corcoran stepped to the service line early in the third, recording her first career ace. One touch later, the ball grazed the back corner and was ruled in after a review, doubling her career total to two. After a 4-4 stalemate, the Aggies never tied the affair again. Bella Castro added an ace while Tess Fuqua poured in three of her team-high seven kills, but Tulsa ran away with a 25-13 win to end the contest. 
 
MATCH ONE – Little Rock vs. NM State
Set-by-set: NM State loses 1-3 (31-29, 19-25, 23-25, 23-25) 
 
FIRST SET
Tess Fuqua had already logged two kills and an ace by the end of point 10, gathering a lead of four vpvin the process. A five-rally run from Little Rock saw one of the 13 ties and eight lead changes in the frame as the Trojans pulled ahead 10-8. Fuqua responded with consecutive kills to reclaim the lead before the opposition did the same. The Las Cruces native later posted yet another pair of kills to prompt a 22-22 tie, before Jaelynn Kohli dropped one in to spend Little Rock's second timeout. After 12 points past a regulation frame, Kate Sinclair gave NM State its third set point at 30-29. The opportunity was capitalized on, being finished off with a Trojan attack error and ending the longest set of the season for NM State.
 
SECOND SET
Two early kills from Kate Sinclair highlighted the Aggie offense leading up to a 6-6 stalemate before Little Rock ripped off an 8-1 run. Maggie Lightheart responded with a kill and a block in a four-point stretch to pull within three, but the Trojans responded with another long push, taking seven of the next eight rallies. Mike Jordan's squad hit .021 in the frame, failing to cut the deficit any closer than five and falling in set two by a score of 25-19. 
 
THIRD SET
Mia Fox spearheaded a 7-1 Aggie run with a kill and her career-high sixth block, pushing her side ahead 8-6. High school teammate Jacqueline Corcoran later followed up with the sixth kill of her career to pull in front 13-10, but the lead quickly evaporated. An 8-4 run gave Little Rock an edge of two and forced Mike Jordan into a timeout. The lead changed hands once more before a 6-2 Trojan burst gave them a two sets to one advantage, taking the third frame 25-23.
 
FOURTH SET
Jaelynn Kohli quickly added three kills to what was a career night for the freshman, striking first to the tune of an 8-4 lead. A Claudia Rossi ace was later sandwiched by a pair of Tess Fuqua kills, but the margin had shrunk to just one. Kohli kept her squad close, notching another duo of kills before Little Rock ended the match on a 6-1 run, taking the frame 25-23.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• The Aggies have now notched eight or more blocks in 10 of 12 matches this season. In 2024, NM State did so in just 16 of 33 matches. 
• Kate Sinclair was involved in all five of the Aggies' blocks in the first set at Tulsa, finishing the match with six.
• Jacqueline Corcoran notched the first two aces of her young career, doing so on back-to-back points early in the third set at Tulsa.
• Kaylee Peterson later notched her first collegiate kill, converting on a late swing in the opener.
• Twenty-five kills versus the Golden Hurricane was NM State's lowest output of the season, falling short of the previous mark (35 versus New Haven).
• NM State suffered its second sweep of the season against Tulsa, dropping to 3-2 in three-set matches.
• The Aggies now hold a 1-1 all-time record against Tulsa.
• Makayla Martinez set a new career high with 27 digs against the Trojans. The output was the most by any Aggie this season.
• Tess Fuqua led the charge offensively for NM State in both matches, tallying seven and 22 kills, respectively. Her output against the Trojans marked a new personal best and was the most by any Aggie this season.
• The redshirt sophomore has now paced the club in kills seven times this year.
• Mia Fox established a new career best with six blocks versus Little Rock.
• On the day, Kate Sinclair amassed 13 total blocks, improving her team-high mark to 48 on the young season. The freshman now has 28 total rejections in her past five outings.
• Jaelynn Kohli's 16 kills against the Trojans were the most in her young career, surpassing her total of 15 at New Mexico on Tuesday. 
• Fuqua, Martinez and Maggie Lightheart all notched at least 15 digs, marking the first instance of at least three Aggies having 15-plus digs this season. 

• NM State now has an all-time mark of 5-5 against Little Rock. 

 
UP NEXT
NM State's stretch of seven matches in nine days comes to a close tomorrow. The Aggies will take on Oral Roberts in their non-conference finale at 10:00 AM MT (11:00 local) from Donald W. Reynolds Center. The bout with the Golden Eagles will be available to follow via nmstatesports.com/stats.
 
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