CARBONDALE, Ill. – From the sunny coast of San Diego, NM State Volleyball now turns to the Breadbasket of America. The 2025 Saluki Bash has three matches in store for the Aggies, who enter the tournament at 2-1. Southern Illinois (2-1), the weekend's host, will be up first for NM State, followed by Eastern Illinois (2-0) and Kansas City (0-3).
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Who: NM State (2-1) at Southern Illinois (2-1) / vs. Eastern Illinois (2-0) / vs. Kansas City (0-3)
Where: Banterra Center – Carbondale, Ill.
When: Friday, Sept. 5 at 9:00 AM MT and 3:00 PM MT / Saturday, Sept. 6 at 10:00 AM MT
Live Stream: ESPN+ (Southern Illinois match only)
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. Southern Illinois: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
All-Time Record vs. Eastern Illinois: 1-0
Last Meeting: NM State 3 at Eastern Illinois 2 – Sept. 6, 1990 
All-Time Record vs. Kansas City: 14-2
Last Meeting: Kansas City 1 at NM State 3 – Nov. 16, 2019
 
LAST TIME OUT
NM State took its talents to the west coast, playing three matches at the UC San Diego Invitational. The 52^nd regular season in program history began with a four-set victory over Eastern Washington. Northwestern prevailed in four sets several hours later, but Mike Jordan's squad left the Golden State with a winning record after toppling the hosts on Saturday. 
 
Five Aggies tallied at least 23 kills as the unit held its opponents to a collective .130 hitting percentage that ranks atop Conference USA. Twenty-eight team blocks and 24 aces kept the opposition on its heels, leading to a 2-1 mark heading into the campaign's second week.
 
THE FOX SAID WHAT?!
As a freshman, Mia Fox appeared in 15 sets and landed 17 kills, recording a high of four kills in a single match. Across three contests in San Diego last weekend, the sophomore obliterated her previous records in nearly every category. With six kills against EWU, nine versus Northwestern and 11 at UCSD, the middle blocker set a new personal best in each outing, tallying a total of 26 kills and more than doubling her career total. 
 
The Augusta, Kan., native not only tied Zoe Ziegler for the team lead, but did so on remarkable efficiency. Fox's errorless showing in the weekend finale resulted in a cumulative .548 hitting percentage that ranks atop Conference USA and 11^thin all of NCAA Division I. Defensively, she also added 10 blocks, setting a new career best twice.
 
A DIFFERENT LOOK
So far, five Aggies have made their NM State regular-season debut, with more likely to come. Tess Fuqua, Katie Funk, Jaelynn Kohli, Kate Sinclair and Zoe Ziegler all donned the Crimson & White for the first time a week ago, playing a collective 46 sets. The group combined for 83 kills, 46 digs and 33 blocks during the Aggies' opening tournament en route to a pair of victories. 
 
Several more Aggie premieres loom on the horizon, with Jacqueline Corcoran among the list. The Augusta, Kan., native, and high school teammate of Mia Fox, has yet to play in a collegiate regular-season contest after redshirting the 2024 campaign. Corcoran made the trip to SIU this weekend, meaning any action will be her first with the program. Other newcomers yet to debut include Mia Mendoza, Jazlyn Vasquez and Ezgi Duzgezen.
 
PERSONNEL GROWTH
The 2025 roster stands at an average of 6-foot-0, nearly an entire inch above the final 2024 edition. This fall's squad boasts six Aggies of at least six feet tall that were not active on the 2024 club, including four newcomers. Freshman Jaelynn Kohli and transfer Ezgi Duzgezen each stand at 6-foot-3 in their first year with the program. Kate Sinclair (6-foot-4) and Zoe Ziegler (6-foot-6) would each have been the tallest on last year's team, with the latter coming in as the tallest on record in program history. Peyton Castillo and Tess Fuqua were also both inactive in 2024 as they recovered from injury. 
 
CAN'T GET RID OF 'EM
Over the offseason, several familiar faces returned to the Aggie staff. Twenty-eighth year head coach Mike Jordan brought back longtime assistant Chris Hertel after a season apart in which Hertel was head coach at Radford. Chelsea Rose, a member of the 2010 Aggie squad and former director of player development, also reclaimed a spot on the bench.
 
ENDLESS OPTIONS
With 20 student-athletes, the Aggies boast the largest roster in Conference USA for the second straight season. Additionally, six setters give the Crimson & White the most in the league once again. No other league program entered the season with more than four. 
 
LOCAL PRODUCTS
Seven Aggies hail from the Land of Enchantment, including four from Las Cruces. Rilen Garcia, Maggie Lightheart, Tess Fuqua, Bella Castro, Jazlyn Vasquez, Mia Mendoza and Makayla Martinez all call the Land of Enchantment home. Jaelynn Kohli also recently graduated from Eastlake High School in El Paso, Texas.
 
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