HUNTSVILLE, Texas – NM State Volleyball continued Conference USA action on Friday evening, taking on the Sam Houston Bearkats at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. Despite forcing extra points in the third frame, the Aggies fell to the Bearkats in straight sets.
Set-by-set: Sam Houston def. NM State 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 27-25)
FIRST SET
Earning seven of their first eight points of the contest through Bearkats errors, a back-and-forth opening frame featured five ties and one lead change. Tess Fuqua, Ashley Herman and Sadie Ross – making her third start in the last four matches – helped keep the Aggies within striking distance. However, Sam Houston used a late push to pull away and claim the opening set, 25-19.
SECOND SET
Sophomore middle blocker Kate Sinclair provided a spark for the Aggies to begin the second set en route to recording four kills while hitting .667 in the frame. A 10-1 Sam Houston run saw the contest go from a 7-7 tie to 17-8 Bearkats in a hurry – a deficit the Aggies would not recover from. The Bearkats maintained control and secured a 25-16 victory to take each of the first two sets.
THIRD SET
The longest set of the night, the third and eventual final frame saw seven ties and two lead changes. Battling back from an early deficit behind a quartet of Maggie Lightheart kills, Katrina Catalan joined in on the action, contributing two kills and a service ace. With the score tied at 24-24 and again at 25-25, NM State forced extra points before Sam Houston narrowly secured a 27-25 victory.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
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Kate Sinclair led NM State with six kills, setting a season high, while hitting an impressive .600, setting a career high.
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Along with setting a season high in kills, Sinclair recorded the 100th block of her collegiate career. Her milestone total ranks third among active Aggies, trailing only Mia Fox (135) and Ashley Herman (129).
QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the sweep:
"We're usually fun to watch. Not tonight. Kate Sinclair was the only bright spot. She'll play tomorrow. Hopefully we won't sabotage ourselves like we did tonight. Other teams do not need our help."
UP NEXT
NM State will conclude its two-match series against Sam Houston on Saturday, Oct. 3, inside Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. First serve is scheduled for Noon MT, with the match streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
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