New Mexico State University Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – NM State Volleyball opened its Conference USA road series against Middle Tennessee on Friday evening at the Alumni Memorial Gymnasium. Despite recording 44 kills and forcing 22 ties across the match, the Aggies fell to the Blue Raiders in straight sets. 

Set-by-set: Middle Tennessee def. NM State 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 28-26) 

FIRST SET 

The opening frame featured eight ties and five lead changes as neither side could create much separation early. Maggie Lightheart tallied seven kills while Mia Fox added two and Kate Sinclair contributed a pair of kills. NM State rallied from a four-point deficit to pull within 24-22 late, but Middle Tennessee secured the final point to claim the set. 

SECOND SET 

The Aggies jumped out to an 8-3 lead behind strong play from Tess Fuqua, Mia Fox and Lightheart. However, the Blue Raiders battled back and eventually evened the score at 10-10 before using a late surge to gain control. Fuqua recorded five kills in the frame, but Middle Tennessee closed out a 25-20 victory to take a 2-0 match lead. 

THIRD SET 

The final frame proved to be the most competitive of the night, featuring nine ties and five lead changes. Lightheart recorded six kills while Kohli, Fuqua and Fox added key points throughout the stanza. The Aggies fought off multiple match points and forced ties at 24-24, 25-25 and 26-26 before Middle Tennessee narrowly escaped with a 28-26 victory. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE 

• Maggie Lightheart led the Aggies with 16 kills while hitting .306. 

• Tess Fuqua added 10 kills, five digs and three service aces. 

• Mia Fox finished with seven kills while hitting .286. 

• Makayla Martinez anchored the back row with 22 digs, marking her 21st match this season with double-digit digs. 

• Paige Nelson dished out 21 assists, while Katrina Catalan added 17 assists with six digs apiece. 

• The Aggies totaled 49 digs and six service aces in the match. 

QUOTEABLES 

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the road loss:  

"24 hitting errors to their 10 is pretty much the story of the match. We were in position to win all 3 sets, so despite the high error there was still optimism, but we have got to be more consistent as a unit. We outscored them but you cannot give a team 15 more points than they give you." 

UP NEXT 

NM State will close out its two-match series against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 24, inside the Alumni Memorial Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT as the Aggies look to earn a split of the weekend series. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.  

For complete coverage of NM State Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateVBall), Instagram (@NMStateVBall) and like us on Facebook (NM State Volleyball). You can also follow along with Aggie Volleyball via NMStateSports.com.  

##NM State##