New Mexico State University Athletics

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Volleyball welcomed Delaware for its penultimate home series of the season, rallying back from 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set. The Aggies hit .243 as a team and recorded 59 kills, but the Blue Hens ultimately secured a 3-2 victory. 

Set-by-set: Delaware def. NM State 3-2 (16-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 12-15) 

FIRST SET 

Delaware used an early run to create separation and built a 15-8 advantage heading into the media timeout. Mia Fox, Lilli Saldivar and Jacqueline Corcoran each recorded kills during a late Aggie push, but the Blue Hens closed out the frame with a 25-16 victory. 

SECOND SET 

The Aggies turned in their most efficient offensive set of the match, hitting .600 as a team. Ashley Herman led the charge with six kills, while Tess Fuqua added five and Jaelynn Kohli chipped in three. Despite battling through 10 ties and six lead changes, NM State was unable to capitalize late as Delaware narrowly escaped with a 25-23 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match. 

THIRD SET 

NM State shifted its tune in the third frame, hitting .419 while limiting Delaware to a .143 attacking percentage, leading by as many as eight points before claiming a 25-19 third-set victory. Maggie Lightheart tallied five kills, while Lilli Saldivar added three and Kate Sinclair chipped in a pair.  

FOURTH SET 

The Aggies delivered their most dominant set of the evening in the fourth, holding the Blue Hens to just 12 points in the 25-12 frame victory. Lightheart recorded six kills while Fuqua added two kills and three service aces. NM State held Delaware to a -.080 hitting percentage and entered the fifth set with all the momentum. 

FIFTH SET 

The decisive frame featured four ties and three lead early as the Aggies built a four-point advantage, 10-6. Kohli and Lightheart delivered key kills while Corcoran added a late point off the bench, but Delaware rallied with a 9-2 run to close the match and secure a 15-12 victory. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE 

• Friday's match featured 20 ties and 14 lead changes, including 10 ties in the second set alone. 

• Maggie Lightheart led the Aggies with 15 kills while adding eight digs and a service ace. 

• Kate Sinclair hit a team best .429 while recording four kills on seven swings. 

• Ashley Herman recorded 12 kills. 

• Tess Fuqua finished with 11 kills, 10 digs to record a double-double on Friday night, while also recording five service aces to set a new season high. 

• Lilli Saldivar posted six kills while hitting .308. 

• Paige Nelson dished out 25 assists, while Katrina Catalan added 26 assists and 10 digs for a double-double. 

QUOTEABLES 

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the five set loss:   

"We put ourselves in jeopardy with the tragic play in sets one and two. We hit .600 in the second set and still lost. That's never happened to a team of mine. Sets three and four were when we got on a roll, and in set five we choked, losing a 10-6 lead because we suddenly couldn't pass. I'm so disappointed with our play on Fridays." 

UP NEXT 

NM State will continue its Conference USA series against Delaware on Saturday, Oct. 31, inside the Pan American Center. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. MT as the Aggies look to bounce back and earn a split of the weekend series. 

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.  

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