New Mexico State University Athletics

MIAMI – NM State Volleyball closed out the 2026 regular season with a four-set victory over FIU inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. After earning a five-set win on Friday, the Aggies returned with another strong performance, defeating the Panthers 3-1 to complete the weekend sweep on Saturday. 

Set-by-set: NM State def. FIU 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 25-15) 

FIRST SET 

A close contest in the opening frame featured eight ties and three lead changes. Ashley Herman recorded five kills in the stanza while Maggie Lightheart and Tess Fuqua each added key points during a late Aggie run. NM State closed the set by winning seven of the final nine points to secure a 25-21 first-frame victory. 

SECOND SET 

FIU responded in the second, using a lengthy run from the service line to build separation midway through the frame. Mia Fox provided four kills, though a late Aggie push would see the Crimson & White fall short, as the Panthers evened the match with a 25-18 set victory. 

THIRD SET 

The Aggies regained control in the third frame, hitting .261 as a team while recording 18 kills. Zoe Ziegler sparked the offense with seven kills in the set, while Ashley Herman added five. A late 6-3 run helped NM State break the match tie and tally a 25-21 win, taking a 2-1 set advantage. 

FOURTH SET 

NM State delivered its strongest defensive effort of the afternoon in the final frame. The Aggies notched a game six blocks in the set while holding  FIU to a -.040 hitting percentage. NM State used an 11-2 run to pull away from the home-side Panthers, cruising to a 25-15 victory to complete the series sweep. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE 

• For just the second conference series of 2026, NM State tallied a two-game sweep of the Panthers, closing out the regular season on a three-match winning streak – also winning 8 of their last 11 contests. 

• The Aggies finished the regular season with a 16-13 overall record and a 9-7 Conference USA mark, their first winning record in CUSA action since 2024 (11-7). 

• The Aggies recorded a total of 81 digs, their best performance of the season. Junior libero Makayla Martinez led the way with a season high of 23 digs – her most in a single game since Sept. 17, 2025 (27, v. Little Rock). 

• Zoe Ziegler delivered a season-high 10 kills, her first game with double-digit kills for the Crimson & White since Sept. 6, 2025 (12, v. Kansas City). 

• Mia Fox recorded nine kills on 14 swings for her sixth game with nine or more kills for NM State on the year. 

• Ashley Herman paced the NM State attack with 11 kills on Saturday, her sixth match with 10+ kills in the previous seven for the Aggies. 

• Katrina Catalan dished out 25 assists and 12 digs, tallying her 10th double-double of the season. 

• The Aggies held FIU to a .056 hitting percentage – the second-lowest match total allowed by NM State in 2026 – including a -.040 mark in the fourth set. 

QUOTEABLES 

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the final regular-season win:    

"We competed hard, minus a stretch in the second set where FIU's serving pressure got to us. We bounced back well and played hard defensively. It was a good team road win. Hopefully we're the 3 seed in the conference tournament." 

UP NEXT 

NM State will head to Bowling Green, Ky., to compete in the 2026 Conference USA Championship, hosted by WKU at E.A. Diddle Arena. The eight-team tournament is scheduled for Nov. 20-22, with tournament seeding to be announced following the conclusion of conference matches on Saturday. 

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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