FRESNO, Calif. – NM State Volleyball opened play at the Bulldog Invitational, hosted by Fresno State, on Thursday afternoon, defeating UC Irvine in five sets, 3-2. The win marked Head Coach Mike Jordan's 600th career victory, and the second in a young season for the Crimson & White. The Aggies overcame a fourth-set setback and an early deficit in the fifth set to take the neutral-site victory. Outside hitter Tess Fuqua powered the NM State attack with 13 kills, her third time leading the Aggies in kills this season.
Set-by-set: NM State defeats UC Irvine 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 16-25, 15-13)
FIRST SET
NM State came out strong in the tournament opener, using a trio of Paige Nelson service aces to help build an early 8-3 lead – in the first three contests of the season, the freshman setter had tallied three aces total. Fifth-year Aggie Ashley Herman led the offensive charge with five kills on six swings in the frame, while NM State maintained control throughout. Jaelynn Kohli capped the opening set with a kill as NM State secured a 25-19 set victory.
SECOND SET
The Aggies once again found themselves in front early, leading by as many as six points midway through the set. Jacqueline Corcoran contributed three kills while Makayla Martinez added two service aces, but UC Irvine rallied late, taking seven of the last night points to even the match, 25-22.
THIRD SET
The most competitive set of the afternoon, the third set featured 14 ties and five lead changes. The Aggies fell behind to start the set, a first on Thursday afternoon. Tess Fuqua delivered six kills in the frame, while Lilli Saldivar and Ashley Herman provided key points during the closing stretch. Following a rally back from a 6-1 deficit, neither team earned more than three consecutive points until the Aggies closed the fourth frame with four straight, emerging with a 25-21 victory to move within one set of the win.
FOURTH SET
UC Irvine answered in the fourth, hitting .412 as a team while creating separation midway through the frame that the Aggies could never quite overcome. Tess Fuqua, Ashley Herman, and Jaelynn Kohli each added three kills, but the Anteaters forced a fifth game with a 25-16 win, the shortest set of the night.
FIFTH SET
Falling behind 8-4 in the decisive frame, the Aggies rallied with 600 career victories for NM State Head Coach Mike Jordan in reach. Maggie Lightheart fueled the comeback with four kills in the set, while Jacqueline Corcoran delivered back-to-back kills during a pivotal run that saw the Aggies go from trailing 9-8 to ahead 12-9, swinging momentum in the Aggies' favor. Maggie Lightheart later added a service ace, and Lilli Saldivar delivered the match-winning kill as the Aggies secured a 15-13 set five victory and Head Coach Mike Jordan's 600th career win.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
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The Aggies opened the Bulldog Invitational with a five-set victory over UC Irvine, the first five-set win for NM State this season, and the first overall since Sept. 26, 2025 (at Delaware).
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Maggie Lightheart contributed nine kills, nine digs, three total blocks and one service ace, rounding out a versatile performance for the Las Cruces native.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on his thoughts following his 600th career win:
"Um, gosh. Grateful to have had the people in my life that I've had in my life, all the former players, thankful for all of them, and my staff, throughout the years. It's, uh, I don't know. You know, these things, I think it'll mean more, you know, when I'm retired, right?
I'm just happy we got the win. It was kind of a back and forth, up and down match. We were great at times, and we were bad at times, but, they weathered the storm, and I'm glad [win] 600 came in kind of a gut-check win, you know? I think that's kind of cool. I'm just thankful for everybody that's been a part of it."
Outside Hitter Maggie Lightheart, on being on the floor for Head Coach Mike Jordan's 600th career victory:
"It feels pretty spectacular, honestly. Like, when I first got here, you know, I knew it was such a winning program, so it was pretty amazing to be a part of that winning. And MJ's a good coach, so I'm just really happy to be a part of it, and to continue to contribute to the winning."
Outside Hitter Ashley Herman, on helping Mike Jordan reach 600 career wins:
"Oh my gosh, it's just so amazing. I mean, coming back for my fifth year was an easy choice because of MJ as a coach. I just, I love him so much, and being able to be here for such an exciting event like this is awesome."
UP NEXT
NM State will continue play at the Bulldog Invitational on Friday evening when it takes on host Fresno State. First serve is set for 7 p.m. MT inside the North Gymnasium, with the match streamed live on MW+, with live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
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