ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Following a thrilling 3-0 weekend in Fresno that saw the Aggies tally NM State Head Coach Mike Jordan's 600th career victory, NM State Volleyball returned to the Land of Enchantment on Monday night, visiting The Pit – Powered by Nusenda, for a meeting with the New Mexico Lobos.
Returning to Las Cruces after the Bulldog Invitational, the Aggies flipped a short turnaround to travel up I-25 and take on the Lobos in The Pit for the first time since 2000 – New Mexico had previously played in the Johnson Center. In the lone matchup of the season between NM State and UNM, the Lobos took a 3-1 victory.
Set-by-set: NM State loses 1-3 (14-25, 25-21, 20-25, 19-25)
FIRST SET
The Aggies and Lobos battled through the early portion of the opening frame, with neither team creating much separation in the 82nd all-time meeting between the programs. Leading the Aggies 11-10, New Mexico would capitalize in the late stages, registering 15 kills on a .480 hitting percentage to take the opening set in the Duke City 25-14.
SECOND SET
NM State rebounded in the second stanza, building a 3-1 lead following kills by Maggie Lightheart, Tess Fuqua and Ashley Herman. Despite building a lead that grew to as large as 18-11, the Crimson & White could not break away from the home side Lobos – who refused to quit and make it a 21-19 contest that forced a timeout by Aggie head coach Mike Jordan. Back-to-back points by Ashley Herman (solo block) and Katrina Catalan (service ace), would put game two away and even the match at one set apiece.
THIRD SET
In the pivotal third set, the Aggies saw the Lobos follow the same script – building an early lead that they would not relinquish. NM State saw its most successful offensive set of the night, posting 17 kills, though adding eight errors. Trailing 22-17, successive points by Mia Fox and Ashley Herman sparked a late-match push; however, New Mexico would take the third frame, 25-20.
FOURTH SET
In the final frame of the Labor Day contest, NM State tied the score a quartet of times though never led, dropping the set 25-19, and the match three sets to one.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- The home side Lobos finished the night hitting .336 as a team – by far the best opponent hitting percentage allowed by the Aggies this season, and the highest as a program since Nov. 1, 2025 (at LA Tech).
- Tess Fuqua and Ashley Herman paced the team in kills, with 10 apiece. Fuqua added a pair of aces, her fifth contest this season with at least one point from the service line.
- Herman posted a monster day on the court from the defensive side of the ball, tallying four solo blocks and a trio of block assists.
- Makayla Martinez notched 12 digs on Monday night, posting her sixth game with double-digits in her last seven contests.
- Los Lunas native Mia Mendoza made her first appearance for the Crimson & White on Monday night in Albuquerque.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Mike Jordan, following the road contest with the Lobos: "This was our worst defensive match of the year by far. We let balls drop and seemed like we couldn't move well enough to make plays. The passing cratered at times as well, not a great combination.
Maybe four road matches in five days had an effect on us, but it takes what it takes to play well – and we didn't do enough."
UP NEXT
NM State will return to the Pan American Center for a trio of contests this weekend, beginning with a home meeting with the UTEP Miners. The two teams met in El Paso on Saturday, Aug. 30, playing to a five-set thriller. First serve is set for 6 p.m., with the match live-streamed on ESPN+, and live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
For complete coverage of NM State Volleyball, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateVBall), Instagram (@NMStateVBall), and like us on Facebook (NMStateVBall).
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