The win improved NM State to 5-4 and gave the Aggies their second five-set victory of the season.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Based on Reporting by Izzy Palmisano
Images: Courtesy
Cover Image by Rodney Hunter for NMSU: Courtesy
NM State didn’t make Friday night’s victory over UC San Diego particularly easy on itself.
The Aggies twice found themselves trailing by a set and were substantially outblocked at the net, but rallied to defeat the Tritons in five sets, 24-26, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 15-11, at the Pan American Center.
The win improved NM State to 5-4 and gave the Aggies their second five-set victory of the season.
“I’m glad we came back, that’s a good sign,” Head Coach Mike Jordan said. “We play hard defensively; we just don’t play hard offensively. We put ourselves in these predicaments, but I’m glad we pulled out the win.”
Those predicaments began almost immediately.
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NM State built an 18-12 advantage in the opening set before UC San Diego erased the deficit and eventually took the set 26-24. The Aggies answered with a 25-20 victory in the second, hitting .379 and scoring the final four points to even the match.
UC San Diego again took control in the third, jumping ahead 8-2 before holding off an Aggie rally for a 25-20 win.
That left NM State needing the fourth set to extend the match.
The Aggies responded with their largest run of the night. After trailing 10-6, NM State put together a 10-1 run to take control. UC San Diego nearly erased that advantage as well, cutting what had become a 17-8 Aggie lead to 24-23 before Maggie Lightheart delivered the kill that sent the match to a deciding fifth set.
There, the teams remained even into the middle of the set before NM State finally created separation. With the score tied 8-8, the Aggies scored five consecutive points to take a 13-8 advantage. UC San Diego closed within three before Jaelynn Kohli finished the match with the deciding kill, 15-11.
Career Nights Help Carry the Aggies
Kohli finished with a career-high 19 kills, the highest single-match total by an Aggie this season. Ashley Herman added a career-high 15 kills while hitting .344, extending her streak of matches with double-digit kills to five.
Mia Fox contributed a season-high 11 kills and three blocks, while Tess Fuqua added seven kills.
Katrina Catalan and Paige Nelson each recorded 26 assists as NM State finished with a season-high 62 assists and 68 kills.
“I think we played really scrappy defense,” Catalan said. “These last couple games I think we have struggled with passing, but we were able to get our hitters in system, and when they’re in system they can put a ball away.”
The numbers also show why the match remained difficult. UC San Diego held a commanding 14-5 advantage in blocks and hit .244 for the match. Molly McCluskey led the Tritons with 22 kills and six blocks, while freshman Gia Rivera recorded a career-high 20 kills.
For Kohli, overcoming that size at the net was part of the challenge.
“Staying connected with my setter, doing what we can to get past the block,” Kohli said. “They were a big team.”
The loss dropped UC San Diego to 2-5, but the Tritons have now played three consecutive five-set matches. Remarkably, they have been outscored by only one point across those three matches while losing all three.
For NM State, Friday’s victory came one night after a three-set loss and continued a demanding early-season stretch.
There isn’t much time to enjoy it.
The Aggies conclude the Borderland Classic against Pacific at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Pan American Center, their seventh match in 10 days.
“Short turnaround,” Kohli said. “We go home, we get rest, we watch film and come back here tomorrow ready to play.”
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