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Halloween Sweep: Aggies Scare Away the Blue Hens

NM State hits .441 and records its most efficient offensive performance of the season in a straight-set victory over the Blue Hens.

Source: NMSU Athletics
By Izzy Palmisano
Photo By Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Volleyball bounced back in a big way on Saturday morning, sweeping Delaware 3-0 inside the Pan American Center. The Aggies posted one of their strongest offensive performances of the season, hitting .441 as a team while recording 50 kills and limiting the Blue Hens to a .284 attacking percentage. 

FIRST SET 

The Aggies overcame an early 8-4 deficit before storming back with an 9-2 run to take control of the frame. Kate Sinclair provided four kills while Mia Fox added four of her own, helping NM State hit .462 as a team. A pair of service aces from Katrina Catalan late in the set helped the Aggies secure a 25-20 victory. 

“We had a good performance today. Only 9 attack errors in the entire match, when we had 10 in the first set alone yesterday. I liked today’s version a lot better.” 

~Head Coach Mike Jordan

SECOND SET 

The middle frame proved to be the most competitive of the match, featuring eight ties and four lead changes. Ashley Herman paced the offense with five kills on a .714 hitting percentage, while Mia Foxadded four kills and Tess Fuqua chipped in four more. After battling through ties at 23-23 and 24-24, the Aggies closed out a hard-fought 26-24 victory to move within one set of the sweep. 

THIRD SET 

NM State saved its best offensive effort for the final frame, hitting .467 while recording 16 kills. Herman led the way with six kills, while Fuqua added three kills and two service aces. The Aggies built a 15-9 advantage midway through the set and never looked back, securing the sweep with a 25-17 victory. 

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BY THE NUMBERS

  1. NM State hit .441, its highest team hitting percentage of the 2026 season. 
  2. Ashley Herman led the Aggies with 12 kills while hitting an impressive .579. 
  3. Mia Fox turned in one of the most efficient performances of the season, recording 10 kills on 11 swings for a remarkable team lead of .909 hitting percentage setting a new career high. 
  4. Tess Fuqua finished with eight kills, two service aces and six digs. 
  5. Maggie Lightheart contributed six kills, five digs and a service ace. 
  6. Paige Nelson and Katrina Catalan combined for 42 assists, with Nelson recording 22 and Catalan adding 20. 
  7. The Aggies recorded 13 ties and seven lead changes across the three-set victory. 
  8. NM State hit at least .405 in all three sets and eclipsed .460 in both the first and third frames. 

UP NEXT 

NM State will remain home next weekend as it welcomes Missouri State to the Pan American Center for a two-match Conference USA series. First serve for the series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT on Friday, Nov. 6, as the Aggies look to carry the momentum from Saturday's sweep into another key conference matchup. 

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.