The regular season has arrived for NM State Volleyball. After last week’s exhibition win over Western NM, the Aggies are poised for a mammoth weekend in the Peach State. Before taking on hosting #14 Georgia Tech, the Aggies must first battle reigning Sun Belt Champions Coastal Carolina, with the Chanticleers fresh off a berth to the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Source: NMSU Athletices (Photo by Matthew Knope: Courtesy)
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (0-0, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Where: O’Keefe Gymnasium – Atlanta, Ga.
When: Friday, August 30 at 3:00 PM ET
Live Stream: N/A
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
TAKING NOTICE
Conference USA unveiled its 2024 volleyball preseason awards on Thursday, Aug. 22, which included both a head coaches’ poll and a 13-member All-CUSA Preseason Team. The Aggies received two first-place votes en route to finishing second in the poll, behind five-time defending regular-season champion Western Kentucky. Four Aggies (Yasso Amin, Darian Markham, Mari Sharp and Ryleigh Whitekettle) were named to the preseason team, giving NM State the most representatives in the 10-member league.
SIGHTS SET HIGH
The Aggies returned every starter and 97.7% of all point production from a season ago. The 2023 squad turned in an eight-match winning streak towards the end of the season to vault to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, eventually advancing to the CUSA Championship Game. In the offseason, four freshmen and five transfers bolstered the roster up to 25 Aggies. Notable additions include 2023 CUSA First-Team selection Yasso Amin from FIU and three-year Pac-12-starter Nicole Briggs from Arizona.
LEGENDS ON THE BENCH
Entering 2024, Mike Jordan already amassed 565 wins, 12 regular-season conference titles and seven conference tournament championships. With Gregg Whitis already back for his fourth year as an assistant, Jordan added two of his greatest former players to his coaching staff. In February, Operations Director Tatyana Battle was elevated to assistant coach. In July, Jordan brought Lia Mosher back to Las Cruces after playing last season professionally overseas. Battle and Mosher played a combined 10 seasons for the Crimson & White, including two as teammates (2017-18). The duo combined for a 97-17 (.851) WAC record, six regular-season titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Battle and Mosher tallied 262 matches played, 2,154 kills, 1,145 digs and 617 blocks. They will undoubtedly bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with the 2024 roster.
INJURIES OF NOTE
The Aggies entered 2024 with several notable names absent from the action, highlighted by Ryleigh Whitekettle. The redshirt junior was a First Team All-CUSA selection in 2023, and was poised for another strong 2024 campaign after being named to the All-CUSA Preseason Team in August. Whitekettle will miss the 2024 season after undergoing back surgery at the start of the season. Peyton Castillo will also miss the 2024 campaign as she continues to recover from a torn ACL in the 2023 season.
SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Coastal Carolina won the Sun Belt Tournament last season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament after a 22-10 campaign. Similarly to NM State, the Chanticleers’ season came to an end at the hands of the WKU Hilltoppers.
Coastal Carolina is led by Head Coach Steve Loeswick, who is entering his second season. Loeswick led his squad to a victory over James Madison in the Sun Belt Championship a year ago, and heads into 2024 looking to give the program its fourth conference tournament title in the past nine seasons.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will stay in Atlanta for their second and final match of the Georgia Tech Invitational. NM State will take on the hosting Yellow Jackets in a bout with the No. 14 team in the nation on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 2:00 PM MT. The battle between the Aggies and Yellow Jackets will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and available to follow via StatBroadcast.
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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