Aggies take second trip to Georgia this month and welcome Owls to CUSA.
Source: NMSU Athletics (Photo: Courtesy)
With a 12-match non-conference slate in the past, NM State Volleyball is geared up for its second season of Conference USA action. The Aggies (6-6) are heading to the Peach State for a bout with the league’s newest member; the Kennesaw State Owls (3-8). The Crimson & White will look to get out to a hot start in league play and pull above .500 overall for the third time this season.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (6-6, 0-0) at Kennesaw State (3-8, 0-0)
Where: KSU Convocation Center – Kennesaw, Ga.
When: Friday, Sept. 27 (7:00 PM ET) / Saturday, Sept. 28 (2:00 PM ET)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. Kennesaw State: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
QUICK HITS
– After taking on New Mexico for the 78th and 79th time last week, NM State will now take on KSU for the first time in program history.
– Yasso Amin was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 16
– Darian Markham is currently 71st in the nation with an average of 4.33 digs per set.
– Markham is also 141 digs away from breaking the all-time NM State record for career digs (Krystal Torres: 1,942)
– Nellie Reese leads the Aggies with 10 service aces on the season, including seven in the past seven matches.
– Nicole Briggs leads all Aggies with 0.91 blocks per set and has been involved in 45.3% of all Aggie blocks this season (39/86).
LAST TIME OUT
In their non-conference finale, NM State pulled back to .500 with a home win over Incarnate Word. The Aggies dropped the opening set, but won three in a row to clinch just their second win in which they trailed at any point.
The win wrapped up a four-match week in which NM State finished 2-2. The Lobos took both rounds in the Battle of I-25, but the Aggies answered with a resounding sweep over Southern on Friday, Sept. 20.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Friday represents several firsts for the two programs. Most notably, Kennesaw State makes its Conference USA debut after the league welcomed its tenth full-time member back in July. NM State is also opening its 2024 CUSA campaign, after making its own debut 12 months ago en route to finishing second. Lastly, the two sides are meeting for the first time in history. Kennesaw State is the final of four opponents that the Aggies meet for the first time in 2024.
AGGIES ALL OVER
The Crimson & White began their season in the Peach State, flying to Atlanta for two matches at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Less than 48 hours after returning to Las Cruces, the Aggies made a trek to the opposite coast for a three-match weekend at the Sacramento State Invitational. NM State proceeded to play seven matches in the Land of Enchantment within a nine-day span, including the annual Borderland Invitational. Now, the Aggies take another trip back to Georgia, spanning 1,284 miles and two time zones for the second time in September.
GIVING IT 200 PERCENT
The Aggies are third among CUSA institutions in hitting percentage (.234), behind only WKU and UTEP. NM State is 6-0 this season when posting a team mark above .200, but 0-6 when hitting .199 or worse. Additionally, when opponents hit below .200, NM State is 5-0 this season, but have just one win in six tries when opponents post at least .200 mark (UIW – .228).
When out-hitting their opponents, the Aggies are 6-0 this season. Conversely, the Crimson & White have yet to win a match in which their opponents have a higher hitting percentage.
FEELIN’ 22
After three seasons with Arizona, Nicole Briggs transferred to NM State in the summer of 2024. The Chino, Calif. native joined Mike Jordan‘s squad after playing 54 matches, including all 31 last season, for the Wildcats. Briggs quickly made her mark for the Aggies, setting three career highs during a win over CSUN in the fifth match of the season. Briggs has already set new single-match bests in kills (8), total blocks (12), block assists (10), points (14), total attempts (19) and tied career highs in digs (2) and solo blocks (2). Entering the weekend, she leads the Aggies with 34 block assists, five solo blocks, 39 total blocks and 0.91 blocks per set.
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.
EARNING HARDWARE
Starr Williams opened the 2024 campaign with a bang, posting 30 kills on a .560 hitting percentage in just two matches against a pair of 2023 NCAA Tournament teams (Coastal Carolina and Georgia Tech). For her efforts, Williams was named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week. 14 days later, Yasso Amin tallied 37 kills on a .388 hitting percentage, along with 25 digs, three blocks and two aces over the course of the Borderland Invitational. Amin was named the league’s Sept. 16 Offensive Player of the Week, joining Williams as the first two Aggies to earn 2024 regular-season honors.
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.
FIFTH-YEAR AGGIES
Darian Markham and Mari Sharp each came to Las Cruces in the fall of 2020, making their Aggie debut in Spring 2021. Each have won multiple individual awards and a pair of WAC titles, and both are in their fifth season with the Crimson & White in 2024. Both Markham and Sharp were named to the All-CUSA Preseason Team in August after a 2023 campaign in which they were named CUSA Libero of the Year and All-CUSA Second Team selection, respectively.
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