Aggies let large third-set lead slip away as Hilltoppers earn sweep.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo by Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
In strikingly similar fashion to Friday’s affair, Western Kentucky notched a competitive sweep over NM State. The Aggies were much improved at the service line and built a 10-point lead in the third set, but let another late advantage slip away. NM State (14-12, 8-6) dropped six consecutive sets first time all season, while WKU (21-6, 14-0) won its 17th straight match.
NM State now sits tied for fourth in the Conference USA standings alongside Sam Houston (8-6), as the Bearkats fell in four sets to Liberty. Both squads have clinched a spot in the eight-team CUSA Championship with just four matches left in the regular season. Kennesaw State moved into sole possession of third place with a sweep over LA Tech, improving to 9-5.
Set-by-set: NM State loses 0-3 (23-25, 23-25, 24-26)
FIRST SET
After aces on back-to-back points the day prior, Makayla Martinez made her presence felt at the service line once again. The true freshman recorded aces on two consecutive serves to start her day, before pouring in another following a block from Nicole Briggs and Starr Williams. Martinez’s third ace in four points gave her squad an 11-10 advantage in what would turn out to be their final lead of the set. From that point, NM State would tie things up six more times and never trail by more than three. Darian Markham poured in an ace of her own late in the frame, cutting the deficit to one. The margin stayed there as Mari Sharp’s third kill of the set made it 24-23, but Alivia Skidmore’s seventh kill ensued after WKU’s timeout.
SECOND SET
A 5-0 run that forced a Mike Jordan timeout highlighted a hot start for WKU which put the home team ahead quickly by a score of 8-3. Darian Markham’s second and third ace of the match came on sequential points as she capped off a small burst that pulled her side within three. Kacia Brown and Yasso Amin exchanged two kills apiece before Maggie Lightheart wrapped up a 5-1 Aggie spurt with a kill of her own, prompting a Hilltopper timeout. Nellie Reese followed up shortly after with two assists and an ace of her own to lead another push that ended with two straight Starr Wiliams kills as both sides were deadlocked at 22-22. From that point, NM State only recorded one point, via a Kaylee Cox service error as the visitors fell 25-23 for the third time in the series.
THIRD SET
On Friday, NM State held a 5-0 lead in set three before eventually falling 21-25. On Saturday, Maggie Lightheart’s first ace of 2024 put her side ahead 3-0. Lightheart would soon pour in another kill before Mari Sharp joined in on the ace action. The fifth-year Aggie landed her eight service ace of the season off the outstretched arms of CUSA Preseason Player of the Year Kaylee Cox, further extending the Aggie lead. NM State’s final push was led by another pair of kills from Starr Williams on back-to-back points, producing the largest lead for either side in the series at 18-8. After holding the lead to 10 at 21-11, WKU ripped off 15 of the next 18 points, including the final four. WKU took the match by a score of 26-24 on an Izzy Van De Wiele kill.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
• Makayla Martinez extended her team lead by recording three aces in the loss. On the season, she now has 21 service aces.
• The true freshman has 13 aces over NM State’s past six matches. Entering Saturday, only one other Aggie had more than 13 aces all season (Reese).
• For the second time in her career, Martinez logged double-digit digs (12), marking her second match atop the team leaderboard.
• The Aggies set a season high with nine aces, surpassing their previous two-time high of seven.
• Starr Williams led the way with 16 kills, recording her 18th double-digit showing this season.
• The redshirt junior leads the team in 10-plus kill outings, as well as 15-kill matches (7).
• Darian Markham recorded 10 digs in the loss, placing the fifth-year Aggie just nine digs away from 2,000 in her illustrious career.
• WKU held a slim 21-19 margin in the first five sets this weekend, but NM State failed to capitalize each time.
• For the first time this season, NM State lost when hitting at least .300 (6-1). The Aggies are now 14-2 when their hitting percentage is .200 or higher.
• 22 service errors were the most by the Aggies in a single CUSA series this season. Last season, NM State posted 23 in two separate series (FIU, Sam Houston).
• The Hilltoppers have now won 88 straight regular-season CUSA matches.
• WKU has not lost a league contest during the regular season in 2,206 days (Oct. 19, 2018).
• NM State is now 0-7 this season when dropping the first two sets of a match.
FROM THE FLOOR
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the loss: “I think we’re getting better at playing the game, but we need veteran players to be mentally tough late in sets and just do their job. We’re lacking a competitive mindset when it comes to crunch time late in games. Hopefully, we’ll find it as we move along toward tournament time, because we are playing better.”
UP NEXT
NM State will return to the Pan American Center for its final home series of 2024. The Aggies will welcome Jax State for a split that will conclude with Senior Day on Saturday at Noon MT. First, the Crimson & White will look to re-enter the win column on Friday, Nov. 8 at 6:00 PM. All the action will be available to follow live via nmstatestats.com.
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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