Aggies visit Miners for Tuesday/Wednesday bouts from Memorial Gym.
Source: NMSU Athletics (Photo and Story by Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy)
NM State Volleyball is set to renew its most-storied rivalry this week. The Aggies will head 42 miles south to Memorial Gym for a series at UTEP on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Miners (14-2) have won seven straight matches, holding unblemished marks in both Conference USA play (4-0) and home matches (8-0) this season. NM State (9-7) is riding a three-match winning streak after toppling LA Tech in comfortable fashion over the weekend.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (9-7, 3-1 CUSA) at UTEP (14-2, 4-0 CUSA)
Where: Memorial Gym – El Paso, Texas
When: Tuesday, Oct. 8 (6:00 PM MT) / Wednesday, Oct. 9 (6:00 PM MT)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. UTEP: 66-26-1
Last Meeting: UTEP 2 at NM State 3 – Oct. 4, 2023
QUICK HITS
– NM State has now played ten series against CUSA opponents; including at least one against each league member, with a 14-6 record
– The Aggies hold a 5-5 record in series openers, but are 9-1 in finales spanning their two years in the league
– Nellie Reese was named Conference USA Setter of the Week earlier today, on Monday, Oct. 7
– Reese leads the Aggies in assists (387), assists per set (6.03) and service aces (12) on the season
– Yasso Amin was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 16
– Starr Williams was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 2
– Darian Markham is currently 110th in the nation with an average of 4.10 digs per set
– Markham is also 89 digs away from breaking the all-time NM State record for career digs (Krystal Torres: 1,942)
– Kacia Brown has seen increased production of late, notching 40 kills, 15 blocks (five solo), 18 digs and a .587 hitting percentage over her last five appearances
– Nicole Briggs leads all Aggies with 0.89 blocks per set and has been involved in 45.0% of all Aggie blocks this season (50/111)
LAST TIME OUT
Over the weekend, NM State took care of LA Tech in relatively quick fashion, dropping just one of seven sets. The Aggies were explosive offensively, racking up 125 kills while hitting .325 as a unit. Nellie Reese shone as the lead setter, racking up 57 assists while her teammates capitalized for kills on 50.4% of her sets. The Crimson & White pulled two wins above .500 for the first time in 2024.
THE BATTLE OF I-10
NM State and UTEP represent a rivalry nearly as old as the institutions themselves. The volleyball programs wasted no time establishing a history, as the Aggies’ first day of existence ended with a 2-1 victory over the Miners. That meeting came 50 years and four days before Tuesday’s matchup, which will be the 94th all-time clash between the Borderlands’ two institutions. In the past 20 years, NM State holds a 25-4 record against its rival to the south, claiming 76.6% of all sets over that span (86 of 107). In 2023, the Aggies responded to UTEP’s victory in the series opener with a 3-2 triumph the next day in the Pan American Center.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
After making the All-CUSA Second Team a year ago, Kacia Brown is once again emerging as a leader on the Aggies’ front row. Since NM State’s match versus Incarnate Word on Sept. 21 (five matches), Brown has amassed 40 kills, 15 blocks, five solo blocks, 18 digs and six aces. The redshirt senior has now earned four consecutive starts entering the week and has taken the team-lead in solo blocks on the season (7). Over this span, she easily leads her squad with a remarkable .587 hitting percentage.
GIVING IT 200 PERCENT
The Aggies are third among CUSA institutions in hitting percentage (.241), behind only WKU and UTEP. NM State is 9-1 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 7-0 this season, but have just two wins in nine tries when opponents post at least a .200 mark.
When out-hitting their opponents, the Aggies are 9-1 this season. Conversely, the Crimson & White have yet to win a match in which their opponents have a higher hitting percentage (0-6).
EARNING HARDWARE
Earlier today, Nellie Reese became the third Aggie to win a CUSA Weekly Award in 2024. NM State also claimed two of the season’s first three Offensive Player of the Week Awards. Starr Williams picked up league recognition after the first week of the campaign, when she put up 30 kills on a staggering .560 hitting percentage versus two 2023 NCAA Tournament representatives. Yasso Amin followed suit with an exceptional Borderland Invitational, posting 37 kills on a .388 hitting percentage to win her first CUSA Weekly Award on Sept. 16. Reese became the first Aggie to ever win a conference setter of the week award.
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 44 block assists, 50 total blocks and 0.89 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.
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.
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. The duo has racked up a pair of wins over UTEP since joining the roster in 2020, including last season’s thrilling five-set affair.
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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