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Moves like these are a bright, shining indication of great things to come.
By Levi Gwaltney
Source: NMSU Athletics (in-text links)
Section Articles Cited
Photos: Courtesy
Three stories have come across the wire in the past few weeks, and all three stories point to an amazing season to come for New Mexico State University Volleyball. It was recently posted on Facebook that Outside Hitter and Mayfield High School alum, Maggie Lightheart, was granted “scholarship” status. Her first two years with the Aggies included being named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team in 2023, and 56 Kills and 10 Blocks as a sophomore behind a starting squad stacked with veteran players. Now a rising junior, Lightheart has been given the ultimate recognition for a walk-on player. She has been given “scholarship” status.
Aside from elevating the status of a local player, the Aggies have added two assistant coaches… but not just any two coaches. Head Coach Mike Jordan has boosted his coaching staff with two assistants with roots established at NMSU. Chris Hertl, a previous 5-year Assistant with the Aggies, was announced Associate Head Coach. Chelsae Rose, a former Aggie standout as a player, has also been brought back to Las Cruces as an Assistant Coach.
Moves like these are a bright, shining indication of great things to come. Scholarships mean something, and it is no small feat for a local walk-on from Mayfield High School to achieve this level of recognition. Furthermore, the program is making a commitment to all the players by bringing in assistant coaches willing to match their ante.
New Mexico State is showing a team ready to put in the work, and a willingness to “staff up” to match the work ethic demanded by the players. It is a recipe for success.
Former Aggie coach rejoins Mike Jordan’s staff heading into 2025.
An Article By Matthew Knope
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Volleyball rounded out its coaching staff on Monday, Head Coach Mike Jordan announced. The Aggies will bring Chris Hertel back for the 2025 campaign, reuniting with a five-year former assistant. This time around, Hertel will be tabbed as associate head coach, earning the distinction as the top assistant to Jordan, his longtime friend and colleague.
Chris Hertel, on returning to the Aggie bench as associate head coach: “I want to thank Dr. Amber Burdge and Head Coach Mike Jordan for this great opportunity. Las Cruces and this program mean a lot to me, so I’m very grateful to be back with this team.”
Hertel spent 2019-23 as an assistant for the Crimson & White, helping guide the program to three straight WAC regular-season championships. In 2019, he aided the Aggies to their most recent NCAA Tournament trip after a remarkable 27-4 campaign that included a 16-0 conference mark.
Spanning nine seasons with Radford, Hertel was an assistant from 2011-18 and head coach in 2024. During his time with the Highlanders, he amassed 177 wins, a pair of Big South Tournament Championships and four runner-up finishes. In that span, the program made two trips to the NCAA Tournament (2013 and 2017) alongside a two-game stint at the 2018 NIVC.
No stranger to the Aggie program, Hertel worked as a volunteer assistant for the Crimson & White, assisting in practice and scouting opponents for six seasons, beginning in 2005. The 2011 graduate of New Mexico State also played an essential role in the Aggies’ success from 2006-08, when the team made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Hertel was a part of the NM State coaching staff in 2007, when the program reached its highest-ever ranking in the AVCA poll, climbing to 13th nationally. He also assisted in the team’s NCAA run in 2008, when the Aggies reached the second round of the postseason tournament after earning the squad’s first-ever at-large bid.
Over the course of his career, Hertel has proven to be a winner at every stop. In 255 conference matches between the WAC, Big South and CUSA, his clubs have come out victorious more than 71% of the time, boasting a record of 182-73 with 18 wins in the postseason.
Hertel rejoins the staff alongside Chelsea Rose, a fellow former Aggie after her addition as an assistant coach earlier this offseason. The duo aided Jordan for three seasons from 2019-21, guiding the group to a trio of regular-season championships in the WAC with Rose as the director of player development.
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the addition of Chris Hertel to the 2025 staff: “We’re really happy to have Chris on board as associate head coach. He’s a long-time Aggie and has been a part of some great teams here. It’s always great to have that kind of experience and trust on the court with you, so I look forward to it.”
Former Aggie, Chelsea Rose, joins Head Coach Mike Jordan’s staff ahead of 2025.
An Article By Matthew Knope
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – With the 2025 season just a few months away, NM State Volleyball made a new addition to its coaching staff. Head Coach Mike Jordan announced Chelsea Rose will be joining the bench alongside him ahead of the fall campaign. Rose couples Lia Mosher as former Aggies on the staff, with the two both gracing the Pan American Center floor in the 2010s.
Chelsea Rose, on returning to the Aggie bench as an assistant coach: “I’m incredibly excited to return to New Mexico State as an assistant. This university holds a special place in my heart, and coming back feels like a homecoming. The opportunity to work alongside Coach Jordan and contribute to the growth of our student-athletes is both a privilege and a responsibility I take seriously.”
“I look forward to building on the strong traditions here and helping create an environment where our players can thrive both on and off the court.”
~Chelsea Rose, Assistant Coach
NMSU Volleball
Chelsea Rose is a native of Bakersfield, Calif., attending Liberty High School and graduating in 2008. After two seasons at Bakersfield College that included a 20-7 campaign and a conference championship, she came to the City of Crosses to play under Jordan’s tutelage. In 2010, the club finished 18-13 overall, but impressed with a 12-4 mark in WAC play after wins in nine of its first 10 conference matches.
The setter graduated from NM State shortly after with a degree in psychology. In 2017, she returned as a volunteer assistant for Lia Mosher‘s first season with the Crimson & White. The following year, Rose spent the fall as an assistant coach at Lamar. The first-year Cardinal helped nearly double the program’s win total from 2017, guiding the club to a 7-5 home record.
In 2019, Rose returned to her alma mater, reuniting with Jordan as the director of player development. The California native spent three seasons in the role, overseeing academics, travel arrangements, personal development plans and recruiting for the program. In her time back with NM State, the Aggies claimed three regular-season WAC titles and made a trip to the 2019 NCAA Tournament after taking the conference tournament crown. All three campaigns, Rose assisted Mosher from the bench that the two will now share as assistant coaches.
Since her last season with the Aggies, Rose has been the head coach for Texas Performance Volleyball Club. She led the group to multiple national rankings and four Elite Eight finishes at USA Volleyball National Qualifiers, ensuring several Division I scholarships for her athletes across the nation.
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the addition of Chelsea Rose to the coaching staff: “Chelsea is obviously in a different role than before, and I’m very happy to have her back. She is going to have a lot more responsibility now, but I know that she is more than capable. I’m excited to have her back in Las Cruces.”
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