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The New Mexico State University women’s volleyball team took home its sixth straight win with a victory over Utah Valley on Thursday evening.
The Aggies were coming off five straight conference wins before the home match against the Utah Valley Wolverines. The Wolverines came into the match with three straight wins after starting conference play with four straight losses.
To begin the duel between the two Western Athletic Conference foes, the Utah Valley Wolverines took a 5-1 lead over the Aggies. New Mexico State, however, would go on a mini-run and tie the set at 10. The Wolverines fought back against the Aggies scoring a couple of three-point runs to put them up 18-13. New Mexico State dominated the defensive front, only allowing two more points in the set, winning 25-20.
During the entirety of the second set of the match, NMSU and UVU performed formidably, causing fans to get up off their seats. Each team refused to let up on defense, forcing a constant back and forth battle on the scoreboard. Utah Valley would eventually score two points in a row to win the set 27-25.
With the Wolverines’ perfect offense and the Aggies’ offensive errors, Utah Valley was able to start the third set 7-1. New Mexico State then shot back with a 6-0 run to tie the set at seven. After both teams were able to perform a couple of runs, NMSU pulled away to gain a 19-14 advantage. To finish off the set, junior Megan Hart scored for the Aggies after an assist from senior Brianna Ainsworth, winning the set 25-20.
The fourth and final set started off with an offensive battle as each team swapped kills. With a couple kills and attack errors, the Wolverines were able to pull in front of the Aggies with a 4-0 run. New Mexico State then put some kills together to get the advantage. Each team fought for the final points, but an error on the Utah Valley offense gave New Mexico State the 26-24 win.
New Mexico State is now currently ranked second in the WAC, only down by a half-game, with a record of 16-5 on the season and 6-2 in the conference. California Baptist is in the top seat with a 16-5 season record and a 7-2 conference record. The Aggies are only halfway through conference play, with many crucial matches ahead of them.
“They’re all winnable, but we could lose all of them too. I mean, this is a good conference,” said NMSU head coach Michael Jordan.
New Mexico State hosts the California State University, Bakersfield Roadrunners Saturday, Oct. 20, at noon inside the Pan American Center.
Outstanding photos, and article!