The New Mexico State volleyball team won its second conference match of the week sweeping the defending Western Athletic Conference Tournament Champions in the Pan American Center, Saturday, Oct. 1.
NM State moves to 13-4 overall and 3-0 in WAC play after defeating the Aggies from Utah 25-13, 25-22, 25-18. Senior setter Jennah DeVries tallied a double-doublewith 36 assists and 13 digs, while adding three kills. Freshman outside hitter Meredith Hays struggled offensively but still managed to post 10 kills on the evening. Middle hitters Desiree Scott and Michelle Kuester combined for 13 kills while senior Kelsey Brennan, who played on the right side, posted nine kills, while hitting .533.
"The middles are getting better and I think we should set them a little more," head coach Mike Jordan said. "Utah State is a pretty solid team and they came out and competed well tonight."
Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Ziegler added seven kills and seven digs with a service ace and two assists, while senior libero Kelsi Phillips posted a match-high 14 digs. The Aggies out-hit USU .238 to .121 and out blocked their opponent 8.0-6.5.
"Our blocking was pretty solid tonight and we are looking for some consistency in that area," Jordan said. "Ziegler played one of her best matches and she was a little more aggressive."
DeVries started the match with one of her three kills and the Aggies followed her lead to take an early 9-3 lead. Utah State fought back and eventually tied the set at 19 all before taking its first lead at 20-19. After teams exchanged the lead a few times, Kuester tallied her first service ace of the season to go up 24-23. NM State won set one 25-23 on an attack error by USU.
Set two saw four ties while NM State never fell behind. After a 3-3 tie, the Aggies worked to extend their lead by seven at 19-12. USU battled back scoring seven in a row and tied the set at 19 apiece. The Aggies scored three consecutive points and ended up winning the match by three at 25-22.
The Aggies dominated set three as they out hit USU .419-.184. NM State had only two attack errors in the set and won 25-18 with Hays and Scott marking three kills each. Scott finished the match with a 1.000 hitting percentage as she went 6-for-6 on attack attempts. She also had a solo block and a block assist to help the Aggies win its third straight match.
The Aggies now look forward to a non-conference match with in-state rival New Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7pm (MT) in the Pan American Center.