NMSU Volleyball matchup with No. 14 Yellow Jackets Up Next
ATLANTA, Georgia (KVIA) -- An explosive win to start the season is set to be followed up by a much greater opportunity on Sunday. After an impressive four-set win over Coastal Carolina - the reigning Sun Belt Champions - the Aggies are poised for a mammoth matchup in the Peach State. NM State now turns to a bout with the hosts of this weekend’s tournament; Georgia Tech, the No. 14 team in the country. Mike Jordan and company earned a Friday win over a 2023 NCAA Tournament squad, and now face a Sweet 16 representative from last year.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (1-0, 0-0 CUSA) at Georgia Tech (0-1, 0-0 ACC)
Where: O’Keefe Gymnasium - Atlanta, Ga.
When: Sunday, September 1 at 4:00 PM ET
Live Stream: ACC Network Extra
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
QUICK HITS
- The Aggies are meeting the Yellow Jackets for the first time in program history
- NM State is 7-11 all-time versus ACC institutions (conference members as of 2024)
- NM State is coming off another first-time matchup with Coastal Carolina on Friday
- The Aggies have more setters on their roster (7) than any Division I team in the nation (rest of CUSA averages 2.7)
- Four Aggies were named to the 2024 All-CUSA Preseason Team; highest number in CUSA
- The last time NM State faced a team ranked 14th or higher was Dec. 6, 2019 against BYU, which was the last time the Aggies played in the NCAA Tournament
LAST TIME OUT
NM State took down Coastal Carolina on Friday, defeating the reigning Sun Belt Champions in a convincing four-set win. Ashley Herman and Starr Williams were each stellar, posting a combined 26 kills with no errors on 43 swings (.604). Five Aggies made their debut in the win, including setters Claudia Rossi and Nellie Reese, front-row senior transfers Nicole Briggs and Yasso Amin, as well as freshman defensive specialist Makayla Martinez.
Georgia Tech hosted UCLA on Friday, and appeared in firm control of the match. The No. 14 Yellow Jackets took the second and third sets by scores of 25-11 and 25-10, but fell in five sets to the unranked visiting Bruins, falling 14-16 in the final frame. After posting a .500 hitting percentage in the third set, Georgia Tech hit just .213 as a unit across the final two games.
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.
SIGHTS SET HIGH
The Aggies returned every starter and 97.7% of all point production from a season ago. The 2023 squad turned in an eight-match winning streak towards the end of the season to vault to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, eventually advancing to the CUSA Championship Game. In the offseason, four freshmen and five transfers bolstered the roster up to 25 Aggies. Notable additions include 2023 CUSA First-Team selection Yasso Amin from FIU and three-year Pac-12-starter Nicole Briggs from Arizona.
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. They will undoubtedly bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with the 2024 roster.
INJURIES OF NOTE
The Aggies entered 2024 with several notable names absent from the action, highlighted by Ryleigh Whitekettle. The redshirt junior was a First Team All-CUSA selection in 2023, and was poised for another strong 2024 campaign after being named to the All-CUSA Preseason Team in August. Whitekettle will miss the 2024 season after undergoing back surgery at the start of the season. Peyton Castillo will also miss the 2024 campaign as she continues to recover from a torn ACL in the 2023 season.
QUICK TURNAROUND
After their Sunday afternoon match, the Aggies will venture back to the Land of Enchantment, with an arrival time set well into the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 2. Just over 48 hours later, NM State will head west to the Sacramento State Invitational, with their first match being against San Francisco on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 5:00 PM MT.
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
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