Saturday Sweep Pushes Aggies to 2-0

NEWARK, Delaware (KVIA) -- A gutsy win on Friday was followed up by a less dramatic contest on Saturday, as NM State Volleyball cruised to a sweep at Delaware. The Aggies had to claw back in set one, but ultimately controlled the contest en route to a 2-0 mark through their first weekend of CUSA play. The visitors held the Blue Hens to a hitting percentage of just .087, dropping UD to 3-8 overall and 0-2 in league action. 

Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 26-24) 

FIRST SET

The Aggies’ internal clock seemed to be a factor early, as the 10:00 AM Mountain Time first serve led to a rocky start once again. Already in a quick 7-2 hole, an ensuing 9-2 Blue Hen ambush threw them ahead 17-9 on an ace. A Makayla Martinez ace capped off a quick 3-0 Aggie spurt before Nellie Reese stepped to the line shortly after. The senior commanded a six-rally charge for the Crimson & White, landing a pair of aces to pull in front 20-19. The two sides traded the next 10 points to draw even at 24-24. Kate Sinclair notched her first kill of the day before a Delaware attack error ended an impressive comeback, handing the Aggies a 26-24 set one victory. 

SECOND SET

A pair of Maggie Lightheart kills put her side in front 8-4 before UD immediately knotted the affair. Mia Fox kickstarted a 7-3 run with a kill and an ace on back-to-back points before Martinez’s second ace of the day sent the Blue Hens into a huddle down 15-11. Fox later notched three kills in a four-point span as the visitors began to pull away. Finally, Zoe Ziegler bookended a 4-0 run with two kills to take a 25-20 frame in what was NM State’s most comfortable set win of the day. 

THIRD SET

The two sides traded four-point bursts before Nellie Reese led a 5-0 run at the line and poured in another ace to pull ahead 11-6. Katie Funk landed two of her four third-set kills on consecutive points, but UD responded with a 5-1 stretch to pull within one. Jaelynn Kohli led the way with five of her eight kills in the stanza, including one to amass a 20-16 advantage before a pair of aces amid a six-point run from the hosts. Kohli and Funk went back-to-back with kills before a pair of Blue Hen miscues brought up a crucial 24-24 stalemate. Mia Fox came up big with a kill to set up Kaylee Peterson at the service line up 25-24. Nellie Reese located and set Funk for her final kill of the day, ending the weekend series and granting the Aggies their first CUSA sweep of 2025. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE

-       With the win, NM State improved to 4-1 on Saturdays in 2025. 

-       Dating back to Oct. 21, 2023, the Aggies are 13-1 against CUSA opponents on Saturdays, including a pair of postseason victories. The only defeat came at the hands of WKU last year.

-       NM State now has an all-time mark of 3-0 against Delaware, including two wins in CUSA play.

-       The Aggies notched their fourth sweep of the year and their first in a conference match.

-       After not doing so in the first 13 matches, Rilen Garcia has now paced the team in assists on back-to-back days, posting 21 on Saturday. 

-       Katie Funk picked up six kills in the win, matching her season high from a day prior. The junior transfer added three block assists, tying her 2025 best in the sweep.

-       Nellie Reese and Makayla Martinez both notched three aces in the match. Both Aggies have tallied at least one ace in three straight matches. 

-       Reese boosted her ace total to 19 on the year (second-most on team), tabbing 11 in her past seven outings.

-       Maggie Lightheart and Mia Fox led the offensive charge with 10 kills apiece as the only two players on the floor with double-digit totals in the sweep.

-       For the sixth straight match, sophomore Makayla Martinez led the Aggies in digs, picking up 12.

-       Mia Fox led the team with four blocks on the day, pacing her squad for the seventh time this season.

-       With six blocks, the Crimson & White failed to tally eight rejections for just the third time all season.

FROM THE FLOOR

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the win: “I was happy for this group to get a sweep today. It was a big day for Katie Funk, too. She came through with some big plays in key moments. It’s good to be 2-0 and headed back home.”

Junior middle blocker Katie Funk, on her performance: “I absolutely love being on the floor and being able to make a difference. I was a little uncomfortable on the right side at times because of how used to being in the middle I am, but I just kept my focus strong. I had a great time today and I’m just happy I was able to contribute to winning volleyball.”

UP NEXT

After five straight matches on the road, NM State is set to return home. The Aggies have four consecutive contests back in the Pan American Center, beginning with a pair against Sam Houston next weekend. The Bearkats first roll in to town on Friday, Oct. 3 before a rematch the next day. First serve is set for 6:00 PM MT, with all the action streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatesports.com/stats.