NMSU victorious over GCU in four sets; 25th straight win in WAC play
EL PASO, Texas – The New Mexico State volleyball team dropped set one but dominated the next three for a 20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-20, WAC win over Grand Canyon at Memorial Gym in El Paso.
This was the 25th-straight WAC win for the Aggies.
“We were a little shell shocked early on,” said head coach Mike Jordan, who won his 498th match. “As the match went on, we did a better job setting where we needed to. I thought we were trying to force some things early but, all in all, GCU has a good, veteran team so to come back the way we did and play well in long stretches was good to see and a lot of people contributed. "
The Aggies (5-0, 5-0 WAC) started the match flat and Grand Canyon (4-1, 4-1) took advantage, taking set one from NM State, 25-20.
After the Lopes took an 18-12 lead in set two, NM State took a timeout before a block from Shaney Lipscomb and Lindsay Blakey sparked a 13-2 Aggie run, punctuated by a rocket from Lia Mosher to win set two, 25-20.
NM state held GCU to just .061 hitting in the set.
With Natalie Mikels at the service line to start three, the Aggies started set three on a 5-0 run.
The Lopes were able to keep it close with NM State leading 15-10 midway through the set.
Then Lipscomb hit a rocket and Keke Holloway, in her first college action, recorded a service ace to spark an 11-3 run to close out set three 25-13 in favor of the Aggies. GCU hit -.031 in the frame.
NM State raced out to a 12-4 lead in set four and a kill from Katie Birtcil forced a Lope timeout.
GCU chipped away at the deficit to make it 22-18 Aggies late in the set.
Then, Savannah Davison came up with a big kill and two service errors from the lopes sealed the 25-20 final in set four and the match for the Aggies.
Davison was on fire all afternoon, smashing 15 kills with just one error for a .389 hitting percentage and also notched 14 digs for her second double-double of the season. L
ipscomb added a career-high 14 kills on .312 hitting while also recording five blocks.
Birtcil came up just shy of a career-high with 10 kills while Lindsay Blakey was a brick wall in the middle, recording six blocks.
Lia Mosher was also big in the middle with eight kills and four blocks.
The setting duo of Mikels and Carly Aigner-Swesey each added 23 assists with Aigner-Swesey notching a double-double with 11 digs.
Freshman libero Darian Markham had a career-high 16 digs.
As a team, NM State hit .255 with 55 kills while holding GCU to .139 hitting. GCU outside hitter Yenny Murillo, the WAC’s kill leader, hit just .171 on the day.
The Aggies and Lopes take the court for round two at UTEP’s Memorial Gym on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 12 p.m.
