Cold Offense Leads to Four-Set Defeat in Lynchburg

LYNCHBURG, Virginia (KVIA) -- Liberty took the first match of the weekend over NM State in four sets. The Lady Flames won their first match in 29 days, entering the day on a nine-match losing streak. The Aggies had their worst single-game hitting percentage of the season (.067). NM State fell to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play. Liberty (8-9, 1-4) earned their first-ever Conference USA win in program history. 

Set-by-set: NM State loses 1-3 (13-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-25)

The opening frame got away from the Aggies quickly. The Lady Flames took advantage of a set where NM State put up nine attack errors and hit -.115. Liberty had eight blocks that kept the Aggies' hitting percentage low, while the Lady Flames managed to hit .333. Once again, the first set was unproductive outside of Mari Sharp, who did have three kills and no errors on seven attempts. The rest of the team only mustered up three kills total in the 21-12 defeat.

The second set showed promise, especially due to a unique, long-standing streak. All season, the winner of the second set had come out on top in each of the 17 matches. That trend is over. The Aggies are now 12-1 when winning the second set this season, and remain 0-5 in matches when losing the second set. The set was close, and senior Darian Markham proved to be a crucial piece down the stretch. Markham had six digs and two service aces in the second, doing what she has done best all season. Her second ace came on a 24-23 set point, and tied things up at one set apiece. 

The Lady Flames were on fire to start the third set, getting out to a 10-1 lead. The Aggies did tally up five service aces in the set, bringing it as close as 12-10. The score did not get that close for the rest of the set. Liberty took a 24-18 lead, and NM State responded with three straight points. The run ended after a Liberty timeout and a kill from the home team, finishing the set 25-21. 

The Aggies looked determined to force a fifth set, taking an 8-5 lead early. Liberty responded with four straight points, forcing a timeout from Head Coach Mike Jordan. Despite the adjustments, NM State didn't take a lead the rest of the way, with the home team winning the last four points and coming out on top 25-17. 

Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the loss: "We were too high-error. It was a terrible performance by some of our attackers. It's unacceptable to make 31 errors in four sets. You have to adjust in this game and we failed."

Up Next

The second and final match of the weekend will take place Sunday, Oct. 8 at 10:00 AM MT (12:00 PM ET). The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via Stat Broadcast. Those links can be found at nmstatesports.com