LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State volleyball closed out the NM State SpringHill Suites Invitational with a 3-1 win over UNLV. The Aggies won in four sets 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-17 to snap a three-match losing streak.
"It's been a rough weekend for us. Our confidence was a bit shaken after North Dakota made that comeback on us. I thought we took a step forward in our match against UCLA and I told the team that before the match today," head coach Mike Jordan said. "To beat a Mountain West team on our floor, to knock [UNLV] off, a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, they're no joke. They can play. They are young and we took advantage of that."
How It Happened
New Mexico State started off slow, falling behind 6-1 early on in the set. NM State chipped away at the Rebels lead and a three-point rally put the Aggies within one. NM State quickly fell behind once more after UNLV went on their second scoring run of the set. New Mexico State battled its way back when the Rebels had set-point, but ultimately the Aggies fell in 25-23.
In the second set, New Mexico State kept it close with the Rebels until UNLV posted a four-point rally to pull ahead by three. NM State charged back with a scoring run of its own and held a 15-14 advantage over UNLV. The Aggies went point-for-point with the Rebels and eventually gained a 20-17 lead over UNLV late in the set. New Mexico State held onto its lead and evened the match with the Rebels.
NM State carried its momentum and jumped out 9-4 over the Rebels in the third set. The Aggies continued to dominate, and earned a seven-point advantage over UNLV. However, New Mexico State gave up late rallies to the Rebels and UNLV tied the match when NM State had set point. After Tatyana Battle hit a kill to put the Aggies ahead by one, Natalie Mikels served an ace to give NM State the third-set win.
New Mexico State pulled ahead of the Rebels 10-7 early in the fourth set. The Aggies built on their advantage, recording a pair of four-point scoring runs to take a 17-10 lead over UNLV. NM State proved to be too much for the Rebels to handle and the Aggies closed out the fourth set with a 25-17 victory.
By the Numbers-
New Mexico State posted 60 kills compared to UNLV's 40. The Aggies also recorded 82 digs while the Rebels had 69. Jordan Abalos and Briana Ainsworth each recorded double-doubles in the victory. Abalos finished the match with 16 kills and 25 digs while Ainsworth posted 31 assists and 12 digs
For its next matches, NM State teams up with UTEP to host the Borderland Invitational. NM State hosts Abilene Christian, Delaware State, and Samford in the tournament. New Mexico State takes on ACU to open the tournament on Sept. 8, at 2 p.m.
