OREM, Utah – The New Mexico State volleyball team swept Utah Valley 25-12, 26-24, 25-21, in front of a hostile crowd to win its 18
th-straight match and advance to the WAC Championship match against GCU on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. at Lockhart Arena in Orem, Utah.
Cat Kelly got the Aggies going with two kills and they never looked back in the first set, winning the set 25-12. NM State hit a ridiculous .607 in the set and only made two attack errors. Kelly finished the set with four kills while
Megan Hart and
Savannah Davison had five kills each.
NM State started the second set carrying the momentum over with the first as it raced out to a 6-1 lead early in the set. However, the Wolverines, playing with a raucous home crowd behind them, battled, eventually tying the set at 20. Â After
Ashley Anselmo put the Aggies on set point, 24-22, UVU came back to tie it at 24 all. Then,
Julianna Salanoa and Anselmo teamed up for a block followed by a block from Hart and Davison to end the second set 26-24 Aggies.
The Aggies again raced out to an early lead, 7-2, before UVU again fought back to take a 14-13 lead. Two-straight points, including a Kelly kill gave the Aggies a 15-14 lead. NM State then pushed its lead to 20-16 after a UVU attack error. The Wolverines then brought it back to two, 23-21, after a service ace. Then, Kelly smashed a kill before Anselmo and Salanoa teamed up for another block to finish the sweep, 25-21.
Davison led the way for the Aggies with 15 kills while the outside hitter hit a ridiculous .393 on the night. Hart, the WAC Player of the Year, hit 13 kills on a red-hot .474 hitting-percentage while Salanoa added six blocks.
Natalie Mikels had 23 assists and Annalyssa Acosta had 12 digs.
The Aggies are set to face-off against Grand Canyon in the WAC Championship match tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. That match is set to be broadcast live on
ESPN+.
 ++NM State++
