LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State volleyball team hosts the Borderland Invitational from Sept. 6-8 at the Pan American Center. The Aggies open the tournament against Pacific at 6 p.m. MT on Friday, Sept. 6. NM State follows the match by facing New Mexico on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. and UTEP on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m.
GET CONNECTED
To stay connected with the volleyball team and catch all of the up-to-date information and breaking news, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @NMStateVBall.
SEASON TICKET TIME
Season tickets to see the Aggies are available for $50 online at ticketmaster.com. Fans can also call the Pan American Center at (575) 646-1420 or toll free at 833-AGGIEUP. New Mexico State faculty and staff are able to purchase season tickets to see NM State volleyball at a discounted rate. Additionally, fans can also acquire season tickets by purchasing an Aggie Country Pass.
TUNE IN
Fans can catch the matches against Pacific and UTEP live on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS and FOX College Sports Pacific, which features Adam Young handling the play-by-play and Kelsi Meredith providing the color commentary. Fans can also listen to Young's broadcast of the UNM match on 91.5 FM KRUX or through the TuneIn site or app on tablets or mobile devices. All three NM State matches can also be viewed on the WAC Digital Network.
WHERE INÂ THE WAC
NM State and GCU are the only Western Athletic Conference teams to go undefeated during the first weekend of play. The Aggies also sit atop the WAC for opponent hitting percentage (0.76) and service aces (2.33). As a team, New Mexico State ranks second in blocks (2.89) and third for kills (12.56) and hitting percentage (.251).
Individually, Megan Hart paces the league by hitting .500 for the season and the redshirt senior also ranks 10th in points (3.44). Lia Mosher (1.44) and Julianna Salanoa (1.33) are second and fifth in the league, respectively, for blocks. Salanoa also sits in fifth for hitting percentage (.404) and seventh for service aces (0.44) Halle Razo (0.56) and Cat Kelly (0.44) are also in the top-10 for aces, placing fourth and seventh, respectively. For assists, Natalie Mikels comes in sixth with 5.67 per set.
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State went 3-0 at the War Eagle Invitational last weekend when the Aggies swept Butler, Tennessee State and tournament host Auburn. Hart was named the tournament's most valuable player and the middle blocker was joined on the all-tournament team by Salanoa and Mikels.
LOOKING AT THE TIGERS
Pacific comes to the City of Crosses following a 2-1 opening weekend. The Tigers picked up wins over San Jose State and Montana but were swept by tournament host UC Davis. As a team, the Pacific holds a .334 hitting percentage while averaging 14.20 kills per set. Defensively, the Tigers post 12.50 digs and 2.10 blocks per set.
Individually, Jadyn Tubbs leads the squad with 4.80 digs per set while also averaging 0.30 service aces. Allison Dennemann enters the weekend with a team-high 26 kills and is closely behind by Riley Ramsey and Kennedy Kaminsky who post 23 apiece.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
New Mexico enters the tournament at 1-2 for the 2019 season. The Lobos opened the season by sweeping Rutgers but fell to Northern Colorado and Grand Canyon in five sets. The UNM squad averages 11.00 kills per set and is holds a .154 hitting percentage for the year.
NM State defeated the Lobos during the last two meetings with the Aggies' last loss against UNM taking place in 2016. New Mexico State swept the Lobos in 2018 with Savannah Davison leading the way with 15 kills and Mikels posting a team-best 22 assists.
MINERS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
UTEP posted a runner-up finished when the team went 2-1 at the I-10 Challenge. The Miners fell in the season opener to Tulane but picked up wins over Louisiana and Incarnate Word. As a team, UTEP posts a .194 hitting percentage and holds a Conference USA leading mark of 2.18 aces per set.
Ben Wallis returns to the Pan American Center for the first time as a head coach. Wallis previously served as an associate head coach under Aggie head coach Mike Jordan before taking over the UTEP program. The Miners also added another familiar face for NM State fans with New Mexico State volleyball alumna Tatyana Battle serving as the Miners' Director of Operations. Battle ended her career with NM State in 2018, logging 1,386 kills and 3,999 total attempts to rank third and fourth, respectively, in the New Mexico State record books.
COMING UP: SPRINGHILL SUITES INVITATIONAL
Following the Borderland Invitational, the Aggies remain at home for the SpringHill Suites Invitational. New Mexico State welcomes Portland, Grambling State and Lamar for the two-day tournament taking place from Sept. 13-14.
