Match Twenty-Two
NM State (15-6, 6-3 WAC) at California Baptist (11-8, 6-3 WAC)
Thursday, Oct. 28 | 8:00 p.m. MT | Van Dyne Gym | Riverside, Calif.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | NM State Match Notes
THE FIRST SERVE
• Two of the three teams in a tie for first place in the WAC's West Division are set to duke it out Thursday night at Van Dyne Gym in Riverside, Calif., when NM State heads west for an 8:00 p.m. MT showdown with California Baptist.
• ESPN+ and the ESPN app are set to carry each and every point of the eighth all-time meeting between the two clubs.
SERIES HISTORY
Overall vs. California Baptist | 5-2 (.714)
In Las Cruces, N.M. | 2-1 (.667)
In Riverside, Calif. | 3-1 (.750)
At neutral sites | 0-0 (.000)
Streak | California Baptist won one
Last five matches | 4-1 (.800)
Last 10 matches | 5-2 (.714)
In three-set matches | 2-0 (1.000)
In four-set matches | 2-0 (1.000)
In five-set matches | 1-2 (.333)
Jordan vs. California Baptist | 5-2 (.714)
Higa vs. NM State | 2-5 (.286)
Last meeting | California Baptist 3, at NM State 2 (Saturday, Oct. 3, 2021)
• NM State seeks a measure of revenge against California Baptist after the Lancers battled back from a 2-0 deficit to claim a 3-2 triumph in Las Cruces earlier in the month.
• The Aggies saw their five-match winning streak against California Baptist come to an end with that five-set setback. It also marked the first time the Aggies lost to the Lancers in Las Cruces.
WAC ATTACK
• A new-look Western Athletic Conference is making its debut season in the 2021-22 season, and the Aggies are hoping to continue their dominance in the league.
• Now in his 24th season in charge at NM State, head coach Mike Jordan has been nothing short of masterful in league action throughout his tenure. The Aggies' bench boss owns an impressive 285-68 (.807) mark in regular-season WAC showdowns as well as a 30-12 (.714) record in WAC Tournament bouts.
• NM State has been especially effective in racking up all manner of WAC hardware through the last seven seasons. In that span, the Aggies are 87-11 (.888) against league opposition in regular-season tilts and have claimed five regular-season WAC crowns as well as a trio of WAC Tournament titles.
• Since joining the WAC in 2005, NM State has secured seven regular-season titles. All told, Jordan has claimed 11 conference titles since his run in Las Cruces began in 1998.
LAST TIME OUT | Sam Houston 3, vs. NM State 1 | Friday, Oct. 22, 2021
• A little over 24 hours after defeating one of the teams tied for first place in the WAC's Southwest Division, NM State couldn't make it two in a row over Texas foes as the Aggies dropped a four-set battle to Sam Houston State at GCU Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.
• The final match of the Aggies' inter-division pod week saw NM State dominate the second set to tie things up at one set apiece before the Bearkats took control of each of the final two sets to pick up their first of two wins on the week.
• Katie Birtcil and Shaney Lipscomb turned in 16 kills apiece for NM State, but Sam Houston's offense hit .425 in the third set while the Aggies attacked at a clip of just .051 in the final frame.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
• After splitting their pair of WAC matches against Southwest Division opposition in Phoenix, Ariz., last ween, the Aggies sit in a three-way tie with California Baptist and Grand Canyon for the top spot in the league's West Division standings. Chicago State sits just a half-game back of that trio while Utah Valley is a full game back of the Aggies, Lancers and Lopes.
• NM State continues to lead the WAC in both hitting percentage (.249, 49th nationally) and opponent hitting percentage (.155, 20th nationally). The Aggies also top the WAC's charts in assists per set (12.25).
• Junior outside hitter Katie Birtcil has been one of the WAC's best offensive players as of late. The Tucson, Ariz., product has racked up 10 or more kills in nine of her last 10 matches and she has finished with 16 or more terminations in each of her last four matches. Currently it's Birtcil who leads the team and ranks seventh in the WAC in kills per set (3.31).
• Another top-ten kill getter in the WAC is senior right side Shaney Lipscomb. Her 2.89 kills per set rank ninth among all WAC players and she has totaled double-digit terminations in all but seven of the Aggies' 21 matches.
• Senior middle blocker Lia Mosher continues to be one of the nation's most efficient offensive players. The Ruidoso, N.M., product has posted a WAC-best hitting percentage of .411 which ranks 20th nationally.
• Setter Carly Aigner-Swesey has racked up 11 of the Aggies' 28 double-doubles so far this season. Three of those 11 have come in NM State's last four matches.
• Back in the Aggies' lineup, libero Darian Markham has turned in double-digit digs in each of her last six matches. Markham has submitted 10 or more digs in 16 of the 18 matches she has taken part in this season and currently ranks fifth in the WAC with a digs per set average of 4.40.
• When they take the floor Thursday night, the Aggies will be trying to avoid back-to-back WAC setbacks for the first time since 2018. In WAC matches directly after a league loss, NM State is 2-0 this season and 13-1 dating back to the 2014 season. Since joining the WAC ahead of the 2005 season, NM State has never dropped more than two consecutive regular-season league matches.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA BAPTIST | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Including a come-from-behind victory over NM State in five sets back on Saturday, Oct. 2, the Lancers have won five of their last seven matches in order to put themselves in contention for a WAC West Division title.
• Nearly half of the Lancers' 11 wins this season have come on their home court of Van Dyne Gym. California Baptist has put up a 5-2 mark in that facility this season but has lost two of its last three WAC matches there.
• Tesa Oaks tops the Lancers' team chart in kills per set, ranking 10th among all WAC players with a mark of 2.91 per set. Christine Graf (2.85 kills/set) and Scherine Dahoue (2.51 kill/set) round out CBU's top three offensive threats.
• Sitting atop the WAC leaderboard in terms of service aces per set, the Lancers are averaging 1.70 winners per frame and their 112 total aces are the league's second-highest total. Cassidy Dennison and Paige Johnstone have each amassed 22 aces, good for similar averages of 0.33 per set. It's from the service line where the Lancers will try to pile up points as eight aces coupled with nine NM State service errors helped them collect a five-set win in Las Cruces earlier in the month.
• Johnstone's floor defense has been a key component of the team's success, too, as she averages 4.33 digs per set. That's the eighth-highest digs per set average among all WAC liberos.
• In the front row, Chandler Gorman has been making a name for herself as one of the league's best defensive players. The middle blocker leads the team and ranks eighth in the league with 1.16 blocks per set.
COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies' final road match of the regular season sends them to the Pacific Northwest for a Saturday afternoon showdown at Seattle U. First serve at the Redhawk Center is set for 4:00 p.m. MT.
++NM State++
