RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Once again, junior Katie Birtcil showed just how much of a threat she can be on offense by pounding down a match-high 22 kills, but NM State's fast start faded at Van Dyne Gym as California Baptist recovered from an early 1-0 deficit to claim a 3-1 victory over the Aggies Thursday night.
SET ONE | NM State 25, California Baptist 18
• A strong start allowed the Aggies to get the upper hand on the Lancers. Two terminations apiece from Cat Kelly and Lia Mosher powered a 10-3 NM State run to start the opening frame.
• That early run allowed NM State to keep the hosts at arms length for the rest of the set. Though California Baptist whittled the Aggies' lead down to three points, 12-9, NM State responded with a 4-1 spurt featuring kills from Katie Birtcil, Shaney Lipscomb and Mari Sharp to push its lead to 16-10.
• CBU forced an NM State timeout with a 4-0 scoring spree that cut the Aggies' lead to 21-16, but the Aggies finished strong. NM State generated four of the last six points of the set to earn a 1-0 lead.
• Birtcil and Mosher finished with four terminations each in the frame while Sharp added three of her own. The Aggies hit an impressive .448 in the frame, finishing with 16 kills against just three errors on 29 swings.
SET TWO | California Baptist 26, NM State 24
• Though the Aggies held the lead at the midway point of the set, California Baptist battled back and knotted the match at one set apiece.
• Kelly served up an ace that handed the Aggies a 15-12 lead, but the Lancers answered with three consecutive points to pull even at 15-15.
• After swapping points, NM State took off on a 4-1 run powered by two more terminations by Birtcil. That surge pushed the Aggies' lead to 20-17, but again the Lancers battled back. California Baptist's response came in the form of a 4-0 run which put the Aggies at a 21-20 disadvantage.
• It looked as though the Aggies were on their way to a 2-0 lead after the Lancers' surge as the visitors received kills from three different players on a 4-1 run. With their lead at 24-22, the Aggies hopes for a 2-0 lead went by the wayside as the Lancers reeled off a string of four consecutive points to come back and take the set.
• Though NM State did finish with 21 kills in the frame, the Aggies committed 10 errors compared to just two attacking miscues by the home team.
SET THREE | California Baptist 25, NM State 21
• Up 4-3 after a kill by Mosher, NM State fell behind for the rest of the set after California Baptist went on a 5-1 run.
• Midway through the set, NM State battled back and tied things at 14-14 and 15-15, but following that second deadlock the Lancers made their move. CBU came up with six of the next eight points to open up a 21-17 lead.
• NM State simply had no answer for a California Baptist offense which attacked at a clip of .429 through the set. CBU committed just a single attack error and piled up 16 kills in the set.
SET FOUR | California Baptist 25, NM State 15
• Hoping to force a fifth set, NM State was unable to get anything going against the Lancers in the fourth. CBU opened the final set on a 7-2 run and didn't give the Aggies any quarter.
• California Baptist's lead bulged to 20-11 and the Lancers used their service-game to keep the Aggies off-balance through the entire set. CBU racked up six of its 10 service aces through the frame and didn't allow NM State to string together many points.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Joining Birtcil in double-digit kill territory was Mosher (11 kills) and Lipscomb (10 kills). Darian Markham scooped up a team-high 19 digs for NM State in its second-straight WAC setback.
• Carly Aigner-Swesey passed out a team-high 38 assists and finished two digs shy of a double-double with eight.
• Cristine Graf turned in 13 kills to help the Lancers pick up the season sweep of the Aggies. Though no other California Baptist player finished with more than nine kills, a balanced offensive attack and a 10-5 advantage in service aces helped the home team move up to the top spot in the WAC's West Division Standings.
QUOTABLE | HEAD COACH MIKE JORDAN
"We have to capitalize on our opportunities late. We had 22 kills in set two to only 12 for them and we lost with bad errors, especially the attack choices our pin players are making out of system. We are stuck with some young players passing and they struggle too often. Unfortunately there's no overnight cure, so we just have to get in the gym and improve. Unfortunately. we have been on the road for four-straight weeks which has to be the worst conference schedule ever. It's limiting our practice time."
COMING UP NEXT
• For their final road match of the 2021 regular season, the Aggies are headed to the Pacific Northwest. NM State will meet Seattle U at 4:00 p.m. MT Saturday afternoon inside the Redhawk Center in Seattle, Wash.
++NM State++
