PHOENIX – The Aggies (12-8, 4-4 WAC) two-match win streak came to a close on Saturday afternoon as they fell to Grand Canyon (11-9, 5-4 WAC) in three sets.
 
Molly Johnson led the way for the Aggies on the offensive end – finishing the day with 12 kills. Mia Peterson also put together a solid stat line as she posted eight kills on .318 hitting while also chipping in 13 digs to finish the match one dig shy of her career-high.
 
SET ONE
The Aggies stumbled out of the gates a bit after a point reversal put the Lopes up 4-0 in the opening set. Later GCU would push its lead to 10-3 to force an early Aggie timeout.
 
The Aggies would eventually get things going as a pair of blocks came among a four-point NM State run that cut the lead to five points after trailing by as much as nine.
 
NM State would fall behind 24-17 before fighting off three set points, however, GCU would take the first frame, 25-20.
 
SET TWO
Like the first set, the green challenge card would make an early appearance as Mike Jordan contested the first point of the set. The official emerged from the review to rule a point reversal to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
 
With the Aggies trailing 8-6, Mia Peterson injected some life into the Aggie sideline after she tallied the third solo block of her season and then followed it with a kill to even the score.
 
Grand Canyon later retook the lead and would go ahead 16-12 before kills from Katie Birtcil and Taylor Snow drew the Aggies back to within two points.
 
NM State would climb back to find itself down just one point (22-21) late in a crucial set. Despit another kill from Birtcil, Grand Canyon would score three of the final four points to take a two-set lead.
 
SET THREE
Up against the ropes, NM State started the third set strong as it opened with a 4-2 advantage after the first six points were in the books.
 
The home side would then respond by scoring eight of the ensuing nine points to take a stronghold on the third set.
 
Looking up at a five-point deficit, the Aggies managed to score back-to-back points as Lia Mosher and Jayde Shelton each recorded kills in the middle portion of the set.
 
NM State showed more resistance later in the form of a three-point streak, however, GCU would remain in front with a 15-13 lead. This burst from the Aggies would come just before the Lopes were able to rattle off five-straight points to take a 20-13 advantage.
 
Once again, the Aggies fought to stay alive late, but the Lopes would ultimately finish off the Aggies to record just their third win over the Aggies in 23 matches.
 
MATCH NOTABLES

• Mia Peterson finished the evening with one solo block to equal her career-high in her debut season with the Aggies.
• Molly Johnson continued her strong stretch of play as she totaled 10-plus kills for the fifth-straight match – finishing with a team-high 12.
• Kacia Brown tied her career-high in blocks as she tallied two total rejections against the Lopes on Saturday.

 
UP NEXT
NM State will make its way back to Las Cruces as it prepares for a home match against UT Arlington on Thursday, Oct. 27. The match against the Mavericks will mark just the fourth meeting between the two programs. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
 
Fans interested in attending Thursday's match can purchase tickets at the Pan American Center box office or by calling the box office at 575-646-1420. Tickets can also be bought online at this link.
 
For those unable to attend, the match will be broadcast live on 91.5 FM KRUX. The audio broadcast can also be found at this link.