LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After eight days off, NM State Volleyball earned a straight-set victory at home over Chicago State. The Aggies amassed a hitting percentage of .360 in the sweep, good for the third-highest mark this season. Ryleigh Whitekettle posted 15 kills on 22 attempts (.636), while Aleka Darko tallied seven kills on eight swings (.875; career high) and added a match-high six blocks. The Aggies improved to 15-9 for the season and did not alter their 7-5 CUSA record. The Cougars (D-I Independent) fell to 11-6 on the 2023 campaign.
Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-23)
NM State hosted Chicago State for the final non-conference match of the season, and the first since Sept. 16. The Cougars first clashed with the Aggies in 2013, and have met 21 times. Mike Jordan has collected wins in all 21 matches, earning his 16th sweep over the former WAC foes.
Ryleigh Whitekettle clearly took advantage of the time off, coming out to a hot start in the opening moments. The redshirt sophomore led both squads with 6 kills by the end of the frame, and grabbed two blocks along the way. Meanwhile, Aleka Darko landed both of her two first-set attempts for kills and nabbed three blocks before changing sides. While both squads hit at least .300, it was the Aggies' first-set offense that came out on top. The home team's 17 kills and 2 service aces were enough to overcome a late 22-21 deficit, taking the first set 25-23.
The second set went about as well as Mike Jordan could hope for his squad, winning 25-16. The team tallied 18 kills and hit .452 collectively. After swapping for the first six points, the Cougars wouldn't tie or take the lead after 3-3. Once again, Whitekettle was stellar offensively. She posted six kills for the second consecutive set; this time on as many attempts. Her perfect six kills on six swings in the second frame were part of an individual .636 night that helped her regain the lead for highest hitting percentage on the team (.288). Elsewhere, senior Mari Sharp put up five kills, an assist and a dig in the period. Kacia Brown got in on the action with four efficient kills of her own, including back-to-back finishes that gave the Aggies an 18-12 cushion. Darian Markham tallied nine of her 14 digs in the second, as part of a 19-dig team effort during the middle frame.
The final game reflected something much closer to the first, as NM State narrowly closed it out 25-23. After an ace from the Cougars, one of Ashley Herman's seven kills evened things up at 1-1. While they forced eight ties, Chicago State did not lead for the rest of the match. Markham provided the only service ace in the final stanza, one of just three Aggies' aces on the evening. Rilen Garcia picked up nine of her 27 assists in another nearly career-high performance. Following a 21-21 deadlock, NM State responded with a 3-0 run that included a solo block off the hands of Maggie Lightheart. The freshman collected the Aggies' lone solo block of the match and just the second of her career as part of a crucial late-match stretch. Garcia later dialed up one more set for Kacia Brown, who pounded it to the floor for her fourth kill of the set and 11th of the match, winning 25-23.
NM State earned their second straight win and improved their non-conference record to 8-4. Chicago State was the final such opponent on the schedule for the Aggies who have four regular-season matches remaining ahead of the CUSA Tournament in Lynchburg, Va. (Nov. 17-19).
From the Floor
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the win: "That was a good performance from Aleka. It's good to see her have a little bit of a breakout offensively. We had a little time off. I think it helped our legs. Sometimes with time off, the touches get a little sour, and that happened a little bit, but I think all in all, we beat a decent team and we swept them. I'll take it."
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on younger hitters entering the rotation: "They have good moments. We just have to be more consistent. We're 19-percent error on the season, and that's the highest in the conference. That's got to change. They have good moments - highlight reel moments, but you can't live on the highlight reel. You've got to live on consistency, and we just need to be better at that."
Junior middle blocker Aleka Darko, on her impressive outing: "I was just ready. We had a break and I was just ready to play some volleyball. I definitely think the rest was the key. I think that we've been playing really well in practices, and seeing some things that I haven't seen since the beginning of the season from my team. That motivates me to play like them, get aggressive and stay aggressive."
Junior middle blocker Aleka Darko, on getting and staying ready to enter any match: "I think the key is just my routine. I pray before every game, and try to pray before every set as well. The confidence in teammates in practice, warmups, serve-and-pass will get me ready."
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Ryleigh Whitekettle, on her performance: "I think I did well because we passed well and our setters hit their spots. We are working on lowering our error percentage, and picking better lines overall. As a team, we've been doing it so far. This game, we definitely did it. We were lower error, but we just want to keep going with that towards the conference tournament."
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Ryleigh Whitekettle, on the increased role of young hitters: "I love it. I think it's nice that we're very deep. We can play anyone and they'll perform well. It's nice to have them getting the experience that they need, while we're still out there to help them with everything, and they're performing."
Up Next
NM State will stay at home for their final matches in the Pan American Center of 2023. The Aggies will host Sam Houston for a pair of matches from Las Cruces, before heading east for the final weeks of the CUSA season. The first match between the Aggies and Bearkats will take place on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6:00 PM, with match two scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 PM.
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