LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State Volleyball began a new era in dominant fashion. Middle Tennessee started their two-match visit to the Pan American Center on Friday night, marking the first CUSA matchup in program history. The Aggies swept the Blue Raiders 3-0, snapping MTSU's eight-match winning streak. NM State is now 1-0 in CUSA play and 8-4 overall. MTSU also finds themselves at 8-4, but 0-1 in CUSA.
Set-by-set: NM State wins 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-12)
Senior outside hitter Mari Sharp was everywhere for the Aggies in the win. Not only did Sharp lead the team in kills with 11, but her five blocks also set a career high. Her lone error and just 20 swings propelled her to .500 hitting percentage, which also led the team.
Mari Sharp, on her record-breaking night: "I think that once I figured my serving out, I was able to get rolling. My teammates were behind me and cheering me on, so when you have a whole team behind you, it's easy to get going like that."
It's fitting that Sharp not only broke personal records but led the team as a whole on Friday. Sharp is in her fourth season with NM State, including three in the WAC. The two-time WAC Champion and All-CUSA Preseason Team selection set the tone the entire night, proving to be ready for the shift to the bigger stage.
Sharp wasn't alone in her defensive efforts. For the second time this season, three Aggies each collected at least five blocks in a match. Joining Sharp was junior Aleka Darko with six, and redshirt sophomore Ryleigh Whitekettle with five. Whitekettle tied both her season and career high of blocks in the win, and added 10 kills. Tonight was the 11th consecutive match of at least 10 kills for Whitekettle, who leads the team with 150 on the season. Darko finished with six block assists and a kill, earning the Division III transfer a season best of 4.0 points in the sweep.
Head Coach Mike Jordan, on the defensive performance in the win: "After set one, we served it and blocked it a little bit better. They're a good team. They're athletic. I was pretty happy with the way we dug the ball and gave ourselves some transition opportunities. We had people who were competing, and that's what I want from them.
The first two sets were each won by the smallest margin possible; two points. Normally, that would signify a remarkable, tightly-contested match. However, that had been standard operating procedure for NM State as of late. In a span of nine sets, the Aggies played in six sets determined by just two points, including a pair that finished 27-25 and a monstrous 35-33 fourth set against Long Beach State. The difference tonight was obvious; the clutch sets went the right way. In the first four of those six tight sets, the Aggies fell in the end. The first two tonight not only went in the Aggies' favor, but they turned into momentum for a ferocious third frame.
The Aggies had their best game of the entire season to close out the Blue Raiders. A 17-6 start would prove to be far too much for the visitors, whose night ended with a 25-12 defeat. The previous best set of the season came in the second frame against San Francisco on Sept. 1, when the Aggies won 25-14. The veteran duo of Kacia Brown and Mari Sharp combined for nine kills in the third set. MTSU mustered up just seven.
Mike Jordan, on the significance of CUSA and being 1-0: "It's always nice to get off to a winning start in conference play, on home court, and against a good team. I think there are five teams in this league that are playing really well. They (MTSU) came in here winning eight straight. They're good, and they returned everybody from last year. They're a solid team, so victories like this are good for us. We had to grind, and I'm sure it'll be tough tomorrow."
Up Next
NM State will host the Blue Raiders for the final match of the weekend on Saturday at 1:00 PM MT. The match will be live on ESPN+, and the link can be found at nmstatesports.com.
For complete coverage of NM State Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateVBall), Instagram (@NMStateVBall) and like us on Facebook (NM State Volleyball). You can also follow along with Aggie Volleyball via NMStateSports.com.
##NM State##
