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Aggies, Oh Aggies!
Starr High Five Line
3
Winner New Mexico St. NMSU 4-2,0-0 CUSA
0
Illinois St. ILS 0-7,0-0 MVC
Winner
New Mexico St. NMSU
4-2,0-0 CUSA
3
Final
0
Illinois St. ILS
0-7,0-0 MVC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
New Mexico St. NMSU 25 25 25 (3)
Illinois St. ILS 17 18 16 (0)
3
Winner New Mexico St. NMSU 5-2,0-0 CUSA
0
Miami (OH) Miami 2-6,0-0 MAC
Winner
New Mexico St. NMSU
5-2,0-0 CUSA
3
Final
0
Miami (OH) Miami
2-6,0-0 MAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
New Mexico St. NMSU 25 25 25 (3)
Miami (OH) Miami 19 15 19 (0)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Williams Powers Offense to Record-Setting Day

Perfect Aggies sweep all six sets in the first day of the Redbird Classic.

Normal, Ill. - The Redbird Classic started with a bang for NM State, who won both matches in their Friday doubleheader. The Aggies first swiftly took down the hosting Illinois State Redbirds, and repeated in the evening by dropping the Miami (OH) RedHawks. NM State improved their record to 5-2, with Illinois State and Miami falling to 0-7 and 2-6, respectively. 

 

Set-by-set:

Match 1 @ Illinois State - NM State wins 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-16)

Match 2 vs. Miami (OH) - NM State wins 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-19)

 

The similarities between the two matches are seemingly never-ending. For starters, the Aggies swept both opponents (the Redbirds and RedHawks). Each match, the Aggies set a new season high in team hitting percentage. Neither ISU or Miami reached 20 points in a single set. Finally, both matches lasted exactly one hour and 22 minutes.

 

The Aggies swept both matches and won all six sets played in the day, outscoring their opponents 150-104. This marked the first time the Aggies went 6-0 or better in sets on one day since Sept. 10, 2021, when they swept Eastern Kentucky and Western Carolina in Richmond, Ky.

 

The Aggies took on the hosts at 12:30 local time, winning in a convincing sweep. The Redbirds were outscored 75-51, which is the widest margin the Aggies have won by this season. The team amassed 45 kills, dwarfing ISU, who finished with 23, and only 28 points. Those numbers in kills and points are each easily the lowest by an NM State opponent this season, falling nine short of the next closest mark, which came when Miami had 32 kills and 37 points several hours later. The Aggies also set season records as a team by hitting .398 and holding ISU to just .038.

 

Head Coach Mike Jordan after the match said he was "happy to get a road sweep. Other than serving it, we were pretty solid at the major skills. I liked our effort defensively. This is a tough weekend. We play three times in 24 hours, so now we have to prepare for our next opponent."

 

NM State did exactly that, and returned to the CEFCU Arena floor at 5:00. Jordan's leadership helped them take down the Miami RedHawks for the second sweep of the day, this time winning by a total of 75-53. The Aggies collected 43 kills on 80 swings, hitting .425, passing the .400 milestone for the first time in 2023. The team's nine attacking errors marked the first single-digit number in that category so far. Miami was unable to overcome their 19 attacking errors, which held them to a team hitting percentage of .146. 

 

"We were efficient offensively and I thought our set location was pretty good," said Jordan following the bout with the RedHawks. "I think we can block and set it better than we did. I don't think our defense was in the right spot enough. I'm being nitpicky, but it's a tougher challenge tomorrow. We'll be ready for it and hopefully we go 3-0 this weekend."
 

Records Broken Today

  • Starr Williams entered the day with a career-high single-match hitting percentage of .378, and passed that easily by going over .600 twice,  setting a new high in each consecutive match. She swung 22 times, tallying 15 kills and just one error for a staggeringly-efficient .636 mark on the day.  Her six kills on just nine swings against Miami earned her new a single-match record (.667)

  • Mari Sharp had 11 kills and no errors on just 18 swings against Miami, totaling a career-high .611 hitting percentage.

  • Kacia Brown nearly doubled her best hitting percentage mark, bringing it from .286 to .538 against Illinois State. Her record stood for exactly four hours and 30 minutes, as she hit .545 with no errors against Miami.

  • Ryleigh Whitekettle set a season high and tied her career high by amassing five total blocks against Illinois State.

  • Kacia Brown had a career-high seven total blocks against Illinois State.

  • Against Miami, Anji Vishwanathan collected two blocks for the first time in her career.

  • Bella Castro earned all of her career service aces today, with two against Illinois State and three against Miami.

  • Rilen Garcia had 13 and 14 assists in each match, eclipsing her previous season-high of 11.
     

Up Next

The Redbird Classic comes to a conclusion tomorrow. The Aggies will play in CEFCU Arena one final time, with a match against the Saint Louis Billikens at 11:00 a.m. MT (Noon CT). The Billikens are currently 5-2 and play Illinois State late Friday night. 

 

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.

 

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