KENNESAW, Ga. – For the third time this season, NM State Volleyball found itself ahead 2-1 away from home but failed to seal the win. Friday's disappointing finish carried extra weight as the Aggies opened Conference USA action at the home of the league's newest member; Kennesaw State. The Crimson & White are now 0-1 in CUSA play and 6-7 overall, including a 2-5 mark outside the Pan American Center.
 
Set-by-set: NM State loses 2-3 (18-25, 25-16, 25-19, 27-29, 13-15)
 
FIRST SET 
With the first ace of the match, the Owls pulled ahead 5-1 early on. Later, Yasso Amin produced a kill and a block assist on consecutive points, pulling the Aggies within a point. Two quick kills from Mari Sharp tied the match at 15 points apiece, but that would be the closest the Aggies got for the remainder of the set. A 7-0 run for the home team put them in striking distance, and they went on to take a 1-0 set lead with a 25-18 win.
 
SECOND SET
The second stanza belonged entirely to the Aggies. The road team pulled ahead 5-1, flipping the script and never looking back. Ashley Herman and Yasso Amin each contributed four kills in the frame, leading the visitors to 16 kills and a .467 hitting percentage in the frame. At one point, the Aggie lead swelled to 16-8 on a three-point burst that included consecutive kills from the Crimson & White. Despite an extended 8-7 stretch in KSU's favor, the set would end at 25-16 on back-to-back attack errors from the Owls. 
 
THIRD SET
Yet another hot start sparked by an ace proved to be indicative of the remainder of the set, as Darian Markham's crafty serve put her side in front 4-1 early on. Later, four errors within a seven-point stretch granted the Aggies a 6-1 spurt that put them ahead by as many as nine points. Four kills and two blocks from Starr Williams led the way as the Aggies cruised to another set victory by a score of 25-19.
 
FOURTH SET
Through the first three sets, the two sides combined for just three ties and no lead changes. The fourth frame proved to be a much tighter contest as KSU and NM State combined for a staggering 19 ties and 10 lead changes. At 13-12, KSU took a lead after a 4-0 run. For the remaining 29 points of the set, neither team one more than two points in a row. The home team fought away a match point from NM State at 24-23, clawing its way back to win 29-27 and force a winner-take-all fifth set.
 
FIFTH SET
A 4-0 run from NM State was capped off by a monstrous Kacia Brown kill that forced a timeout from the home bench while facing a 13-12 deficit. The Aggies allowed a 3-0 Owl response, however, as the match ended on a reviewed call of a net violation, granting KSU a match-sealing ace. The Aggies fell to 0-3 in five-set matches on the season, holding a 3-6 mark in all matches excluding sweeps. 
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE
•    In losses this season, NM State is averaging 10.6 service errors per match, including 12 in each of its five-set losses. Last season, the Aggies averaged 8.9 service errors and were above league average.
•    Kacia Brown posted another solid showing. After a career-high .667 hitting percentage in Saturday's win over UIW, Brown put up six kills with no errors on eight attempts, tallying a .750 mark. 
•    Starr Williams passed her previous career-high benchmark of five blocks, tallying eight block assists on Friday.
•    The winner of the first point of each frame came out on top through the first four sets. KSU broke the trend in the fifth, dropping the opening point and coming out on top 15-13. 
•    The Aggies' .281 hitting percentage is their highest in a loss this season. Previously, NM State was 6-0 when hitting at least .200. 
•    Additionally, Friday's showing marked the Aggies' first loss when out-hitting their opponents (.281 to .239 on Friday). Previously, the Aggies were 6-0 when doing so.
 
UP NEXT
Tomorrow, the two sides will meet again for the final installment of the two-match swing. NM State will look to return to .500 as both sides gear up for a rematch with about 16 hours to rest. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com. 
 
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