SACRAMENTO, CALIF. - On Thursday, NM State Volleyball will take its talents to California for a three-match tournament in the state's capital. Fresh off a 1-1 trip against two NCAA Tournament teams in Atlanta, the Aggies open the Sacramento State Invitational with a bout against San Francisco. NM State is looking to re-enter the win column after a four-set Sunday loss to the 14th-ranked team in the nation, beginning with a rematch from 2023 against the Dons.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (1-1) vs. San Francisco (1-2) / Sacramento State (0-2) / CSUN (1-2)
Where: The Nest - Sacramento, Calif.
When: Thursday, Sept. 5 - Saturday, Sept. 7
Live Stream: ESPN+ (all matches)
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. San Francisco: 3-2
Last Meeting: USF 2 @ NM State 3 (Sept. 1, 2023)
All-Time Record vs. Sacramento State: 2-2
Last Meeting: NM State 2 vs. Sac State 3 (Sept. 20, 2019 - Tucson, Ariz.)
All-Time Record vs. CSUN: 0-3
 Last Meeting: NM State 1 vs. CSUN 3 (Sept. 7, 2001 - Eugene, Ore.)
 
THE AGGIES' SCHEDULE
NM State will face three opponents at the Sacramento State Invitational, beginning on Thursday with San Francisco. All six matches played over the weekend will be streamed live on ESPN+. NM State's full schedule for the weekend is listed below.
 
Match 1: Thursday, Sept. 5 - NM State vs. San Francisco (5:00 PM MT | ESPN+)
Match 2: Friday, Sept. 6 - NM State @ Sacramento State (8:00 PM MT | ESPN+)
Match 3: Saturday, Sept. 7 - NM State vs. Cal State Northridge (1:00 PM MT | ESPN+)
 
QUICK HITS
- San Francisco played in Las Cruces in 2023, falling to NM State in a thrilling five-set match
- The Aggies last faced CSUN on Sept. 7, 2001; exactly 23 years before Saturday's matchup
- NM State has previously played each of this weekend's opponents, but none more than five times (USF)
- Starr Williams was named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the Georgia Tech Invitational All-Tournament Team for her efforts this past weekend
- The redshirt junior posted 30 kills in two matches on a .560 hitting percentage
- The Aggies have more setters on their roster (7) than any other Division I team in the nation (rest of CUSA averages 2.7)
- NM State Volleyball's 2024 roster includes a total of 25 student-athletes
- Four Aggies were named to the 2024 All-CUSA Preseason Team; highest number in CUSA
 
LAST TIME OUT
NM State fell in four sets to the No. 14 team in the nation; the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Starr Williams was electric in the third set, tallying 10 kills in the frame to power the Aggies to their lone set victory of 25-21. 
 
On Friday, the Aggies opened their season with a convincing win over Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers claimed the Sun Belt Championship in 2023, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson & White shut down Coastal Carolina in the win, holding them to a .191 hitting percentage while NM State converted at a .394 rate.
 
TAKING NOTICE
Conference USA unveiled its 2024 volleyball preseason awards on Thursday, Aug. 22, which included both a head coaches' poll and a 13-member All-CUSA Preseason Team. The Aggies received two first-place votes en route to finishing second in the poll, behind five-time defending regular-season champion Western Kentucky. Four Aggies (Yasso Amin, Darian Markham, Mari Sharp and Ryleigh Whitekettle) were named to the preseason team, giving NM State the most representatives in the 10-member league. 
 
SIGHTS SET HIGH
The Aggies returned every starter and 97.7% of all point production from a season ago. The 2023 squad turned in an eight-match winning streak towards the end of the season to vault to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, eventually advancing to the CUSA Championship Game. In the offseason, four freshmen and five transfers bolstered the roster up to 25 Aggies. Notable additions include 2023 CUSA First-Team selection Yasso Amin from FIU and three-year Pac-12-starter Nicole Briggs from Arizona. 
 
LEGENDS ON THE BENCH
Entering 2024, Mike Jordan already amassed 565 wins, 12 regular-season conference titles and seven conference tournament championships. With Gregg Whitis already back for his fourth year as an assistant, Jordan added two of his greatest former players to his coaching staff. In February, Operations Director Tatyana Battle was elevated to assistant coach. In July, Jordan brought Lia Mosher back to Las Cruces after playing last season professionally overseas. Battle and Mosher played a combined 10 seasons for the Crimson & White, including two as teammates (2017-18). The duo combined for a 97-17 (.851) WAC record, six regular-season titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Battle and Mosher tallied 262 matches played, 2,154 kills, 1,145 digs and 617 blocks. They will undoubtedly bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with the 2024 roster.
 
INJURIES OF NOTE
The Aggies entered 2024 with several notable names absent from the action, highlighted by Ryleigh Whitekettle. The redshirt junior was a First Team All-CUSA selection in 2023, and was poised for another strong 2024 campaign after being named to the All-CUSA Preseason Team in August. Whitekettle will miss the 2024 season after undergoing back surgery at the start of the season. Peyton Castillo will also miss the 2024 campaign as she continues to recover from a torn ACL in the 2023 season. 
 
QUICK TURNAROUND
Following the Georgia Tech Invitational, NM State made its way back home after a Sunday afternoon match with the hosting Yellow Jackets. The Aggies arrived in Las Cruces well into the early morning hours of Labor Day on Monday. Just over 48 hours later, NM State made the trek to the nation's other coast, with their first match in the Golden State set for Thursday at 5:00 PM MT. 
 
FIFTH-YEAR AGGIES
Darian Markham and Mari Sharp each came to Las Cruces in the fall of 2020, making their Aggie debut in Spring 2021. Each have won multiple individual awards and a pair of WAC titles, and both are in their fifth season with the Crimson & White in 2024. Both Markham and Sharp were named to the All-CUSA Preseason Team in August after a 2023 campaign in which they were named CUSA Libero of the Year and All-CUSA Second Team selection, respectively
 
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