by LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State volleyball team will step out of Western Athletic Conference play to matchup against I-25 rival New Mexico on Monday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. (MDT) inside Johnson Gym on the UNM campus.
The Aggies (11-7, 5-2 WAC) are coming off a 1-1 week at home in WAC play. NM State began the week by losing a heartbreaking match to conference leader Missouri-Kansas City in five sets on Thursday.
For the first time all season the Aggies lost a match in which they won the first set. In fact, NM State won the first two sets and seemed well on their way to taking over the top spot in the WAC.
But the ‘Roos, who came into the match on a 12-match winning streak, would come back to win the final three sets, including 25-23 in set four and 15-13 in the deciding set.
The Aggies bounced back with a sweep of the bottom team in the conference, Chicago State, on Saturday. The win improved NM State to 5-2 in the WAC, tied for second in the conference.
Junior Gwen Murphy led the Aggies this week with a total of 19 kills in the two matches. Fellow junior Bradley Nash and freshman Kassandra Tohm, who tied a career high with 12 kills on Saturday, were right behind Murphy with 17 total kills apiece.
The Lobos will also come into the match with 11 wins on the season (11-9, 4-4 MW). UNM began Mountain West play with four-consecutive wins, but since have lost four-straight matches, including two this week at home.
The Lobos lost in consecutive sets to the No. 6 team in the country, Colorado State, on Thursday, something that NM State can relate to since it also lost in straight sets to the Rams earlier in the season. UNM then lost to Wyoming in four sets on Saturday for its fourth-consecutive loss.
Sophomore outside hitter Devanne Sours led the Lobos during the week with a total of 27 kills in the two matches while freshman Stephanie Chavez had a total of 35 digs including a career-high 19 digs on Saturday versus the Cowboys.
The Aggies lead the all-time series 39-26, but the Lobos did defeat NM State in Las Cruces last year in a thrilling five-set match.
Monday’s match will be aired live over Las Cruces radio on KGRT AM 570 with Adam Young on the call. Fans can also follow the action with live stats at www.nmstatesports.com by clicking on the live events tab.
