by OREM, Utah – NM State finished conference play undefeated with a 3-0 win over Utah Valley on Saturday at the Utah Valley PE Building.
The Aggies are the first team since Hawai’i in 2011 to finish WAC play undefeated, and the first team other than Hawai’i to accomplish the feat since BYU in 1993.
“We feel we are a very physical team, and probably the most physical team in the conference,” said head coach Mike Jordan. “We worked really hard in the offseason and it’s paying off. What I am most proud of is the fact that we have not loss since Sept. 19, and all of our losses have come against Top-30 teams. I think we are not getting the level of respect that these girls deserve; we should be getting votes in the poles. There are days when we are certainly a Top-25 team.”
NM State was able to seal the match with a 25-13, 25-15, 25-18 decision.
Once again, the senior trio of Andrea Tauai, Bradley Nash (Navajo Nation)and All-America candidate Gwen Murphy set the pace for the Aggies. Tauai, the Tauranga, New Zealand/Tauranga HS native, finished the day with a double-double, including 13 kills and 11 digs. Nash, a native of Kayenta, Ariz./Monument Valley HS, registered 10 kills on the day. Murphy, from Elfrida, Ariz./Valley Union HS, led all scorers with 14 kills.
“Andrea was really good today,” Jordan said. “She really played incredible.”
Senior Lauren Bakker led the Wolverines in the match. The Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS native racked up 12 kills on the day.
The Aggies opened up the first set on a 3-0 run, but was short lived as UVU tied it up at 5-5. The set went back and forth including 10 ties. Neither team seemed to be able to break away, until NM State managed go up 24-23. They ended up taking the set on the next point, 25-23.
In the second set, the Aggies again opened up on a 3-0 run to start, but this time they didn’t look back. NM State ran away in the frame with a 25-15 decision.
After the break, the Wolverines came out on fire as they ran out to a 5-3 led in the third set. UVU held the lead for a large part of the first half of the set, but the Aggies gained control at 11-10 and didn’t let go. NM State rolled up an 18-13 lead midway through the frame, and eventually took the set and the match 25-18.
The Aggies are in action on Friday Nov. 20, as they travel to Kansas City, Mo. for the WAC Tournament, and will face the winner of the No. 4 seed and No. 5 seed matchup in the semifinals.
