FRESNO, Calif. - The New Mexico State volleyball team clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Athletic Tournament with a sweep of Fresno State (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) in the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 14.
The Aggies who go to 13-3 in WAC play finish second in the league just behind Hawai'i, who is currently ranked third in the nation. The Aggies now await the winner between the No. 3 seed and the No. 6 seed in the WAC tournament and will play Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. (MT) in Las Vegas, Nev.
In Saturday's win over the Bulldogs, juniors Kayleigh Giddens (Lubbock, Texas) and Whitney Woods (Midland, Texas) led the way offensively with 13 and 11 kills respectively. Sophomore setter Jennah DeVries (Denver, Colo.) distributed 33 of the Aggies 41 assists, while fellow sophomore Kelsi Phillips (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had a team-high nine digs on the night.
"We played well tonight and Woods made some good plays," head coach Mike Jordan. "We gave a good effort and now we have a week to rest before the tournament."
The Aggies hit .333 as a team, while holding FSU to a .133 hitting percentage. NM State posted eight total team blocks with senior Erin Birmingham leading the way with five block assists.
Set one saw NM State hit .407 with 15 kills and only four errors on 27 attacks to pick up the 25-19 win. Woods and Giddens combined for nine kills with only one error to set the tone for the night.
There were 12 ties and six lead changes in the second set but NM State was able to pull away after a 20 all tie to win 25-21. The Aggies took advantage of three FSU errors while slamming down two kills to score the final five points needed to win.
Although the Aggies fell behind 5-1 in set No. 3, they were able to come back and win 25-22 to complete the sweep of the Bulldogs. Senior Krista Altermatt (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) stepped up her play to put down a set-high five kills as she finished the night with nine kills. It was Altermatt who gave the Aggies their first lead of the set when she pick up another kill giving her team a 17-16 advantage.
The Aggies now look forward to the WAC tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. The tournament starts Monday, Nov. 23 and goes through Thursday, Nov. 25 in the Orleans Arena. Fans can catch the on the radio at KSNM AM 570 with Kyle Doperalski giving the play-by-play action.
Courtesy: Richard Chavez
