NM State Aggies vs University of San Francisco Dons Volleyball 9-1-23

Aleka Darko styling.

After the afternoon game between UTEP and ASU and a dinner trip to McDonald’s, I returned to the Pan Am Center for this evening’s game between the Aggies and the University of San Francisco Dons.  The first stop was to the bathroom to relieve some of the three Dr. Peppers I had just downed.  There I ran into broadcaster Adam Young.  I had the opportunity to congratulate him on his new son.  Adam was beaming with pride.  Good for him.

 

Adam was providing the radio call for this match.  His scouting report on the Dons was that they were 0-25 two years ago, but had since improved greatly.  Also, oddly, the liberos on both teams were from McKinney, Texas (different high schools).  He talked a bit about the new volleyball floor.  The Teraflex overlay provides some cushioning for the players that the basketball surface doesn’t.

 

I did a quick recap of Volleyball’s California trip with my Soccer recap.  Unfortunately, setter Peyton Castillo was on crutches on the sidelines.  She’d seem to won the job as the secondary, but luckily the team has three other options this year.  (Junior Aspen Aldous seems to be the doghouse, which surprises me from what I saw of her playing.)  The good news from the trip was that libero Darian Markham was not only fine (I was worried she was injured), she was excellent.  She was named the C-USA Volleyball defensive player of the week and led the country in digs per set.          

 

The crowd was good at over 1100.  It was no Nebraska Volleyball game with 92k in their football stadium, like happened earlier this week, but the Aggie crowd was pretty enthusiastic. The Aggies were wearing black today, which is usually their road color.  Coach Jordan had the team in a pregame huddle.  They were all listening intently and nodding. 

 

Volleyball finally put out a schedule poster for this game.  Mari Sharp was featured on it.  My copy got accidently mashed by another fan, but I’ll post a picture later.  During player introductions, Mari was on camera and was totally caught off guard when her name was called.  It was cute.        

 

Set 1

Ryleigh Whitekettle got the game started off well with a kill for the first point of the match.  However, the Aggies would be firing out early.  The scoreboard also stopped working after a couple of points.  The old south auxiliary scoreboard did keep the correct score.  The Dons went up 6-2 after a double touch call on setter, Bianca Perez.  Timeout Aggies.

 

USF increased their lead with a block on Starr Williams and an ace.  8-3 USF, Rilen Garcia came in to set along with Alex Connatser.  The redshirt freshman middle blocker is definitely well-liked by the coach.  Alex looks kind of inexperienced on the floor at times, but she’s tall and can jump.  It seems like she needs some more mass on her to play at the net.  (Alex is cute as heck, regardless.) 

 

9-4 USF, Darian got a rare kill after an overpass from her just dropped over the net untouched.  She also nearly dove headfirst into a sideline table going for a ball on another point.  Rilen hooked up Starr for a kill to get to 10-7 USF.  Starr then came out for Ryleigh.  The both of them were not playing together at first.  Ry was still having trouble finding her range with 3 attack errors to this point and getting solo blocked twice.      

 

14-8 USF, Mari Sharp got a kill.  That got the crowd and the team going briefly.  USF went on another run, but Sydney McIntosh broke it up with a kill, 17-9.  There was an insane rally a couple of points later, 17-11.  Darian had two great saves on the point, before Mari finished it with a kill.  Ashley Herman, our favorite team cheerleader, came in for a couple of points. 

 

Coach Jordan challenged a point and it was overturned, 18-14.  Bianca talked to the team on court during the break.  Starr tooled a block on the next point, but USF took the next points leading to an Aggie timeout, 21-15.  The Dons took another point, but Mari made an incredible one-handed jumping save to keep the point going.  Morgan Stewart came in with Bella Castro at 23-16.  Together with Rilen that put three “smalls” on court.  The Dons would take the set 25-18.

 

Set 2: Dons 1, Aggies 0

After three Dr. Peppers an hour ago, one trip to the bathroom was not enough.  I went for an epic wee between sets.  Ryleigh and Starr were joined by Aleka Darko in starting the set.  Starr and Aleka combined on a block on the second point of the set.  Kaylee Peterson came in to serve.  Aleka made a solo block, Ry had a kill, and Mari had a block.  The Dons got whistled for four touches and took a timeout at 6-1.

 

The Aggies had a double touch to side out and USF had a solo block before Ry had a tip kill.  8-6 Bella came in to serve.  She was in with the small lineup with Kaylee and Darian.  The Dons made a great off-court save at 10-6, though the Aggies took the point.  Mari had a kill, Kacia Brown had a stuff, and Kacia and Bianca combined on a block to make it 13-9 Aggies.

 

The scoreboard was working again (except for the player stats, as usual).  17-12 Bianca got in a dump shot.  That was a rare thing for this whole weekend.  I didn’t even see more than a couple of attempts.  Ry came in with Starr and Aleka for a “big” lineup.  18-12 Starr made an Ole’ kill and USF took a timeout.  Ryleigh put in two kills, one off a touch.  Starr got a kill off a touch.  Mari had a block.  Kaylee had an ace.  Mari had another kill to bring the Aggies to set point, and Darian finished it with an ace.  It was all Aggies, 25-14.       

 

Set 3: Dons 1, Aggies 1

There was nothing wrong with my McDonald’s meal, but I think ate it too fast and had too many Dr. Peppers with it.  It was not sitting well.  It kept threatening to come up, and I kept (excuse me) farting.  It was trying to come out everywhere.  I was a bit uncomfortable.    

 

I noticed my favorite (I’m calling it here), freshman Maggie Lightheart, carrying equipment as the teams exchanged ends.  When the Men’s Basketball team hazing scandal broke, I was thinking this was the kind of hazing that was going on.  Actually, Maggie probably volunteered or was told by a coach to take stuff. 

 

The crowd was loud to start.  Ryleigh gave them something to cheer for.  She started off the set with a couple of kills and a block with Kacia.  Once again, the coach put in the small line up early.  USF went on a run, but Kacia got a kill to tie it at 4.  Starr came back in and Aleka joined her to have five “bigs” in.  The Aggies retook the lead, 7-5, with an ace by Kacia, but then served out.  This was followed by the Dons mishitting a serve and then an Aggie net serve.  It’s contagious.

 

Ryleigh tied it at 9 with a kill and then added a tip kill.  She added a block with Aleka to make it 11-9 Aggies.  Two service errors in a row followed.  (The coaches had to be restrained.)  USF challenged a touch and the call was overturned to tie it at 12.  Mari came on with a pair of kills, one at the feet of a defender and one between blockers.  15-13 Aggies, Kacia and Bianca combined on a block.  Media timeout.

 

The lead increased to 17-13 as two Don players collided and went down.  USF took a timeout, but the girls were okay.  The Dons went on a run as the Aggies made a couple of errors.  Timeout with the Aggies leading 18-17.  USF tied it at 18 on a net violation.  Anji Vishwanathan came in.  The Dons then took a 19-18 lead on a kill and Coach Jordan took another timeout.  He gave a short, angry speech in the huddle.  Kacia brought the team in and hopefully said something encouraging. 

 

Ashley and Rilen came in.  Rilen set Starr for a kill at 20-19 USF, then Bianca served out.  Starr pounded one to get the deficit down to one.  Ry did the same at 22-21 USF.  The Aggies made three good saves, but the Dons took the point at 23-21.  Ryleigh got a kill off two blockers, her twelfth, 23-22.  Bella came in and, once again, there were three smalls in. 

 

USF got to set point, 24-22, on a four touches call.  Coach Jordan challenged the call and also got a yellow card in the process.  He sent Mari to talk to the up official briefly.  The crowd broke into a “Let’s go Aggies!” chant.  The challenge was denied, though the officials did confer afterward.  A USF ace ended the set, 25-22.  The coach was still arguing the call afterward.

 

Set 4: Dons 2, Aggies 1

The team huddled by itself and Kacia once again took charge.  Some of the crowd thinned out, but the rest were loud as the PA played Enter Sandman.  The Aggies got off to a good start again with a solo block by Mari and a kill by Ryleigh.  At 3-0 Aggies, USF took a timeout.  They came back and tied it at 3, before side outing on an out serve.

 

Syd made two kills for a two-point lead.  USF came back.  Starr made a swing into the net to tie it at 6 and the Dons followed with an ace.  Starr tied it at 7 with a kill.  It was challenged, but denied.  Rilen served long to put the Dons back in the lead.  They got an overpass dunk to make it 9-7 USF.  Starr and Mari had kills to tie it at 9.  The Dons went back to the lead, but Starr had a wide open kill and then an ace on the backline to tie it at 11. 

 

USF had two service errors in a row on their serve to tie it at 13.  Ryleigh tooled a block to put the Aggies up, then USF blocked to regain the lead.  Ry made a kill that hit the USF coach on the head to tie it at 15.  (He was fine.)  The Aggies went up 16-15 off a kill by Starr, her fourteenth.  She killed it on the next point, and then again to tie it at 18.  Starr couldn’t be blocked. 

 

The fans next to me were really into the game.  They must have had money on it.  USF retook the lead, though their libero, Abby Wadas, hit her head on a teammate’s knee.  She was shaken up, but stayed in.  (Every time I heard her name called on the radio, I thought Adam was saying “Juarez” with an accent.)  Alex got a big block to tie it at 19.  She showed a bunch of emotion.  Bella came in to serve and unfortunately put it into the net.  The Aggies were then called for a net violation.  Coach Jordan challenged and the call was overturned.

 

Ryleigh made a kill down the line to tie it at 20.  USF blocked out.  Ry got a big kill off Wadas to put the Aggies up 22-20.  Timeout USF.  Ryleigh took over with another kill and a tip kill.  The Dons had a net serve to end it.  25-22 Aggies.  

Morgan, Rilen, and Maggie cheer on the team.

Set 5: Dons 2, Aggies 2

The Dons came right back with a kill on the sideline.  Mari buried one to tie it and the crowd was jacked up.  USF blocked Ryleigh, but Sydney came back with a kill, 3-2 Aggies.  A double touch on Bianca tied it at 3.  The coach argued and received another yellow card. 

 

The Aggies went back up on a kill by Starr.  Wadas made a valiant one-handed save attempt.  Kacia got a kill.  Wadas was totally selling out and nearly went headfirst into the press table going after it.  Kacia served up an ace.  A net violation by USF put the Aggies up by 3. 

 

Starr made a kill inside the block, but USF blocked the next shot to make it a two-point Aggie lead.  The Don’s net served to make it a three-point lead again.  Bianca then served long.  Both teams kept trading service errors.  Ry then came up with a kill that was blocked out.  Kacia and Syd combined for a block.  11-7 Aggies.  Timeout USF.

 

Mari put one into the net, but Kacia came back with an authoritative kill.  12-9 Darian served long, but then USF did the same.  (This is brutal.)  USF then made an attack error.  Finally, Alex and Starr combined on a block to finish it.  Aggies took the set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.  Whew!

 

Coach Jordan gave the girls a serious talk in the huddle, but they celebrated afterward.  In the postgame interview, the coach wasn’t happy with their performance, but did like the team’s grit.  Some of the team came up into the stands.  Starr went over to her family.  All 6’3” of her sat in her dad’s lap and hugged him like a little girl.  Awww. 

 

Ryleigh Whitekettle led all scorers with 20 kills.  Starr Williams had 18 (and we’re as proud of her as her dad is) and Mari Sharp had 10 kills.  Bianca Perez had 40 assists from the setter position.  Darian Markham, Mari Sharp, and Bianca all had double digit digs.  For the Dons, Astrid Puig led with 11 kills.  Lindsay Oldendorf had 10 kills and 5 blocks (match leader), and also had three players with double digit digs.  Serving-wise, USF had 5 aces with 12 errors, while the Aggies had 5 aces with 11 errors.  (It was a crap-show for both teams serving.)

 

This was a gritty win.  In spite of the Aggies’ talent, serving is an issue and the blocking isn’t quite there.  Ryleigh and Starr look like the stars they should be.  Bianca looked really good in support.  I’d hesitate to call anyone a natural (Juliana Salnoa comes to mind), but Alex Connatser can really play.  Even with her inexperience, she is no liability on court. 

 

After two games, I was a little spent, but still managed to write up the previous game when I got home.  I did not have a stomach ache when I went to bed late, but nonetheless I had two vivid nightmares about my previous two jobs.  Again, I don’t blame the McDonald’s meal, but I may not go there again for a while.  

Here's our star players: Starr and Ryleigh.