NM State Aggies Volleyball Crimson and White Scrimmage 8-24-19

Day Two of Aggie Sports for Fall 2019 and we’re back for volleyball!  Unlike soccer, I’m a bit more upbeat on this sport.  Watching USA Volleyball a couple of weeks ago just whet appetite for more.  The Aggie girls are much better looking than the national team, though the USA team would beat the Aggies or any other college team silly.  They were impressive. 

When I went to the scrimmage last year (8-18-18), I had a couple of issues (like namely seeing someone I’d asked out earlier in the year in the ticket office and Schlotzsky’s took out their ice cream machine).  However, since I went early, I got to see the Cheerleaders practice, which was kind of neat.  Ron came by to pick me up a bit late, but the Cheerleaders and Pistol Pete weren’t there today anyway. 

I’d also missed out on a free Chihuahuas baseball game last year that my workplace was paying for.  I did that again this year, but this time because the person I was going with backed out, and I wasn’t able to find anyone else to go with at the last minute.  That was really disappointing since the tickets were for the Sun Kings Saloon, which I’d always wanted to go in to.  I also missed a Chihuahuas win and fireworks afterward.  On the other hand, it was a three-and-a-half-hour-plus slugfest, that the Chihuahuas won handily 18-8, though they nearly blew an 11-2 lead.  I’m not sure my ride would have stayed to the end, even for fireworks.     

Also like last year, the concessions were open for this free event.  I picked up my favorite drink at the Pan-Am Center, raspberry tea, to help them out.  It wasn’t a bad decision for them to be open, because there was a good crowd.  There were great, though somewhat disappointing schedule posters with Megan Hart and Savannah Davision that I’ll be posting later.  Sav’s poster is a tremendous action shot, but doesn’t show enough of her pretty face.  Megan looks gorgeous of course, but I was disappointed that it wasn’t a lifesized 6’5” poster of her in all of her majestic glory.

The crowd for the scrimmage was just a tick under the usual game day crowd.  Apparently, I’m not the only one who likes these girls.  I thought I saw graduated Softball star Kelsey Horton walk by us in the stands.  Briefly, I was hopeful she’d somehow found a way to play for another season, but it was actually just a tall, pretty blonde.  (It was kind of exciting anyway.)  Adam Young was working the PA today.  He announced that there would be food trucks at the first Aggie Football game next month.  It’s almost like somebody was reading my blog.  However, it’s probably just a one-time promotion for Hispanic Heritage Night, otherwise I don’t think there’d be any Mexican food concessions at the game.

I’d been keeping an eye on the volleyball Twitter page and watching the interviews there.  Brigette Lowe had an adorable interview and I got to tell her that, when I bumped into her at soccer yesterday.  Julianna Salanoa’s interview was unbearably cute.  Beautiful Megan Hart got an extended interview with Adam as a star senior player.  She seems ready to step into a leadership role.  However, I was worried about Coach Mike Jordan saying that she’d had some fluid drained from her knee.  I am always concerned about her bad knee.  She seemed a little gimpy at first in warm-ups, but I think she was okay.  I saw Megan and Jules joust at the net once, blocking each other.  I’ll bet those two have some epic practice sessions.

Also on the tall side, I saw 6’3” Lindsay Blakey only taking tip shots last year in spite of her height.  In warm-ups today, she was rearing back and taking full swings.  That was good to see.  The coach said he was enthusiastic about freshman setter Autumn Gentry (great name).  Looks-wise, I was also enthusiastic about the pretty blonde, but I’d also be checking out her playing ability during the match.  Speaking of pretty blondes, I’d wondered all last season what happened to freshman Brittany Welch.  I was impressed with her in last years’ scrimmage, but she disappeared halfway through the season.  I found her online playing for a college in Oakland.  I’m glad she’s still playing, but sorry it didn’t work out here.     

An unassuming student came out to sing the Anthem.  He proceeded to belt it out Broadway style.  It was good, but easily the loudest Anthem I’ve ever heard.  He didn’t need the microphone.  I’d like to report on the new team intro video, but I can’t.  The video board on the side of the arena we were on wasn’t working, though the rest of them were.  I told Ron we’re switching sides if it’s not working next game. 

Some of the players stood out during the full team introductions.  Freshman Brenda Hernandez is a local girl and all of 4’9”.  Yes, really.  At last, somebody Brandy Hernandez from the Softball team can look down on.  Freshman Tessa Fisk is now the second tallest player on the team at 6’4”.  (I’m not sure if she got to play today.)  Freshman Kaleigh Thomas was the only player not suited out to play, but now the team has a redhead and that’s important.  Sophomore Halle Razo showed the most personality and is a doll.  Juniors Julianna Salanoa and Kiley Tonge were both rocking some seriously attractive silver highlights.  Senior Megan Hart was the final player introduced.  She got biggest round of applause as the WAC Championship tournament MVP.           

Set 1

There were so many girls on the team this year that they didn’t need any former players (8-19-17) or husbands of former players (last year) to bolster the teams.  They were split into Crimson and White squads.  The White team seemed to be mostly the presumed starters.  Coach Rubio coached them with Coach Jordan keenly watching.  Coach Hertel coached the reserves.  Coach Ben Wallis left to takeover UTEP in the offseason.  They’ll be visiting here in the near future, so I’ll go over that later.  Coach Hertel is a rehire as an assistant coach, so he’s familiar with NMSU.  There was only one official, who worked the net.  There weren’t any line officials, but weren’t any close calls either, so no problem.

Point #1 was spirited and included a dive into the bench players.  The girls were into it.  However, there were also some nervous net serves and a long out serve.  Let me hit some highlights in play.  Lindsay was getting some good swings and kills, which was very encouraging to see.  Cat Kelly, who spent most of the end of last season out sick, is fully recovered.  She was getting some great air on her jumps.  She got a great swing on a backcourt attack. 

Redshirt-sophomore Jordan George got some playing time with the White team.  I was glad to see her playing.  Senior Analyssa Acosta played libero for the Crimson team most of the time.  She’d also gotten big cheer from the crowd during introductions.  It was good to see her getting some significant playing time finally, even in an exhibition.  She did not waste the opportunity.  She was getting good digs on some hard hit balls.  Analyssa looked very confident out there.  There were a couple of confused points at the end of the set for both teams, but the White team won 25-15.

Set 2: White 1, Crimson 0

During most of the end of Set 1, Ron was furiously texting someone.  “Are you writing a book?” I asked.  There was a t-shirt toss between sets.  Lovely Swim and Dive girl Grace Laporte was doing the tossing.  I’d seen her before working at a Softball game.  I think some other members of her team were there watching, along with some Football players.

Autumn Gentry (again, what a great name) served first for the Crimson.  She put a good slap on it put her team up 3-0.  Her fourth serve went into the net, but I’m still encouraged.  The White team tied it on untouched spike by Jules into the center of the court.  Crimson retook the lead 5-4.  Analyssa made another great dive save.  Cat made a great kill and Sav made one of her signature flying kills, but Crimson still had a 7-6 lead. 

Megan had been kind of quiet to this point.  The Coach may have told her to take it easy.  She made a good swing at 9-8 Crimson that Analyssa made another great save on.  Ashley Anselmo made a couple of miss-hits on kills.  Perhaps some nerves.  I finally noticed that freshman Katie Birtcil’s name had been called on several kills.  I’m not sure how many she had for the match.  While the video board was out, player stats were being shown.  Unfortunately, the operator was having trouble keeping up with the personnel changes, so I gave up on looking.              

Ashley came up with a tip kill for Crimson at 11-10 White.  (This was terribly confusing to take notes on.  I tried to keep it straight.  Good thing this game doesn’t count.)  12-10 White, Jules put down a slap kill straight into the court.  The Coach yelled across the net, “What the hell are you looking at?”  13-10 White, Krysten Garrison had a good-looking kill.  She sat out last year, but I know the coaches are high on her.  14-10, Autumn dropped in a dump kill on a fake set.  Nice.  Ah, it was like Briana Ainsworth was still out there.  (Actually, her smile is irreplaceable.  Ron was lamenting losing her later.  I’ve had several guys at work admiring her poster from last year in my cubicle.) 

Sav and Cat traded big kills.  19-13 White, Lia Mosher had a massive swing on an overpass.  Analyssa managed to dig it out.  Who is this girl?  Where has she been all this time?  19-15, Ashley got her first swinging kill for the Crimson.  20-15 (I’m pretty sure I’m messing up the scoring), Krysten was pulled from the floor after like three net serves.  (I wish I had a volleyball scorecard like baseball to track plays.)  Autumn replaced her in the lineup.  Coach Rubio talked to Krysten on the bench for a while.  They see the potential in her, but it hasn’t developed yet.    

22-15 White, Analyssa dove into the bench players for a ball.  23-16, Analyssa dug out a ball directly in the back of Cat’s head.  Amazingly, they still got the ball back over.  The crowd chuckled and the girls were laughing afterward.  Ana touched Cat’s face and apologized.  24-15, Ashley took a good swing and got a kill while falling backward.  Red-shirt freshman Zoe Abeyta came in.  She’d had to sit out all of last year.  It was good to see her in.  White won the set 25-19.

Set 3: White 2, Crimson 0

We started off with some defense as Jules and Megan combined on block for a 1-0 White lead.  Jules got a kill on the next point, but there was a short delay afterward as AD Mario Moccia and his daughters crossed the court to change sides.  3-3, Jordan Pleasants came up with an untouched ace.  5-4 Crimson, Ashley was fully warmed up now, as she powered a kill right through two blockers.  7-4, Lindsay and Krysten combined on a block for Crimson.  8-6, Lia and Natalie Mikels got a block for White.  If our setter, Nat, can get in on the blocking, other teams are in trouble.

8-7 Crimson, Ana, on the White team now, dropped in an ace on serve.  8-8, probably the play of the match (other than Cat’s headshot), Nat made a no-look pirouette swing with her fist at the net for a kill.  Maybe Nat’s been playing the wrong position.  9-9, Ash and Lindsay combined for a Crimson block.  10-9, Katie got a great kill for Crimson.  She racked up a couple of more kills to give Crimson a 14-12 lead.  There was a good rally on that last point.  Most of the points in the match were over pretty quick.

15-12, Lindsay with a kill for Crimson.  15-15 Sav came in and served up two aces for White to tie it.  A fan in the stands shouted, “Go Canada!” referring to her home country.  16-15, Brigette got a cross-court kill for Crimson.  She seemed unhappy afterward.  That was her first kill after a few out swings.  Keep working on it.  17-15 Crimson, Katie and Lindsay combined for a block.  17-17, Katie got another kill.  Megan accidently tapped the ball into the net judge on the point. 

20-20, Lindsay tied it up with a kill for Crimson.  The White team had a fire drill at the net on the point, but scrambled and got the ball back over.  22-22, Kiley Tonge made a good effort on a save.  23-22 White, Jules killed a long rally to win the point for White.  24-24, Brigette and Lindsay combined for a massive block.  That one got a rise out of the crowd.  This one went to extra points.  Kiley dropped in an ace to get a set point for Crimson, but White rallied back and won the set 27-25 and the match 3-0.

And suddenly, we were done.  I think everyone wanted more.  The last two scrimmages went four sets and I don’t think the set score actually mattered.  It’s not that everyone didn’t get their money’s worth out of a free event; we just wanted to see the girls keep playing.  We love them! 

The players scattered afterward.  Some went up to the hospitality suite.  Some went into the crowd to talk to friends and family.  Kassi Stolz and Lindsay came by near us to see some people.  Savannah was talking with Coach Rubio at the net.  They were discussing something about a specific play.  Adam played catch with Mario’s daughters on the sidelines.  He was wearing shorts, so it was a casual day at work for him.      

The promo for the event mentioned that there was a meet-and-greet with the players with snacks in the Barbara Hubbard Room.  I was excited, but then I read the small print and it was for booster club members.  Adam had reiterated the invitation before and after the match.  However, the invitation was also extended to “prospective” members, which probably meant everyone who showed up.  I had meant to bring my checkbook, though I wasn’t sure what I might be getting sweet-talked into by a charming player.  Unfortunately, I flat out forgot it.  With that, I didn’t feel comfortable going.  Apart from random encounters and signing sessions, I’m not sure how well I’d interact with the girls in a genuine social setting.  Oh well.

I’m no volleyball expert, so you can safely disregard my analysis of the scrimmage.  The “starters” team was given a workout, but had it pretty in hand without anyone having to standout.  I was a little worried that Megan Hart didn’t play a bigger role.  I hope she isn’t hurting.  I did see her dive for a couple of balls on court and nearly rushed the court to strangle her.  Protect your precious knees, Megan!  (Why isn’t the coach telling her this?)  The other regulars seemed okay.  It was good to see Cat Kelly at 100%.

Of the reserves I saw, Analyssa Acosta seemed like a new player.  If she’s been playing like that in practice, I’m all for starting her at libero.  I did notice that being on the Crimson team, she was digging against the regulars, so that might be a good sign.  Lindsay Blakey looked good swinging and blocking.  She’s someone else who’s had a great offseason.  She may be a good backup for Megan or play them together to go “big” on defense.  Red-shirt sophomore, Brielle Sterns, was holding a clipboard in Set 1.  She saw some limited play time, but I got the impression she’s still not ready to play.  She was a very good player as a freshman. 

Of the new freshmen, Autumn Gentry and Katie Birtcil really impressed me.  Katie may have had the most kills in the match (or not, who knows?).  Then again, Brittany Welch impressed me last year in the scrimmage with her swings and that didn’t work out, so I’m not going to get too attached just yet.  Autumn might be the alternate setter for the team.  It’s hard to judge setting skills if you’re not a coach, but her other skills looked good.  Little Brenda Hernandez played pretty well when she was in.  She’s easy to root for.  (Edit: I was told later she actually is Brandy’s sister.  They have 20 family members, so it would be advantageous for attendance to keep her on the team.) 

One thing’s for sure, this team has sex appeal.  It’s not a beauty contest, but properly promoted, it can’t hurt ticket sales.  Little girls love glamorous princesses, even in tight uniforms.  Opposing fans may be distracted.  The girls run from cute to stunning for your tastes.  I won’t name names on a list here for fear of offending or slighting anyone.  (Except for Megan Hart, who is, as always, beautiful.)      

Oh my God, I’ve hit eight pages here recapping a scrimmage that didn’t count.  After the match was over, I suddenly became aware of how cold it was in the arena, especially after stepping outside into the 90-something degree heat.  For dinner, I offered to use my Dion’s Pizza gift card.  Ron and I had their cheesy bread and a Barbeque Chicken pizza.  It was all excellent, maybe too excellent.  We both overate (and it really takes a lot to fill up Ron) and eventually got bellyaches. 

As Ron had the day off and didn’t want to go home, we visited the nearby downtown mall.  I picked up a few comics at Zia Comics (and fell in love with a Cloak and Dagger statue that I have no room to display unfortunately).  There may be a blog post about these comics sometime.  We also stopped into the Rad Retrocade.  It’s an old school arcade, restaurant, and a bar.  The place was packed and extremely well-decorated with its 80’s theme.  We may have to go back sometime for dinner and games.  Overall, I didn’t feel too bad about missing out on the Chihuahuas today.  I am jazzed for this Aggie Volleyball season.