Monday, August 22, 2022

NM State Aggies vs WNM Mustangs Volleyball 8-20-22


 

Stepping out into a slow drizzle, I lost my pen going to Ron’s car to go to the match today.  I took this as a bad sign.  (This is why I always carry a backup pen to events.  I did find my pen after we got back.)  When we got to the Pan Am Center, we went straight to the ticket office.  This was mostly because today’s exhibition against the Western New Mexico University Mustangs was not free.  Also, I made the decision to put out the $140 for the Aggie Country Pass.  I’m crossing my fingers about the viability of the season.  I’ll only need to go to 25 more games to make this pay off.    

 


I also picked up the new Volleyball schedule poster featuring Mia Peterson.  I’ll put this up at work next to my co-worker’s cubicle, who met her at the gym and hit on her.  Heh, heh, heh.  Once inside, Ron wanted to take a walk around the concourse for some reason since we were early.  We looked at the wall of fame inductees.  It was kind nice. 

 

After getting back from this match (somewhat jumping ahead in the narrative), I listened to a podcast interviewing Coach Jordan.  He was very happy with the Scrimmage and the crowd.  He was unhappy with the schedule as two teams left the conference and two teams joined right before the season, scrambling the schedule.  UNM will still not play the Aggies in volleyball.  Some big schools pulled out of reciprocal trips to Las Cruces, thus scuttling having a pre-conference tournament here.  UTEP could only be scheduled once and only in El Paso.  

 

As predicted, Coach Jordan is losing sleep over figuring out the roster, because he has so much to choose from.  The Coach definitely likes new Setter, Bianca Perez, and a couple of new front liners, Taylor Snow and Ashley Herman.  On a team with one Senior and two Graduates, it’s a young team.  He’s looking at having 12 regular players in games.  I think I can guess who they are based on who played in this game.

 

On court, I did see Alana Embry was wearing a finger brace.  The Coach did say that she’d broken her pinky.  I really hope I get to see her play again.  Right now she was taking pictures of the team warming up, I’m guessing for the team Twitter.  It was hazardous duty; she got hit by a ball (possibly on purpose as a joke).  Also from last time, I’m wondering if I did see Lindsay Blakey on the bench in uniform (wearing a jacket), though not on the roster.  It might have been freshman, Ryleigh Whitekettle, who was suited up (and I could see her number), but not playing.  She was on the bench with a clipboard. 

 

Pistol Pete was here for this game with the Cheerleaders.  (He wasn’t here last time.)  The Coach thanked the Cheerleaders for coming out to Scrimmage.  PA Ed Carnathan was back in his seat.  (The guy doing the Scrimmage did a really good job.)  Broadcaster Adam Young was here again, but still not broadcasting.  There was a good crowd again for this game (against a Division II school).  There were a bunch of high school and/or junior high Volleyball players in attendance.  There was a loud group in uniform in the section next to us.  They’d figure into this match later.  There appeared to a bunch of Football players in the stands and maybe some of the Women’s Basketball team.

 

There was an announcement for a Sideout boosters club meeting after the match.  Membership started at $100.  I actually brought my checkbook, but after buying that Country Pass, I couldn’t do it.  (Also, I’m kind shy around the girls.)  I wish they had put out a brochure of the levels of membership.  Like for $100, you get a “Thanks,” from an assistant coach.  “For $100, I want to at least get yelled at by Coach Jordan,” I told Ron. 

 

I’m now pretty sure Cat Kelly is working for the team as an assistant.  It might have been worth going to the meeting just to say, “Hi,” to her.  She was in the stands and recruited one of the high school girls to be a ball girl.  Cat is all smiles now in her new role.  It’s nice to see.   

 

 

Set 1

Our initial starters for this game were Taylor, Bianca, Molly Johnson, Lia Mosher, Katie Birtcil, Mari Sharp (with a heavily bandaged hip), and Darian Markham.  Both teams were in white, but it wasn’t confusing.  The Mustangs didn’t have a school shoe contract apparently, so the girls had all sort of shoes on.  Some were very impressive.  Their Libero, Janey Cortez, was in a particularly eye-catching lavender pair of sneaks.  Being from El Paso, she seemed to have her own cheering section during the introductions.    

 

It was a little startling at the beginning of the game as the high school girls erupted in an Aggie cheer to lead the crowd.  The Cheerleaders were definitely caught off guard.  Katie got in first kill at 1-1.  The HS girls gave her a big cheer.  It think she was their favorite.  The next point had some contention.  The line judges went over and argued with the up official after a block.  Western NM got that point.  The next point was actually blown dead and replayed.  There might have been a loose ball on the court.  WNM took another point at 3-3 with an overpass kill.  5-5 was the score after three net serves in a row.  Those things are contagious. 

 

Katie rattled off three more kills.  Molly and Taylor combined for a block.  It was 11-7 Aggies after Katie and Taylor combined on a block.  WNM got the next point after a great serve receive by Janey on an offspeed serve.  12-8 Molly got her first kill and Taylor got hers on the next point.  Mustang Madelynn Culp made a great all-out dive attempt on a dig into the sidelines on the next play.  Molly got another kill, 15-8, to take us to a timeout.     

 

Lia was not in for much of the set, but cycled back in after the break.  Rylee Fay came in as a serving sub.  She got an ace and then net served.  On the side, Vianey Lopez Marrufo executed a Brazilian-style jump serve, which was very effective.  (Coach Jordan predicted that the Mustangs would serve well in his pre-match interview.)  21-12 Lia took her first good swing and the return went out.  Jayde Shelton came in (pictured at the top of the post).  She was wearing pants to play in like Katie.  She got her first kill on a touch at 24-12.  The Aggies closed it out, 25-12. 

 

Set 2: Aggies 1, Mustangs 0

The teams switched ends.  A couple of Aggie players said, “Hi,” to the up official in passing.  The Cheerleaders changed ends with them.  The new starters were Anji Vishwanathan (Ed was really chewing his tongue announcing that name), Ashley, and Mia.  

 

Katie started off the set with a facial kill.  For the Mustangs, Janey had a great one-handed dig.  A double touch by the Aggies gave WNM a 2-3 lead.  Anji evened the score with an ace.  She made a good dig on the next point.  Bianca also had a good dig on another point.  She is a really steady player, especially for a freshman.  5-4 Lia finally got her first kill.  Mia cycled in and served.  

 

11-5 Morgan Stewart came in as a serve sub.  I kind of saw that role coming.  A Mustang player took a dive into the press table going after a ball the point.  11-7 Lia misfired on a swing.  She was still looking rusty to this point.  Vianey came up to serve again and took two more points before net-serving, 12-8.  15-10 Mia took her first swing and got a kill, which took us to a timeout.

 

Out of the break, Katie served into the net.  (After the match, the Coach was disappointed with the serving.)  At 16-12, Ed again stumbled on announcing Anji’s name to serve, then Coach Jordan subbed her out for Keke Holloway.  I’m sure that was just a late sub, but it also worked as a practical joke on the PA.  We’ll know for sure if this happens again in another game. 

 

18-13 Lia got an overpass kill.  21-14 Lia with her signature slap kill.  Now she’s feeling it.  Katie came in with two more kills.  Morgan served an ace, but then served out on the next point.  Katie finished off the set with two more kills.  25-16 Aggies.      

 


Set 2: Aggies 2, Mustangs 0   

Morgan changed into the Libero shirt for the third set and started.  Ron and I have agreed that she’s our current favorite.  She’s one of those girls that just looks perfect in a volleyball uniform out on court. 

 

However, things started off a bit shaky for the Aggies to start the set.  Morgan let a ball go that turned out to be in and missed a dig.  The Mustangs had a 1-5 lead.  Vianey was serving again.  The run got broken up by a net serve.  Bianca made a couple of great pancake saves.  Molly was the main hitter playing and got a couple kills.  3-6 WNM had another net serve.  That one was on the HS girls.  They suddenly started cheering, startling the Cheerleaders. 

 

6-6 a long rally ended with the Mustangs not handling Molly’s swing at the net.  7-8 another kill by Molly ended a WNM run.  7-9 the Mustangs blocked well for the point.  10-10 Morgan set Jayde for a kill.  It was so pretty in execution.  I’m sure the Coach loved that.  Morgan went on serve for the lead, but served out again at 12-10.

 

The score tied again at 12 after another long rally, which went to the Mustangs.  They were showing a lot of fight in this set.  The HS girls were now getting competition in the cheering from a group on the other side of the court.  It was a bit of a cheering contest.  The Cheerleaders were stupefied.  13-12 Taylor buried one to give the Aggies the lead.  Molly chipped in another kill.  15-12 Janey received a serve from Bianca and accidently stumbled and blocked another player from taking the pass.  It was a little volleyball comedy.

 

After the timeout, Kacia Brown came in.  16-13 the HS girls’ cheering did it again as the Mustangs net served.  18-13 Kacia got her first kill.  19-13 was another long rally.  The Aggies took this one on another kill by Kacia.  Morgan had a diving pancake dig to keep the point going that got a rise out of the crowd.  20-13 Kaylee Peterson aced.  She had come in earlier in the set to serve.  She has an impressive drop serve that just clears the net. 

 

Freshman Alex Connatser subbed in.  She’s Ron’s alternate favorite.  (My alternate is Cameron Rodriguez.)  Alex immediately got in on two blocks.  Lia came in for her right afterward.  I’m sure the Coach was kicking himself for not putting Alex in earlier, but he needed to put Lia in before the end.  23-14 net serve by the Mustangs.  The cheering HS girls get another assist. 

 

The next point was a little confused.  Morgan went back to serve after another kill by Kacia, but this was all waved off and WNM got the point.  The down official was looking at something on the press table, while Lia spoke to the up official.  Officially in the play-by-play log, it was listed as an attack error, but I didn’t think there was video replay for the match.  Did they replay the point for some other reason, like out-of-rotation, but weren’t sure?  Regardless, Lia took two big swings the next point for a kill.  She finished the match with another slap kill.  25-15 and 3-0 Aggies win.           

 

The Aggies accidently left the Mustangs hanging for a minute.  After a season of not shaking hands at the net, they needed to be reminded to do so.  Given the disparity of the competition level, the Mustangs acquitted themselves well here and gave the Aggies a workout.  

 

The lovely new scoreboard scoring was worthless like last season.  From the official scoring, Molly and Katie each had 10 kills.  Katie also had 2 aces, and Molly had 2 blocks.  Lia finished with 6 kills.  Rylee and Bianca both had 14 assists.  Bianca also led with 14 digs.  Whew!  I’d hate to figure out the lineups with all this talent.  (One suggestion, team up Taylor and Molly at the net as much as possible.)  However, I will definitely say, fire the Cheerleaders and hire those HS Volleyball girls. 

 

The skies had been threatening before we went in for the game.  Outside afterward, the heavy shower of rain was coming just down the road.  Ron and I decided on Whataburger.  We got wet getting there, but were inside before the deluge started.  I was slightly worried as I saw the water started lapping at the curb, while I ate my tasty Honey Barbeque Chicken Strip sandwich.  The rain passed before an ark was necessary.  Ron was again joking that this game was really close.  I’m sure the schedule will be testing the Aggies shortly, but they’ve got plenty of talent to play well against whoever.



This is Ron's ticket.  He's still not sure about getting a Country Pass.

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