NM State Aggies vs Chicago State Cougars Volleyball 10-30-23

I'm not sure why this Barbie-themed pic of Morgan Stewart and Kaylee Peterson 

works so well, but it does.

The weather suddenly turned cold here in Las Cruces.  I took the day off and spent it in a listless fashion, somewhat depressed.  Tomorrow is month end processing at work and I’ll be starting off the day in hole with today’s work.  I went out to try a chili dog at Legend Burger for a cold day.  I don’t know if I mis-ordered or they got the order wrong, but instead I got a Legend Burger in my sack.  This is one of the very few times I’d say I probably came out ahead for the mistake.  I’ll try their chili dog another day.   

 

I have some happy Aggie Sports news from last week.  Aggie Football won 27-24 over LA Tech.  They were down 16-3 in the first half before coming back.  Near the end of the game, LA Tech was driving deep into Aggie territory to tie or go ahead.  Sone Aupiu came up with a big sack forcing a fumble to get ball back.  Unfortunately, the offense barely ran off any time (but did use up all LA Tech’s timeouts) and had to punt.  It was white knuckle excitement as the defense held on second 4 and 1 down on the drive to give the Aggies the win.  With six wins, now the Aggies just need one more win in the next four games to be bowl eligible.  

There's our Aggie Soccer champs!

Even better, Aggie Soccer beat WKU 1-0 on the road to win the C-USA regular season championship.  The team has suffered losing players all season, but persevered magnificently.  Meredith Scott got her first goal of the season in the second half.  Valerie Guha was the star with 9 saves, including a highlight reel dive stop.

Shamefully, I have to admit that I missed Aggie Women’s Basketball first game yesterday.  It was a late-added exhibition game in the afternoon.  (Playing Arizona in their very first game of the season seemed a bit harsh.)  I had other plans to watch NASCAR (the final race to set the field for the championship) and FOX was broadcasting a Women’s College Volleyball game between #2 Wisconsin and Minnesota.  I really deliberated over it.  I finally decided to stay home to see this 6’9” Anna Smrek player on WI. 

 

The volleyball wasn’t live and was a blowout.  The announcers weren’t even doing play-by-play call to start the match.  Halfway through the first set, they finally started doing it.  (Their producer must have been yelling at them.)  Smrek wasn’t a starter and didn’t really dominate like you’d think.  (She did tower over her 6’+ teammates.)  The commentators did use the term, “little back row ninjas,” to describe the “smalls,” as I’ve called them.  I’ll steal that line in a post someday.

 

However, the NASCAR race was entertaining late.  I was rooting for Ryan Blaney to knockout Denny Hamlin, which happened.  The tense Martinsville race and the hot race conditions seemed to drain the life out of everyone racing.  They interviewed Denny and he was amazingly gracious and upbeat afterward.  I thought the better of him for a change.  We’ll see how long this new attitude lasts. 

 

I feel bad, but I think I made the right decision.  The ladies won their basketball game by over 20.  They probably appreciated everyone who came out on a Sunday afternoon with the Cowboys and Chiefs playing games.  I plan on going out to several of their games this season.    

 

For that matter, I got to the Pan-Am Center and suddenly figured out that I was missing a World Series game to be there.  I wouldn’t have taken off to watch the game anyway though I have done that in the past.  The crowd was great at over 1100.  I think there were a half dozen little girls teams present.  They were screaming and cheering for much of the match. 

 

I picked up a raspberry tea (watered down disappointingly as they were having problems with their soda fountain) and a pretzel for dinner and also picked up a new Women’s Basketball poster up front.  I sat in my usual seat.  I ended up being evicted twice as a family and a team came in.  My new poster got smashed as someone pushed down a seat next to me.  That’s the third time this year that that’s happened.  (It never happened before.)  I lost my pen when someone walked by knocked it over, but recovered it later.  (I always bring two for this reason.)  It wasn’t a great fan experience to start.           

    

This Monday game was scheduled because the Aggies didn’t have a conference opponent this weekend.  Well then why weren’t the UTEP games scheduled here instead of the middle of week earlier in the month during a football game?  The Chicago State Cougars accepted the invitation.  Unlike last year, Chicago State is doing well at 11-5.  They finally got to play home games this year.  However, they’re still not in a conference.  I remember them in 2019 surprising the Aggies in a weekday noon game.  After losing the first set, Coach Jordan almost threw the match.  (The Aggies had an undefeated conference season that year, so that would have been bad.)

 

Jaclyn Inclan isn’t with the team this year.  I liked her.  The Cougars only brought 10 players and only played 8 of them.  Their libero, Andrea Calderon, stood at 5’4” and wasn’t even the shortest player on the team. 

     

This was the Barbie game.  I got my only pink shirt out to wear as requested.  However, it is a short-sleeved dress shirt and it was too cold for it.  Throughout the game, they were playing music from the movie and playing clips from it.  Ops Director Tatyana Battle won the night in wardrobe with a pink dress shirt, a white t-shirt underneath it, and a tan pair of khakis.  Very stylish.  The girls were wearing new pink tops with detached sleeves.  They looked good and they seemed happy in them. 

 

The team split their previous two matches, I mentioned in a previous post.  The music during the player warmups was super chill.  I appreciated that.  They played the Nick Gonzales walk up song that I don’t know the name of.  Mari Sharp, who missed the last two matches, was ready to play tonight.  Encouragingly, Peyton Castillo wasn’t wearing a cast.  She was limping a bit, but was walking without crutches.

 

Set 1

It was tight right at the start.  You could tell this one was going to be tough at 5-6 CS.  Bianca Perez nearly served up an ace and the point ended up being a kill for Yanlis Feliz.  CS went on a four-point run before Bianca put in a dump shot to break it, 6-9.  She then made a great pancake dig on the next point that Mari and Starr Williams finished with a block.  The Cougars coach challenged the dig call, but it was upheld.

 

CS went back up 7-10 the hard way, as Kacia Brown took a kill to her face.  Aleka Darko and Ryleigh Whitekettle teamed up for a block to tie it at 10.  CS tied it at 11.  (Starr made a great dig on the point.)  Aleka and Ry threw another block party to put the Aggies back up, 12-11.  Ryleigh had a touch kill at 13-12, but the Cougars came back and went up, 13-14, after a double touch by Rilen Garcia.  Ry would tie it again at 14 with a kill.  The Cougars retook the lead on a monster kill by Julieta Sandez that nearly bounced into the second level of seats, 14-15, which led to the Media timeout.      

 

I was evicted from my seat again by new people coming in.  I’m not that particular about where I sit, but I’d like to keep a seat once I’m there.  Ashley Herman tied it at 15 with a kill.  Kacia fired her own big blast into the stands, 16-15.  Bianca hit the tape for a kill on the next point.  Sandez (that’s the way it’s spelled) had another big shot, but Aleka hit a couple of kills and Ash and Mari had a block to make it 21-18 Aggies.  Timeout CS.

 

The Cougars went on another run.  The closed to 21-20 off a great dig by Calderon.  Timeout Aggies.  Out of the break, Ryleigh fired out and Mari was blocked to put CS up 21-22.  Timeout Aggies again.  This time, the coaches talked to each other for a couple of minutes while the team stood and watched them.  Finally, Coach Jordan came over and calmly said something short and dismissed them back to the court.  Ry had a kill and Mari served an ace to put the Aggies back up, 23-22.  Good talk.  The Cougars took another timeout, but Ryleigh would finish it off with a kill.  25-23 Aggies.

 

Set 2: Aggies 1, Cougars 0

Mari, Ryleigh, and Kacia had kills early.  Starr and Aleka had a block.  Starr also made a great dig under the net.  At 6-3 Aggies, CS took an early timeout.  The Aggies kept adding to their lead.  8-4 Aleka had another kill on a good, quick set by Bianca.  9-5 Mari had tip kill.  10-6 Starr served one out.  That was the third Aggie service error of the set.

 

The Cougars seemed to take the next point on an out-swing by Mari, but a touch challenge overturned it.  She really took flight on that back row attack.  Ry added a kill off a block and Mari had another kill.  13-8 Mari missed a set from Rilen.  Then Ashley was double blocked and Rilen was called for a lift (?), 13-10.  Timeout Aggies.  A promo ran for Women’s Basketball.  Some team members were also in attendance (I think) on the other side of the court.  I felt guilty. 

 

Ryleigh broke up the CS run with a kill.  Mari and Ash followed with kills.  17-22 Aggies, Kacia won the long rally with a tip.  Bianca also saved a dump shot from setter, Wiktoria Zagumny, on the point.  The Cougars went down further on kills by Kacia and Starr and an out-serve.  21-14 Aggies, timeout CS. 

 

Kaylee Peterson came in to serve.  Ryleigh took the next point, 22-14, on a kill.  Bianca saved another dump shot.  Ry and Aleka combined for another block.  Aspen Aldous came in to set.  The teams then traded DT’s (at least that’s I saw the refs call).  The Cougars outlasted the Aggies on an insane rally at 24-16.  The crowd went crazy during the point.  Ryleigh again finished the set with a kill, 25-16.  The crowd was roaring.

 

Set 3: Aggies 2, Cougars 1

It had to happen: Barbie Cam debuted.  The little girls went nuts and started singing the Barbie World song.  Groan.  Well, at least they had fun.  (Again, I like the doll.  The movie, I’m not interested in.  I had that darn song stuck in my head for the rest of the night.)

 

Maggie Lightheart, my favorite (and looking stunning), started the set.  She was in for Starr, who had probably been playing hurt.  The Cougars began the set with an ace.  After kills by Ashley and Kacia, Darian Markham painted the sideline with an ace, 4-2 Aggies.  The teams traded errors with a Cougar DT and Kacia put a serve into the net.  Mari had another kill, but CS tied it at 9 as Aleka missed a set by Bianca. 

 

CS challenged an out call claiming a touch, but it was upheld to make it 10-9.  Ryleigh scored two more kills, but CS tied it again at 13 with an ace.  Ash and Aleka had kills going into the Media timeout at 15-14 Aggies.  I ran to the bathroom.  I couldn’t hold that watered down tea.  Darian was honored in the break for accumulating her 1,500-th dig.  I only missed one point coming back.

 

17-14 Aggies, Mari and Aleka combined on a block and CS took a timeout.  Aleka came back with a tip and Ry hit an offspeed kill to increase the lead.  The Cougars got back into it as Ash fired out at 19-18.  Timeout Aggies.  Ash hit out another to tie it at 19 and Sydney McIntosh came in for her. 

 

The Aggies retook the lead.  21-19 Aggies, the Cougars swung into the net and took a timeout.  Ry had a kill at 22-21.  Maggie came up big with a solo block at 23-21.  Rilen gave her a huge hug afterward.  Kacia put the Aggies on match point with a kill, 24-21.  Darian had a service error on the next point and the Cougars got a kill to close to 24-23.  Maggie took a tumble going for the dig on the point. 

 

Timeout Aggies.  The crowd and the little girls became deafening.  Queen’s We Will Rock You played during the break.  Finally, “Boom!” said PA Ed, as Kacia slammed a kill into the middle of the court to end the match, 25-23 and 3-0.

 

It was a three-set sweep, but the Aggies had to earn it.  You could see where if Chicago State had more resources, they could build a winner with Coach Tony Trifonov.  Surely, they’ll end up in a conference at some point in the near future. 

 

For today, the Aggies dominated.  They were up 50 to 35 in kills and 8 to 4 in blocks.  Ryleigh Whitekettle led everyone with 15 kills.  Kacia Brown had 11.  Aleka Darko was part of 6 blocks.  Rilen Garcia had 27 assists.  For the Cougars, Patrycja Lagida led with 10 kills.  The Aggies still need to clean up their serving.  They had 3 aces with 8 errors.

 

It was cold outside, even wearing a jacket and a hoodie.  Trust me, this was sudden, as it was t-shirt weather yesterday.  I made a cup of hot chocolate at home.  Good thing I bought that hot chocolate last week (and the heater was turned on, also).  I was in time to watch the last three innings of Game 3 of the World Series.  The match felt longer, but was only about an hour and a half.  Okay, everything worked out well in spite of my misgivings about today.  I have another day off ***Friday*** for Aggie Volleyball’s final home series.   

Comics Review: War of the Gods and Grimoire

I took a trip to the Downtown Mall last week with an agenda.  I had some business to do at the bank there and I wanted a pizza at the Grounded Café next door.  I also decided to check in on Coas Books and Zia Comics.  The bank took the longest to just do something simple.  The pizza was magnificent.  The Café’s clientele frightened me off and I ate the pizza back at work.  (Also, Grounded doesn’t sell sodas and I don’t think there’s a bathroom there.)  Actually, the people hanging around the mall during the day has gotten dramatically scarier.  I’m seriously rethinking my occasional trips there.

 

There wasn’t anything at Coas.  Finds like that Sabrina book are just totally random, not guaranteed.  I had had good luck at Zia Comics last time and found two entertaining comics.  Unfortunately, I didn’t notice any more issues of Barbarella or World’s Finest.  (They were restocking while I was there.  I might have just missed them.)  Today, my choices did not meet with success.      

Wonder Woman: War of the Gods #1 Special Edition

This is a reprint, an expensive $5 reprint.  (It is double-sized with only a couple of ads, so there is some value, I guess.)  However, I figured with George Perez working on it that it must be good.  It’s part of a four-part mini-series.  They had the first three issues there, but not the fourth, otherwise I probably would have bought all of them.  What a mistake that would have been.

 

I got a little pushback online once when I said Wonder Woman doesn’t have any iconic storylines.  Characters like Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man and groups like the X-Men and Teen Titans have plenty, but I couldn’t think of any for the Amazon.  There have been trades, of course, but nothing has stood out.  Getting into the possible reasons for this and the psychology of this character is beyond what I want to write for a stupid comic book review. 

 

(Okay really, Wonder Woman is the only other superhero character besides Superman and Batman to be continuously published since the Golden Age.  There really should be some better stories out there beyond her fighting Egg Fu.  And I still maintain that she’s dressed like a patriotic stripper, while being too unobtainable and noble to fantasize about.  She’s not as strong as Superman, not as smart as Batman, and doesn’t have worthwhile specialized powers like the Flash and Green Lantern.  Wonder Woman has no niche.)  

(Admittedly, Egg Fu is kind of awesome.)

 

War of the Gods came out in the early 90’s, a few years after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I think it was meant to be a vehicle for a great Wonder Woman story since it features her mythology.  Unfortunately, it was crossed with a Crisis-like all-encompassing storyline that basically reduced her (and everyone else in it) to a minor character. 

 

I’d like to comment on the story in this issue, but frankly I couldn’t figure it out.  Crisis had several little side scenes in it where it would branch off to other titles.  Usually, these were minor subplots.  In War of the Gods #1, almost the entire issue is nothing but segues to other comics that aren’t even footnoted.  I don’t know how this story started or what’s going on in it.  I don’t know what to read to catch up and understand it.

At least for this issue, the crux of it is the Roman gods fighting the Greek gods.  I see you raising your hand with a question.  I have the same one, “Aren’t the Roman gods just Romanized versions of the Greek gods?”  Essentially, “Yes.”  (It’s more complicated than that, but pretty much.)  This is terribly shaky ground to start a story on. 

 

From looking at the other issues online, that’s not the whole story, but it’s all basically a bunch of random battle scenes with little narrative.  (Crisis had a strong storyline at least.)  The one selling point of this issue is the artwork.  It’s Perez finished by Cynthia Martin.  The other issues in this series are not as nice looking.     

 

I apologize for this slipshod review.  Reading this comic gave me the sensation of walking into a random movie at a theater halfway through and then leaving well before the end.  All this could be was a disappointment.  Except, I did like this silly scene with Lobo and Captain Marvel.  (Shazam.  Whatever.)  I’m not a Lobo fan, but he can be fun. 

 

The North Valley Grimoire #1

Great cover.  There was so little else on the racks at Zia that appealed to me, I ended up getting this indy comic based on the cover.  How many times have I repeated this action at the store?  Try not to think about it. 

 

I view most of these indy comics as “pilot episodes” and proof of concept pitches for movies and TV shows.  In this case, Grimoire is already a successful novel and a short story in the setting has been optioned for a movie.  This comic adapts the novel.  I think it’s trying to sell it to be adapted to another medium. 

Beyond possible future exploitation, the comic itself looks pretty good.  It’s stylish, but reasonably clear and sets the dark atmosphere of the story.  The story is about a private school girl obtaining a magical tome and a government agent coming to retrieve it.  There are others after the book.  The agent really wants it for his own purposes.  The girl doesn’t know what’s going on and has acquired powers from the book. 

It’s a fairly solid setup with a bit of larger world building.  The magic is mixed with technology and goes off like various superhero powers.  This magic use is hidden from the general public.  People who witness it are mind-wiped. 

The girl’s boyfriend has died and he left the book for her.  His motives are a mystery.  The agent also gets in deep trouble with his superiors by the end.  He wasn’t able to find the girl, but someone else did.

 

It was intriguing.  I found myself reading the comic carefully as it was presenting quite a bit of setting in a short space.  Given this is a five-issue series, I wonder well it will adapt a nearly 400-page novel.  That said, even with the action and magic, I don’t think the story was for me.  Its urban fantasy (or modern fantasy), which is generally for girls.  The characters weren’t appealing to me.  The story just has one-too-many trope-y elements and not enough originality.  Without engaging characters, this wasn’t going to work for me. 

 

This was yet another trip to the comic book store that has produced an unhappy haul.  They looked so promising.  Given the deterioration of the neighborhood, I’m genuinely concerned about going back for more abuse. 

NM State Aggies vs Sam Houston Bearkats Soccer 10-22-23

Kennedy Herrera with her great hair.

I’m making sacrifices here.  I was missing NASCAR, F1, and the Chiefs for this game.  Wait.  Hold it.  I’m really kind of halfway on all of those sports right now.  Yeah, I’d much rather see adorable Mya Hammack and the Aggie Soccer team for the last time this year than those things.  I’m happy to be here for the team! 

 

(As long as they win.)

 

The week started well for Aggie Sports with the 100-th Aggie/Miner Football game ending in a 28-7 rout by the Aggies in El Paso.  Diego Pavia had two passing touchdowns to Thomaz Whitford and two rushing touchdowns.  Monte Watkins had over a hundred yards rushing.  (Diego almost had a hundred.  Deion Hankins had over a hundred for UTEP.)  I was listening to El Paso Sports Talk afterward.  Their fans are justifiably furious over their season and even more so that they lost to the Aggies.

 

At the end of the week, Aggie Volleyball had a shock loss to Jacksonville State in five sets.  What was the cause?  Mari Sharp wasn’t available this weekend.  Our volleyball sweetheart, Maggie Lightheart, started in her place and performed pretty well for a freshman who’d only had quick inserts in matches previously.  She had 13 kills with only 4 errors.  She also had 5 service errors and only 1 ace.  From what I’ve seen, she seems like a pretty steady server, since that’s how Maggie’s been used previously. 

 

It was pretty weird looking at the stats.  The Aggies had five players with double-digit kills compared to only two for Jacksonville, and the Aggies had a much higher attack percentage.  The only number that really jumped out was the service errors.  The Aggies had 18 with only 6 aces.  That was probably the difference.  The Aggies came back with a straight-set win the next day.  Ryleigh Whitekettle led the way with 12 kills.

 

Back to soccer, it was a brilliant day for a game.  It was sunny, sometimes partly cloudy, with a cool breeze going later in the game.  There was a big tailgate going in the parking lot when I came in.  The crowd was officially over 700, but the grandstand was full.  There were lots of kids, teens, and their parents present.  Fan Tom was here and, strangely, had set up beside the south goal, which Sam Houston was defending.  He changed ends after the half.  The Bearkats did bring a knot of fans with them, who made their presence known during the game. 

 

The Band was not here.  They were missed.  Without them, you could clearly hear Valerie Guha in goal for the Aggies.  She was screaming at her teammates for the entire game.  I didn’t notice the Football team here either.  I thought there were maybe four guys from Baseball seated behind the north goal.  Four girls from Volleyball were here.  They walked past me on the stairs a couple of times.  I was not feeling confident enough to say, “Hello,” as the girls didn’t seem to be in a friendly mood.  (If Maggie had been there, I wouldn’t have cared about her mood.  I would have immediately jumped up to greet her.) 

 

Today’s officials were decked in purple.  That was a bold, unprecedented choice.  The main ref stood a full head taller than nearly all of the girls on field.  During the warm ups, I saw the Aggies doing an odd one-leg hopping exercise, sort of like the Hokey Pokey.  The girls looked giddy and happy to be playing. 

 

First Half

I could make this recap go a lot quicker if I just said, “Nobody scored in the first half.  There were no shots on goals and there were two Aggie corner kicks.”  That said, there was plenty of action in this half. 

 

The Aggies dominated on offense at first.  They got their two corners in the first 10 minutes.  They had a “pop up” shot that was caught by Savannah Hall, the Bearkat goalie, and Loma McNeese had an awkward mis-kick at the goal on the other. 

 

37’ left in the half, Jena Johanes made a good strip of the ball on an attack, which led to an Aggie counter.  Gia Valenti and a Bearkat defender started grabbing at each other as Gia got near the goal, which foiled the charge.  A couple of minutes later, Xitlaly Hernandez, sporting braids today, broke up an SH attack by the Aggie goal.  33’ the Aggies made a good, coordinated attack, but it didn’t result in getting a shot off.

 

31’ Megan Ormson took a header off her nose.  Ouch!  She was rubbing it afterward.  29’ Loma kicked roller on goal that Hall fell on.  A minute later, Mya Gonzales took a shot that went high and wide.  Meredith Scott took a tumble in the Bearkat box afterward.  No call.  25’ after an Aggie free kick on the wing into a scrum at the net, the Aggies apparently scored, but it was immediately waved off by the ref.  Offsides?  Handball?  I don’t know, but was no argument on field. 

 

24’ Hall fell on a shot, but lost the ball.  The Aggies weren’t in position to make a follow up shot.  SH came with a couple of attacks.  Val got a save in a one-on-one situation.  Right after, the Bearkats just missed connecting on a pass across the goal for an open header. 

 

The teams traded a couple of more opportunities.  11’ Lauren Machuca made a cross-goal pass to an open Shila Rasoul, but Shila mis-kicked it.  There was a nasty SH shove on an Aggie in their box.  5’ Shila laid out a Bearkat defender in their box.  She did help her up afterward.  On another play, a foul was called on the Aggies, blowing the play dead.  Brooke Schultz buried a shot into the goal anyway. 

 

3’ Lauren took a tumble in the SH box on an attack.  No call.  2’ freshman sub Azalie Floriano was hurt on a play and had to come out.  Another freshman that I hadn’t seen before, Emma O’Neill, came in.  Having lost four players this season, the Aggies were really reaching down into the depth chart.  Lastly, SH took a shot on the wing.  A header went just over the net.  0-0 at the half.

 

Second Half

Both teams came out threatening early.  40’ SH took a hard shot on the Aggie goal from outside the box.  Val caught it.  That was the first official shot on goal in the game.  Soon after, Valerie tried to kick out a ball from the box.  It rebounded off a Bearkat back towards her, but she scooped it up.  SH made a follow up attack.  Valerie had to catch another hard shot from outside.

 

The Aggies took a couple of wide and high shots by Mya H. and Ariana Leamons.  On the second, an Aggie player and Hall slid into each other in the box going for the ball.  29’ Val grabbed at the ball from the ground on an attack, before forcing the ball out.  This led to two SH corners, but no shots.  A turnover on the Aggie end right after did result in a shot that went wide.

 

27’ Mya H. took another long shot.  Hall juggled the ball before finally corralling it.  On the next Aggie offensive series, two Aggies were knocked to the ground.  24’ some great passing as Loma went to Meredith, who gave it back to Loma.  Hall and Loma slid into each other going after the ball, which broke up the attack.  The crowd was excited on the play.  After, Loma took a long, running kick that flew into the scoreboard.  A Bearkat was injured on the play and had to come out.

 

18’ Jena did some fancy dribbling in front of the stands and was fouled.  The crowd cheered for her and the show.  17’ Gia Valenti took a shot at the top of the SH box that was caught.  Back the other way, Xitlally went down on defense in the Aggie box.  Play continued and Val caught the Bearkat shot.  X stayed in. 

 

The Aggies started really pressing the attack.  Both teams were continually subbing new players in to keep fresh legs in.  16’ Lauren kicked to Shila for a header that missed.  Next, Shila had a breakaway.  Hall was caught out of the goal, but Shila wasn’t able to handle the ball to shoot it.  Mya H. took a wide shot across the SH goal.  Another shot went high and landed on top of the net.  

 

The crowd was really into it.  The Aggies got a pair of corners.  Mya H. took another shot.  Hannah Draper deflected it high into the scoreboard.  The Aggies had another corner, but the ref blew it dead as Megan shoved Hall into the goal during the kick. 

 

7’ Bearkat Ariana Carrington took a shot over the Aggie net on a charge.  6’ back to the SH end, Megan almost tipped a ball in off an Aggie corner.  Mya H. was yelling encouragement on field during these corners.  All these of these Aggie attacks were coming with only Jena back on defense.  4’ SH finally managed a rush that completely outnumbered the defense.  Val fell on their only shot. 

 

2’ a great pass to Loma and she had only the goalie in front of her.  Hall smothered the shot.  1’ Val caught a low shot on goal.  In the final minute, events were happening too fast for me to keep up with.  Loma and Shila had a breakaway.  The Aggies had a final corner with the seconds counting down and brought everyone except Val in on it.  The ball went all over the SH box, but the Aggies weren’t able to get a shot off before time expired.  Nil-nil was our final score.   

 

I think I once said, “If I ever sit through a nil-nil tie, I’m never coming back.”  I think this is first time it’s happened to me, though it did happen earlier this season when I wasn’t there.  Still, the crowd seemed reasonably okay with the result.  It was pretty exciting, like the last game, which was also a tie.    

I wish I'd used this pic of Bianca Chacon before she was injured.

Both teams had plenty of chances, especially in the second half.  Shots on goal were 4-3 and corners were 9-2, both for the Aggies.  I’m pretty sure the Aggies dominated in time of possession.  Hats off to both goalies, Valerie Guha and Savannah Hall, for keeping their cool under pressure.  Sam Houston may have played more physically than the Aggies, which would be a rarity this season and may have surprised them.  Judging by these last two games, the Aggies really seem to be missing Bianca Chacon and her timely assists.    

 

Well bottom line, this draw wasn’t pointless.  The Aggies get a first round bye in the conference tournament with it.   In their last game on the road, they now need either a win or a tie to win the regular season championship and only lose it on a loss.  They’re going to be facing a tougher opponent than today in Western Kentucky, though. 

 

For good or ill, this was my last Aggie Soccer game of the season.  I’ll miss seeing the girls.  I used my final Burger King coupon afterward and had a great meal there.  That made the tie more palatable.  I’ll keep track of the team in future posts.  

NM State Aggies vs WKY Hilltoppers Volleyball 10-14-23

My sad unsigned autograph poster.

 

I’m going to rip the Band-Aid off: the Aggies lost this game before it started.  You could argue this might have happened yesterday, but it definitely happened today.  I feel like from the coaches down to the players, the Aggies completely psyched out by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.  I’m not saying that the results wouldn’t have been completely the same with the better attitude (WKU is a really good team), but there was no chance of the Aggies winning under these self-imposed conditions.

 

I’m a bit grumpy.  My stomach was still irritated from lunch when I went to bed last night.  After I got up, I wasn’t hungry and skipped lunch before going to the game.  At the Pan Am Center, there was a lighter crowd for this noon game (officially 700).  One member of the crowd was a little boy in a cowboy hat and a bandana with a painted on mustache, a little Pistol Pete.  Ryleigh Whitekettle would toss him a souvenir ball during player introductions. 

 

We had a live Anthem today.  I think it was sung by a member of the Aggievision TV crew.  Aleka Darko started for the Aggies.  Like yesterday, the reserve setters were again sitting with Assistant Coach Hertel and receiving additional instruction instead of standing with the rest of the reserves, as they’ve been the rest of the season. 

 

Okay, the setting this season has been generally okay, if I’m to judge by the team’s record.  But for this game, it was now an issue right at the beginning of yesterday’s game (and I think even before it started).  As a result of this sudden attention, the setters played tighter and tighter.  Perfect setting would have helped (no guarantee of victory), but nervous setting had no chance.

 

Set 1

The other story of this match were the double touch calls.  By my count, the Aggies got called for it five times and it was by all three setters.  (I wasn’t kidding when I said they were playing tight.)  WKU was only called for it once.  Some officials make this call way more than others, which is another factor.  Anyway, these DT’s started right off the bat in this set with one on Bianca Perez. 

 

WKU Coach Hudson used a challenge early at 3-3 after a long rally.  The touch call was overturned to give them the lead, 2-4.  Mari Sharp had a couple of kills and Ryleigh had her first kill, but the Toppers jumped out to a 5-10 lead and the Aggies took a timeout.  Ry came out of the break with a kill.  WKU sided out on the next point.  The crowd got angry and wanted a double touch on them.  (Generally, I can’t identify when it happens, but others can.)

 

7-12 WKU, Ryleigh came back with a soft kill.  Then there was a delay.  Something came out on court, which I couldn’t identify.  The Aggie trainer cleaned it up wearing gloves and disinfecting the spots where it was.  Someone behind me made a suggestion that I think was anatomically unlikely as to the cause.  I’ll leave it at that.  Back to play, Ry served, which doesn’t usually happen as this forces her to play in the backcourt. 

 

7-14 WKU, it was another long rally that went to the Toppers.  It ended on bad dig by Mari, as did the next point.  Kacia Brown was then blocked and the Aggies called another timeout at 7-16.  Out of that break, Starr Williams was blocked on a swing.  Next, Ashley Herman won a joust at the net for her first kill. 

 

8-19 WKU, the Toppers aced.  On the next point, Maggie Lightheart came in to play at the net.  Her family was nearby and her mom cheered for her.  (I should introduce myself.  I have a small request to make to Maggie’s dad.)  After a kill by Kacia and another DT call on the Aggies, Darian Markham went on a five-point serving run.  Mari had two kills and Ryleigh had a solo block and another with Aleka.  However, it was too little, too late by this point with the Toppers sitting at 23.  After a sideout, the set ended 16-25 with Kacia making a bad decision on going after a ball going out.

 

Set 2: Hilltoppers 1, Aggies 0

A promo pic came up for the next game which would have a Barbie theme.  Oh boy.  I cannot wait.  (Barbie, the doll, I like.  The movie on the other hand . . . let’s not get into it.)  The picture featured Morgan Stewart and Kaylee Peterson.  You’d think Ryleigh might be more on brand, but this likely isn’t her style.  Morgan and Kaylee probably fit the theme better with their winning smiles.  If only Molly Johnson was still on the team and not the grad assistant.  She’d be perfect.  

I almost switched sides for this woman.

The teams changed of ends.  I got to see more of WKU Assistant Coach Megan Fox, aka “Jena Otec.”  Oooh.  All of the hotness and hopefully none of the crazy.  (Again, just having fun.  Take it as a compliment.)  Birthday girl, Anji Vishwanathan, started this set.  Ryleigh and Starr were also on court together.  Usually, it’s just one “big” at a time.

 

Early, Ryleigh made an off court save over broadcaster Adam Young’s head.  Good job protecting your TV crew.  WKU had their first service error early.  Morgan came in for the first time to serve and fired it way long.  (Bad serving is contagious.)  Mari was blocked to make it 1-4 WKU, but the Toppers turned it over on another service error.

 

Mari came back with a dunk on an overpass.  Kacia tied it at 4 with a kill through the blockers.  WKU came back with a couple of aces, one even hit the tape and fell over, to make it 5-8 WKU.  Ry came back with a kill and Bella Castro came in to serve putting the three “smalls” in the back.  Mari was blocked and Bianca had a DT call.  At 7-12, the Aggies took a timeout.  Aspen Aldous came in to set.

 

(Oh, I’m noticing my notes aren’t jiving with the official record in this set.  I was watching, but I was zoning out by this point.  I could not concentrate.)  Ashley made a pair of kills to get it to 9-13 WKU.  Topper setter Callie Bauer made a really sneaky dump shot on the next point.  She crouched like she was setting, but stayed low and put it over the net.  It seemed like that shouldn’t have worked, but it did. 

 

10-15 WKU followed up with another ace.  Starr had a kill to sideout.  The next point was another long rally to went to the Toppers.  Starr protected the Media table again on the point with a save over the broadcasters.  Ry had a kill.  13-20 WKU, a ball dropped in on the Aggie side on bad coverage.  Ry fired out on the next point and the Aggies called a timeout.  Mari came out of the break with a kill, but the Toppers dunked on the next point.  Kacia and Mari combined on a block, but the set ended, 15-25 WKU, with a DT on Aspen.  Okay, that one was legit.  Even I saw that one.

 

Set 3: Hilltoppers 2, Aggies 0

A couple of Aggie alumni players were honored on court.  One of them had been the Aggies’ first championship team.  Mari started the set with a kill.  Rilen had a mis-set on the next point, but gave Ry a good set on the next point for a kill.  Ryleigh went back to serve.  Instead of her standing serve, this time she did a Brazilian-style high toss and jump serve.  The reserves cheered as it went in and congratulated her when she cycled out.  It was a crowd-pleaser.

 

Starr was blocked early.  Kacia came back with a kill.  Anji and Aspen came in.  Anji tied it at 4 with a solo block.  Next point, Starr hit out and hit the line judge.  Anji tied it at 5 with a kill.  WKU would tie it at 6 with another service error.  7-8 WKU, Anji and Mari combined on a block.  Anji was on fire!  Anji and Aspen cycled out.  Coach Jordan had them sit beside him so he could chat with them with more instruction.  The coaches were really trying to make these two matches learning experiences (if they couldn’t be winning ones). 

 

After another WKU service error, Ash and Kacia tied it at 9 with a block.  Mari then served out, but Ry tied it at 10 with a kill.  Anji had a mis-hit on an overpass next.  The rest of the point was odd, too.  Coach Jordan challenged a pancake dig by the Toppers, but it was denied.  Starr came back with a kill.  WKU took another long rally point.  A high ball nearly went off the videoboard.  13-14 WKU, Mari had a kill.  Anji had a good block on the point.  13-15 WKU was the Media timeout.

 

Ryleigh came back with a kill and Rilen dropped in an ace to tie it at 16.  Then Rilen was called for a DT.  The crowd was getting pissed that WKU wasn’t getting called for those when they were seeing it.  (I have no idea.)  Ryleigh tied it at 17, then Kacia tied it at 18.  Ry did the jump serve again and it fell near the backline and was called out.  This was immediately challenged.  The replay was that it was obviously in.  The crowd chanted, “Ace!  Ace!”  Unfortunately, she spiked it badly on the next attempt.  I suspect the coach is going to end this experiment with that.  It’s too bad.

 

Mari got a kill to briefly put the Aggies up 20-19.  Two points later, Starr fired out and the Aggies called a timeout.  Aleka came back with a kill and the Toppers had another service error to make it 22-24 WKU.  Bella then subbed in for Kacia.  That seemed like an odd trade.  Ry and Aleka combined on a block to make it 23-24.  However, WKU ended it definitely with a dunk, 23-25, and taking the match 0-3.

 

It was another great game for Hilltopper Kaylee Cox with 23 kills.  Coach Jordan said, “We had no answer for her.”  Once again, none of the Aggies were in double digits, though Ryleigh Whitekettle had another good game with 9 kills (hitting .444), 3 blocks and an ace.  (She was a bright point yesterday as well.)  Blocks were even at 8.  WKU cleaned up their serving game having 6 aces with only 4 errors.  The Aggies had 3 aces with 4 errors.  The three Aggie setters were roughly even in assists.  I guess that means they’re about equal in that aspect.     

 

At least it was over quick again.  I was ready for lunch.  I’m sure I didn’t really need or want a third burger in three days, but I wanted to use the $7 combo coupon at Burger King I had before it expired.  What can I say, it hit the spot with no drama, except that their ketchup dispenser was spitting out really watered down condiment fluid.  Given how much I love ketchup that sort of hurt.

 

Well, let’s tier list like the kids do.  Last, I have to put 5 Guys.  Their fries are okay and plentiful, but their burger isn’t worth it for the price.  Mid, I put Freddy’s Grilled Cheese burger with bacon on Texas toast.  The burger was magnificent, but sneaky gut-busting.  Their shoestring fries are a pass.  Top, the Burger King Whopper is highly processed, but smells great and tastes pretty good.  However, they have the best fries in town.  They’re thick like steak fries and perfectly fried and salted.  That was what I really wanted.  That and some Aggie wins this week.  So much for that (except for Football, which I didn’t attend).   

NM State Aggies vs WKY Hilltoppers Volleyball 10-13-23

Peyton Castillo is out injured, but still beautiful.  

Well, lunch was a mixed bag.  I went to Freddy’s for another burger, my second in two days.  Yesterday’s 5 Guys was just okay, but Fred’s limited time only Grilled Cheese two-patty with bacon burger on Texas toast was awe-inspiring.  I can’t believe I ate a hamburger without ketchup and enjoyed it.  (Anyone who’s eaten a burger with me knows to bring plenty of ketchup.)  I may want all of my future hamburgers to be made like this from now on.  I wish I’d had some grape jelly to put on it.

 

(Okay, this may just be something only my mom ever did for my grilled cheese sandwiches, but the jelly does work with it.  It’s because the bread is essentially toast.  Try it for yourself.)

 

The downside was that, even though I brought a hearty appetite, this burger pretty much overwhelmed me.  It didn’t look that big.  With that full belly, it was nothing but pure folly for me to go next door for a Sonic Trick-or-Treat Blast.  I waited until about an hour after I got home to attempt to eat it.  Oh boy!  The first spoonful was like being hit in the mouth with various sweets.  I’d also mistakenly ordered a medium instead of a small.  It took two attempts to finish it.

 

What does this have to do with tonight’s Aggie Volleyball match with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers?  Not much other than, in spite of taking an antacid and a cap of Pepto Bismol, I kept farting and burping during the match.  Good thing nobody was seated around me.  Given how the match went, I’d kind of like to keep going on about the burger.

 

Oh, very well.  I actually saw a tailgate going on in the Pan Am parking lot when I got there.  That’s pretty rare.  Also rare is WKU’s 64-match conference winning streak, which is the longest in the nation.  They’re a pretty good team.  The Aggies used to play them when they were in the Sunbelt Conference many years ago.  Coach Jordan and Coach Hudson have been coaching their teams in all of that time, so they’re renewing a rivalry. 

 

WKU has their players’ names on their jerseys, which is also pretty rare.  This season, they’ve beaten #12 Marquette out of conference and only Liberty has taken them to five sets in conference.  The team seemed shorthanded with only 13 players.  Their libero, Abby Schaefer, was wearing a face visor.  I’d guess she’s taken a bad hit to the face at some point.

 

The official attendance was zero.  I’d say it was around 1,000.  Three of the four refs were women.  One was short attractive middle aged woman that was the down official.  A line judge was the pretty tall Asian woman that I’d noticed before (hard not to).  She nervously tried to adjust the net before play while serving practice was going on.  She was shielding her head the whole time.  

 

The Aggie girls looked pretty serious before the match.  Rilen Garcia was the starting setter.  Ashley Herman also started.  During player introductions, Starr Williams threw an angry fastball into the crowd with a souvenir ball and startled a receiving fan.  She can pitch.

 

Set 1

The Aggies got three blocks early in the set by Mari Sharp, Ryleigh Whitekettle, and Kacia Brown.  For some reason, the Aggie setters were extremely nervous for the whole match.  At one point, Starr took Rilen aside to talk to her after she missed a dig.  Tied at 5 after a WKU service error, Bianca Perez came in to serve and set. 

 

The Toppers got a couple of easy overpass kills.  Kacia got the first Aggie kill at 6-5 Aggies.  However, after Starr shot wide two times in a row, the Aggies took a timeout at 6-10 WKU.  Coach Jordan talked to the setters and defensive players (the “Smalls”) separately.  Rilen and Aspen Aldous were seated next to Assistant Coach Hertel, instead of standing with the rest of the reserves.  He was talking to them while play resumed.  For the rest of the match, the reserve setters were seated and receiving instructions.

 

The Toppers made a couple more net serves, but they were blocking well.  Aleka Darko was blocked on an overpass swing.  9-12 WKU, Ryleigh got a kill off two blockers.  Ashley was blocked two points later, but Mari came back with a kill.  WKU net served again, up 11-17.  On the next point, the up and down officials disagreed on an out call.  Coach Jordan was hopping mad.  He didn’t have to challenge and there wasn’t a review.  The up changed her call and gave the Aggies the point.

 

13-17 WKU, Starr made a mishit into the net.  Ash came back with a kill and Starr then tooled a block to make it 15-18.  The next point, the up judge was nearly taken out on a block.  (Hey, it was just one bad call.  Be nice.)  WKU out served at 16-20.  Maggie Lightheart came in to serve for a point.  She missed a dig and came right out.  Assistant Coach Whitis talked to her afterward. 

 

17-20 WKU, lots of bad hits on this point by both teams made for a long rally.  The Aggies outlasted the Toppers and took the point.  The Aggies took a timeout at 17-22.  Ryleigh fired wide coming out of the break, but WKU net served again to sideout.  Ash and Kacia combined on a block and Ry had another kill, but the set ended 20-25 Toppers with a kill into an open spot on the court.  None of Aggies even moved for it.

Shaney Lipscomb returns.

Set 2: Hilltoppers 1, Aggies 0

Oh my goodness, former Aggie star player, Shaney Lipscomb, was here in the crowd.  Yeah, this girl attracts attention.  Wow!  (Still haven’t forgotten her tossing me a souvenir ball in 2021.)  I wasn’t entirely surprised to see her.  The team Twitter had recently posted some pictures of her working out with the team.  (She is definitely still in playing shape and has a great tan to go with it.)  I am curious as to why she’s here.  I remembered her saying she wanted to get into journalism to do some activism.  (Nobody’s perfect.) 

 

One of WKU's assistant coaches!  Really!

As the teams exchanged ends, I got a good look at the Hilltoppers.  Oh my goodness, one of their assistant coaches is Megan Fox!  She might be going under the alias “Jena Otec.”  Her movie career has kind of bottomed out.  I’ve been called out before for insisting that Taylor Swift was covertly acting as an assistant coach for the UNM Lobo Women’s Basketball team.  (Just another reason to hate her.)  But this time, I’m sure. 

 

 (I’m just trying to have some fun here.  It’s not like the match was fun.)

 

On the second point of the set, the Toppers finally aced, but then immediately net served again.  Morgan Stewart came in to serve and would be coming in for the rest of the match.  Ryleigh and Alex Connatser, who started this set, combined on a block to tie it at 2.  Morgan made an out serve on the next point.  She almost hit the backline with it. 

 

3-4 WKU, the Aggies took this point after an insane rally.  The Toppers nearly took it on a free ball, but the Aggies saved it.  Bianca was then called for a double touch, but Ry came back with a kill.  Bella Castro came in to serve to put three “smalls” in the backcourt.  5-6 WKU, Bianca made a one-handed dump shot for a kill.  The crowd loved it.  Starr dropped the hammer for a kill and Bianca got a block (with a facial, even) to keep the buzz going at 7-8 WKU.

 

Mari had a flying kill and Ryleigh got a kill to tie it at 9.  Ry, Starr, and Alex were all in to put three “bigs” at the net.  Bianca net served next.  Ryleigh would get a kill, but got blocked two points later.  Mari had another kill and Kacia had a solo block to tie it at 13.  WKU got the lead back at 13-15 going into the Media timeout.

 

From there, the Aggies were only playing from behind.  Right out of the break, WKU scored on three-straight blocks.  Ryleigh finally broke the run with a kill, 14-19 WKU.  On the point, Bianca dug out a setter dump shot.  Mari came back with a couple of kills.  One was granted after a challenge and a quick review.  On the other, Schaefer made a great diving pancake dig to keep the point going for WKU.  Starr tooled a block to make it 17-20, but Alex was solo blocked next to break the run.

 

18-23 WKU, the Toppers had another service error.  Ryleigh got a kill on the next point.  Topper freshman middle Izzy Van De Wiele was taken out after the point.  Coach Hudson got in her face and chewed her out on the sideline, I guess for not getting a block.  The player looked terribly unhappy. 

 

Ry and Mari got kills to get it to 22-24 WKU.  The Toppers took a timeout as the crowd was fully into it.  The highlight of the match was actually a fan on camera during the break.  The fan was a pudgy middle aged guy who performed a Floss to the music and also went Gangnum Style.  The crowd appreciated his dancing skills.  Out of the break, Ry got a block to make it 23-24, but an Aggie dig went high into the video board to end the set, 23-25 WKU.  Morgan had a four-point serving run there at the end.

 

Set 3: Hilltoppers 2, Aggies 0

I went to the bathroom during the break.  I could hear a former Aggie Volleyball player being honored on court.  (It wasn’t Shaney.)  I noticed some members of Aggie Football and Women’s Basketball were in the crowd.  Oh my God!  Coach Hudson was still chewing out that Izzy girl as the set started!  Was this personal?  This like a scene from an Aggie Football sideline with Coach Kill.  If she was wearing a helmet, he’d be grabbing her by the facemask.

 

Starr got a tip kill on the second point of the set.  WKU saved an overpass kill on the next point and won it on a tip.  Mari came back with a kill to make it 2-3 WKU.  The next point was some kind of miscommunication on the set, which resulted in a DT.  Coach Jordan stepped on court between points to talk to Bianca.  Morgan made a great one-handed save on the next point, but WKU won it.  At 2-6 WKU, the Aggies took a timeout.  Coach Jordan again huddled with the setters.

 

Right out of the break, there was a bad set.  The coach wiped his forehead and sat down.  That’s his usual sign of being disgusted with the team.  The Aggies almost went down 2-8, but Coach Jordan challenged a touch call.  The up official watched the replay and opened her mouth in shock.  The call was overturned to give Ryleigh a kill, 3-7.  The “smalls” came in.

 

Mari got a kill.  5-7 WKU, Morgan hit a free ball over the net that dropped in for a kill on the backline.  That got a smirk out of her.  The coach challenged again at 5-11 on an out call.  The crowd wanted it, too.  It was an easy overturn, 6-10, for a kill for Kacia.  The Toppers came back with their second ace.  Mari came back with a flying tip kill.  She was starting to lose her topknot with her hair tied up.

 

7-14 WKU, Rilen was called for a DT.  The coach took her out and put in Aspen, who has not been used much this season.  She set Starr for a tip kill and came out.  WKU had a DT soon after.  9-15 WKU, Bianca served out, but Ashley and Kacia came back with kills.  Aspen was back in to serve.  In play, she looked a bit rough on defense.  Kacia was blocked, but WKU served out right after.

 

14-19 WKU, Aleka and Kacia combined on a block.  The crowd was still there and into it.  Next point, “Boom!” said PA Ed.  Starr got a big kill.  Aspen had a great set on the point.  Starr got the next two points with kills.  19-24 WKU, Ash and Starr combined on the block. 

 

The Aggies got the call for the next point, but a net call was challenged by WKU.  That Coach Hudson put his backpack on during the review was telling.  Coach Jordan sent Mari over to talk to the up official during the review.  She skipped over to her and then skipped back, but didn’t get a response the coach liked.  The set did end there with the call overturned, 19-25, and 0-3 for the match for the Hilltoppers.                

 

Honestly, nobody was too surprised by this outcome from what I heard in the crowd.  I don’t really have a stat of the match.  The Hilltoppers just outplayed the Aggies.  Serving was an issue for them with only 2 aces with 9 errors.  The Aggies had no aces and 4 errors.  The Coach said in an interview earlier in the week that the Toppers received very well.  

 

Blocks were 12 to 10 in favor of WKU.  That was closer than it felt while watching.  Hilltoper Logan Grevengoed led with 6.  Kacia Brown had 5 for the Aggies.  Kaylee Cox 20 kills for WKU.  Nobody on the Aggies was in double digits.  Callie Bauer had 38 assists for WKU.  Bianca Perez had 20 for the Aggies.  Rilen Garcia and Aspen Aldous only had a handful each.  The Aggies setters seemed rattled for some reason at the start and it got worse as the match went on. 

 

Let’s hope the Aggies can come back from this.  They are the second best team in C-USA.  The problem here almost feels more mental than being physically outplayed.  This may even go up to the coaches being too psyched for the match.  We’ll see what happens tomorrow.