NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Volleyball 10-5-24

 

Well, the good news this Saturday morning was that there was an MLB playoff game on the radio.  The bad news was that I found out I couldn’t get AM radio signal in the Pan-Am Center.  That was probably okay for two reasons.  One, I wasn’t going to do double coverage again of baseball and today’s Aggie Volleyball game against the LA Tech Bulldogs.  It’s hard enough just writing down volleyball play-by-play.  Two, before I got cut off, Cleveland was up 5-0 in the first and Detroit hadn’t even gotten an out.  (The Indians won 7-0, as I found out later.)

 

I was hungry for another three-set win today.  Literally.  I hadn’t had time for breakfast before going to this noon game.  There was a bit a light crowd compared to last night (although the official attendance said otherwise).  At the end of practice, Mari Sharp popped a ball high over the court.  The other players covered their heads and scrambled.  Mari was embarrassed but laughing about it.  This would be a bit of foreshadowing to something weird that happened later in the game.

 

There was a new intro video for the team with some new footage and subtracting out some players that weren’t playing (though not all of them).  For the souvenir ball toss, Starr Williams threw hers at some nearby girls but missed.  The ball fell into the off-court area.  Some young women below me, who’d gotten a ball from Yasso Amin, handed theirs off to the girls.  Meanwhile, Nicole Briggs went over and got the ball off the court and handed it to the young women.  In turn, they handed it off to a little girl below them, who was Tess Fuqua’s baby sister (I think).  More on these young women later and why they were giving away balls.

 

Set 1

Starr got a tip kill to start the match.  Mari got the next Aggie point off a ball that hit the tape and fell over.  It seemed like a lucky day for the Aggies.  Kacia Brown put in a tip to make it 3-2 Aggies.  Claudia Rossi came in as the alternate setter.  The score stayed close.  Yasso was blocked on a double team, but Kacia and Mari both had kills afterward.  LAT gave the Aggies a 10-9 lead after a roofing call. 

 

The Aggies started to maintain a lead.  Nicole hit an off-speed kill, Mari had a kill, and Kacia dropped the hammer at 13-11 Aggies.  After a touch kill from Mari, Aleka Darko went “Boom!” on a kill, as called by PA Ed Carnathan.  LAT did make a couple of saves on the point.  15-13 Aggies took us to the Media timeout.

 

Out of the break, LAT took the next point.  I think setter Nellie Reese missed coverage on a dig.  Coach Jordan was up and yelling immediately.  17-14 Aggies, Yasso got a touch kill.  She’d missed a couple of shots long early.  Timeout LAT.  It was quiet enough briefly that I could hear the Coach, “You knew where she was going to hit it and you didn’t cover!”

 

The teams traded service errors.  LAT got an overpass kill.  They tied it at 18, when Yasso returned their serve into an antenna.  Timeout Aggies.  Back to play, LAT tooled a block to tie it at 19.  Coach Jordan almost stormed the court in anger.  Mari came back with a kill to put the Aggies back up, 21-19.  Timeout LAT.  It seemed like the Coach was talking to himself before he spoke to the team.  LAT scored the next point and Coach Jordan took a timeout.  It was a short talk.  He told Ashley Herman in the Reserves to get ready.  She started warming up.

 

Marketing Director Nicole Sacks came by and said, “Hi.”  She was operating a hand-held camera in the crowd.  LAT took a 22-21 lead.  Ash came in for Nicole.  A double touch called on LAT tied it.  Mari tooled a block to tie it at 23, but Nellie served into the net to put LAT on set point.  The Bulldogs converted immediately with an overpass kill to take the set, 25-23. 

 

Set 2: Bulldogs 1, Aggies 0

My stomach grumbled.  Should I start rooting for LAT to win this in three?  No.  Of course not.  (But if the Aggies go down two sets . . . )  LAT was called for a lift on the first play of the second set.  They’re hitting all of the spots the bingo card of fouls.  The Coach challenged the next point on a possible touch on a kill by Starr.  The call stood.  Mari came back with a kill on a touch.  Yasso got a kill to tie it at 4.  Rilen Garcia came in as the alternate setter.  I guess the Coach decided that the setting was the problem in the first set.

 

This move paid off quick with another kill by Yasso and Rilen serving up an ace in the corner.  Yasso made a block and at 8-4 Aggies, LAT took a timeout.  Out of the break, Yasso was double teamed on her next swing and blocked.  From there, the Aggies started pulling away.  Mari had an overpass kill at 10-5 Aggies.  Ash, Aleka, Mari, and Starr all had kills and it was 15-8 Aggies.

 

Morgan Stewart came in to serve.  During the point, the ball was hit high in the air and went into the overhead video unit.  The ball somehow got in the gap between the advertising cover and the unit and didn’t come down.  Now I’ve seen everything.  That was a one-in-a-million shot.  They had to replay the point.  (How are they going to get that ball down?)

 

With the teams changing ends, I was getting to watch LAT.  Their coach, Amber McCray, was really animated on the sidelines and was constantly talking to her team on court.  LAT put the ball into the antenna at 17-11 Aggies and called a timeout.  Kacia then rattled off the next three kills to make it 21-14 Aggies.  On the next point, an LAT free ball dropped in on the Aggie side untouched.  The Coach didn’t get as angry as I thought he would over that. 

 

Starr put in another kill.  After that, an LAT overpass dropped in untouched on the Aggie side.  Coach Jordan face-palmed.  Starr had a kill on the next point, but it was ruled out and untouched.  The whole team called for the Coach to make a challenge, which he did.  The reversal put the Aggies on set point.  Starr definitively finished it off with a kill, 25-18.       

 

Set 3: Aggies 1, Bulldogs 1

During the halftime break, they ran the promo for the 50-th anniversary of Aggie Volleyball, but at the end they introduced three alumni in the stands.  It was the young women seated below me.  They were Natalie Mikels, Jordan Pleasants, and Analyssa Acosta.  It’s good to see that they’re all still fans of the program.  (They had their backs to me.  Otherwise, I might have recognized them.  Maybe?)

 

Yasso scored the first two Aggie points and Ash added the third to make it 3-2 Aggies.  Still, the Coach was not happy.  He went over and yelled at the Reserves.  He really got in their faces and they weren’t even out on court playing.  Out on court, Mari put in two more kills.  Kaci then put in an ace.  The Reserves chanted, “Ole!”  However, Rilen missed a dig on the next point and the Coach lit into her.  When she cycled out, Rilen got another talk from the Coach while sitting next to him.

 

The Aggies kept the barrage going.  Ash and Mari had kills.  “Boom!” was the call on another kill by Starr.  Timeout LAT with the Aggies up, 9-4.  In the t-shirt toss in the break, Tess’ mom was holding her young child and waving her around somewhat dangerously calling for a shirt.  A little girl who did get one actually ran down to offer it to her, but she wouldn’t take it.

 

Starr got a touch kill to make it 10-5.  The refs hesitated on making that call.  The Coach was already reaching for his challenge card.  Starr put in another kill.  Yasso got the next kill and also made a great save on the point.  LAT called their final timeout at 13-6 Aggies.  Yasso then rattled off the next three Aggie points.  Morgan came in to serve for her.  Everyone likes her big serve, but she’d netted the last two. 

 

Let’s finish this.  Kacia had a solo block.  Mari had two more kills.  Yasso had a kill.  Kacia had another solo block.  Bella Garcia came in to serve and Starr finished the set with a tip, 25-13.  For set point, they were showing a video featuring a baby hippo.  The meaning of this escapes me.  Is it a popular meme I haven’t seen?

 

Set 4: Aggies 2, Bulldogs 1

The Aggie girls were on the other end of the court, but I could see them smiling and dancing.  The set started well with Nellie floating an ace into the corner.  3-1 Aggies, Starr made a kill that looked too easy.  Even early, the Aggies started running away with it.  6-2 Aggies, Yasso put in an overpass kill.  LAT won the point at 7-4, though a Bulldog player slid into the sideline table.  There were free balls on both sides and the ending kill hit a line judge at his feet.

 

Starr and Yasso had kills.  Rori Gray, the easy-to-spot tallest Bulldog, slapped down an overpass at 10-8 Aggies.  More Aggie kills were scored in by Ash and Mari.  Nicole and Mari combined on a block to make it 15-9 Aggies.  This took us to the Media timeout.  There was a mini football toss into the crowd.  One guy who got one threw his ball the length of the court to a lady in the north end.  Does he have any eligibility left?  Would he like to play quarterback for the Aggies?

 

By my count, the third Aggie service error of the set occurred when play resumed, but LAT returned the favor on the next point.  LAT took a timeout at 17-10 Aggies.  The Aggies stumbled a bit here.  They had their fourth service error.  Yasso was solo blocked.  Nicole had a kill, but the Yasso missed a shot high.  The Coach yelled at her.  She heard him and got a kill on the next point, 19-13.

 

Rilen aced to get the Aggies to 20-13.  Ashley put in another kill and LAT took their final timeout.  Coach Battle spoke to Yasso separately from the huddle.  Mia Fox and Maggie Lightheart (our sweetheart) came in.  22-14 Aggies, Mia took a powerful swing for her first kill.  23-15 Aggies, this was the longest point of the set and exhausting just to watch.  Whew!  It ended on a DT call on LAT.  Nicole was back in and had a kill to get the Aggies to match point.  Kaylee Peterson came in and got a dig on the next point.  An LAT net violation ended the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1, for the Aggies.

 

The Aggies had 67 kills, which is an awful lot for a match that didn’t go five sets.  Mari Sharp and Yasso Amin led with 18 kills.  Starr Williams had 12 kills.  Kacia Brown really worked the net with 5 blocks and the Aggies led 7 to 4 in blocking.  Aggie serving put in 4 aces today.  Giulia Bonifacio led the Bulldogs with 10 kills. 

 

Boy when the Aggies get on a roll, they are seemingly unstoppable.  Unfortunately, they seem to lose concentration at times and errors get the best of them.  The Coach saw this game like I did.  It was a trap.  He was riding them constantly from the beginning to try and keep them focused.       

      

Autographs

I was honestly nervous about meeting the girls this time.  Still, I’d worn my best Aggie polo shirt and at least looked presentable.  I stood in line right behind Tess’ mom and little sister.  (Whew!  Tess definitely inherited some good looks.)  There were a bunch of adults and guys in line, unlike the usual with me and a bunch of little girls.  I’ll post these interactions in no particular order.

 

I did see Morgan Stewart first.  I told her about Ron being her biggest fan (literally), but he couldn’t be here.  I praised Makayla Martinez for her hustle.  Tess’ mom talked to Bella Garcia.  Bella called her, “Coach.”  Piecing it together from the program, I guess she’s the coach at Centennial High School and coached her own daughter.  (Bella seemed a bit pensive with her old coach.) 

 

I really felt compelled to say something encouraging to Maggie Lightheart (sigh, so lovely, but kind of intimidating).  I told her to keep listening to the coaches and that she was built to succeed.  I pointed at Ashley Herman next to her and said, “She spent two years on the bench before she got to play regularly.”  I asked Ash about her annoying the coaches with her pre-set fist-bumping.  She laughed and said she might start doing that again.           

 

I told Aleka Darko she had the best smile on the team and I got to see it.  I think she complimented my thunderbird belt buckle (or it was somebody else).  It does look good, which is why I wore it for this.  Starr Williams showed a little more enthusiasm after her kills than usual but was still pretty restrained.  She was keeping her head down signing.  I got her attention and told her she had a great game.  That got a little smile from her.

 

I told our returning graduate student, Darian Markham, “You couldn’t stay away, could you?”  She laughed and knew what I meant.  I told Mia Fox she had a couple of good swings at the end.  She wanted more.  (She might be getting them in the near future.)  “Bianca Perez, you’re in cast now!” I said to her.  Yes, she’d just gotten surgery on a torn ACL.     

 

I finally got to Tess Fuqua.  She gave her little sister a kiss before getting to me.  I wanted to tell Tess she had the best hair on the team but thought the better of flirting with her in front of her mom.  I settled for asking her what she said to the huddle at the Lobo game.  She seemed a little embarrassed, “I told them to . . . umm . . . stop playing like . . . umm . . . sissies and play harder.”  I think she may have cleaned up her language a bit with her family there.    

 

I had to say it to Ryleigh Whitekettle, “On behalf of everyone, it’s killing us that you’re sitting on the bench!”  She had such a sweet smile for that comment.  I told her that I’d hurt my back earlier this year and that I understood her pain.  Yasso Amin was at the end of the line.  She thanked me (and probably everyone else) for coming out to the game.  In return, I thanked her for coming here to play.  Yasso shook my hand.  This is a young woman who was raised well with great manners.  (I forgot to tell her how cute she looked on the poster.)

 

Walking across the court, I ran into Assistant Coach Tatyana Battle.  I called her, “Coach Battle,” and congratulated her on her promotion.  Grad Assistant Lia Mosher came over and I told her she looked “Very coach-like” in the huddle talking to the girls.  I told them I liked the outfit coordination yesterday.  They liked it, too.  They’ll try to do it again.  (Again, where was Assistant Coach Whitis this weekend?)  

 

Can I eat finally?  Great!  I went down to Roadrunner Pizza for a sandwich, which they served me quickly.  Thank you.  It was great.  I found an Aggie Sports Annual Report in my mail when I got home, which was a nice surprise.  (I’ll make a ***post*** of it after I’ve read it.)

 

Also surprising, the big College Football news of the day happened.  Vanderbilt beat #1 Alabama today, 40-35.  The highlight of the game was Diego Pavia throwing a 40-yard touchdown on a 4-th and 1.  Way to go, Diego!  (Damn it!  NMSU might be a ranked team if they’d been able to hold the coach and team together for this season.) 

 

Arkansas beat #4 Tennessee later, 19-14.  Dad stayed up past his bedtime to see the end and called me.  He was so happy.  He’s from Missouri, though.  He didn’t seem to care that #9 Missouri and got badly beat by Texas A&M #25.  It was a day of upsets in college football.  While watching, I also got to listen to the Padres versus the Dodgers on the radio.  I didn’t get the result I wanted, but it was a good game.  It didn’t spoil my otherwise pleasant day of sports.