NM State Aggies vs MTSU Blue Raiders Volleyball 10-25-25

We’ll pretty much get right to it without much preamble. It was a lighter crowd today at 459. I was sitting with the Reese family plus their future daughter-in-law, Sadie. (If Cooper doesn’t marry this girl that looks like Megan Fox, but seems a lot less crazy, the boy will need a talking to.) Like yesterday, Trey Reese was a bit uptight. He was pretty critical during this match. I felt like I should asked if there were some personal issues, but I didn’t want to pry.

The Aggies were again in their dark pink uniforms. On the bench, injured senior Ashley Herman was wearing a Bianca Perez t-shirt. (Let’s hear it for NIL.) The trainer and Coach Chelsea were looking casually elegant. Instead of the spiked heels yesterday, Chelsea was wearing more practical sneakers with 2-inch high soles today.

Set 1

Aggie Volleyball was again playing Middle Tennessee State. Zoe Ziegler started the Aggies off with a kill, but the Blue Raiders came back with a 6-point run, mostly because of a lot of Aggie errors. MT libero MacKenna Poole has funky serving delivery, but it was working well. The Aggies and the crowd started with some low energy. The Cheerleaders and Pistol Pete were working hard to get everyone going. Pete was also dancing for the camera girl. On the other side of the court, the MT reserves were boundless in their enthusiasm.

Jaelynn Kohli came back with a crosscourt kill. Her next swing was out, but Coach Jordan challenged that there was a touch. The call stood. Jae would get a kill on the next point, anyway. Maggie Lightheart stepped up with a block and then a clever tip at 5-8 MT.

Nellie Resse started at setter. The Coach didn’t keep her in the doghouse from yesterday. Claudia Rossi rotated in for her and made a diving crosscourt save at 5-10 MT, though the Blue Raiders would take the point. Kate Sinclair and Maggie would make kills, but at 9-13 MT, the Blue Raiders got an unblocked kill. Coach Jordan was rubbing his face and bald head on the bench, a sure sign of frustration.

The Aggies starting working a comeback. 12-14 MT, Makayla Martinez served up an ace. I noticed Bella Castro rotated in for Tess Fuqua. That’s a DS in for an outside hitter. The Coach might be trying to preserve Tess’ knees on defense. Jae made a major stuff at the net to tie it at 14. MT fired out and gave the Aggies at 15-14 lead going into the Media timeout.

Out of the break, Maggie got another kill. Makayla had a 6-point run serving, before MT finally sided out. The Aggies got a 2-point lead with a slap kill by Mia. MT came back. They tied it at 17 on an ace where Makayla and Bella nearly knocked heads trying to dig it. At 17-18 MT, the Aggies took a timeout. After the huddle, the girls talked to each other on court before play.

The Aggies retook the lead, 19-18, as Kate tooled a block. Tess did the same to take the Aggies to the Turn. At 21-19 Aggies, the Blue Raiders took a timeout and scored the next couple of points. Maggie saved a setter dump, but the Aggies fired out on the point. Jae made a no-look kill to bring the Aggies to set point. She’d close it out with a kill, her fifth, 25-22.

Set 2: Aggies 1, Blue Raiders 0

Tess’ mom and her little sister were on the video screen a couple of times. They’re photogenic, like Tess. The crowd was small enough that everyone got a close up, including myself. (How embarrassing.) A beautiful blonde girl with nerdy glasses came down to our section. Pistol Pete knew her and gave her a big, smiling hug. The girl sat down in front of us and a constant distraction for me.

Tess got an early kill. Nellie made a rolling dig on the next point, but the Aggies didn’t win it. She next missed a set to Zoe. The Aggies went down 1-5 and the Coach called a timeout. The team couldn’t have been distracted by the blonde girl. They were at the other end of the court now. Coach Hertel and Chelsea did all of the talking to the team, while Coach Jordan was checking his iPad. The team was animated in the discussion.

Tess got a kill out of the break. An MT player went sliding on her stomach off court trying to dig it. MT added to their lead, 2-7, as they blocked Maggie and then dunked on her. Jae tooled a block after, then MT was called for being out-of-rotation for the second day in a row. How does this happen at this level?

Maggie painted the corner to make it, 5-9 MT. Tess was blocked on the next point, but came right back with a kill. 8-10 MT was a long rally. MT sent over two free balls on the point and Kate finished it with a kill. 8-12 MT, Maggie made a diving dig. The ball popped over the net. A Blue Raider missed a dunk attempt on it and Maggie got a kill for it. Jae tooled a block and Zoe made a block to get it to 10-12 MT, and the Blue Raiders called a timeout.

Poole served up an ace for 3-point MT lead. The Aggies came back with a kill by Tess, Maggie getting a touch kill, and Jae hammering one, but the lead still stayed at 3 with an MT setter dump. 14-16 MT, after two crosscourt passes to set her, Maggie came up with a kill. Mia Fox powered a shot through the MT blockers. After an insane rally, Tess finished it with a kill. Still, the Aggies were 2-points behind. MT ran it up to 4 points with a dunk at 16-20. Timeout Aggies.

Tess was blocked out of the break to make it a 5-point lead. Kate had a kill and Nellie had an ace, but Tess was blocked again, 18-23 MT. Jae had a kill and MT hit the antenna on the next point, and MT took a timeout. Jae had a block and it was a 1-point lead, but the Blue Raiders finished it out with a couple of points, 22-25. That was hard fought. Trey was again getting uncharacteristically angry at the team for not playing up to their potential.

Set 3: Aggies 1, Blue Raiders 1

The Coach wasn’t happy either. After some consultation, he put Rilen Garcia in as the starting setter. At least this set started off close. Maggie got a couple of kills and Kate added a kill. 3-4 MT, Gabrielle Clinkscale hit a kill that rebounded high into the stands. This got an “Oooh!” out of the crowd. It might have hit an Aggie on the head, though you’d think that person would have had to have come out.

Tess had a kill at 4-6 MT. Nellie was the alternate setter, who rotated in. Unfortunately, she hit the floor hard diving for a ball a couple of points later. The Coach immediately pulled her for Claudia. Zoe then came up big with a block, another block with Jae, and a kill that tied it at 8. MT immediately took the lead back. Tess made a pancake save on one point, but MT won it and aced on the next point, 8-10.

Maggie brought it back by tooling a block and getting a kill to tie it at 11. Rilen made back-to-back great sets and Mia and Tess got the Aggies to a 14-13 lead with kills. However, MT was back in the lead, 14-15, at the Media timeout. I needed a breather and I was just watching. The Aggies tied it after a long rally with several hard swings. Kate was the finisher. Claudia served up an ace for the lead, but served out on the next point. Zoe got the lead back with a kill.

The Aggies poured it on with kills by Jae and Maggie and a block from Kate. 21-18 Aggies, MT took a timeout. Maggie got another kill out of the break. Rilen was on serve during this run. The Reserves and the Cheerleaders were doing a golf swing on her serve. Trey didn’t know the significance of it. Maybe Rilen is a golfer. Maggie got another kill and was all smiles. The crowd was into it. Mia got it to set point with a kill. MT challenged it, but was denied. Jacqueline Corcoran came in to serve and put in an ace to finish it, 25-20 Aggies.

Set 4: Aggies 2, Blue Raiders 1

Trey and I were somehow having a discussion about Jean Shepherd and A Christmas Story to start this set. On court, the score was again tight with lots of errors. Mia made a kill early. The next Aggie kill was by Maggie at 7-6 Aggies. Jae fired one out at 7-8 MT and the Coach surprisingly called a timeout. He wanted to nip any run in the bud.

Mia tied it at 8 with a kill. Kate gave the Aggies the lead with a block. Maggie next hammered one in anger and hit another hard one at 11-9 Aggies. She wanted this one over. MT was called for a lift and Kate had a block to make it, 13-9 Aggies. MT took a long rally at 14-11 Aggies. Rilen saved a block on the point and Makayla made a dive save, as well.

MT closed in to 14-12 Aggies and the Aggies took a timeout. MT took the next point, though there was confusion on the call by the refs. The Coach went ahead and challenged, but it was confirmed. The Aggies turned it up after this. Mia tooled a block and, after another long rally with hard hits, Jae came away with a kill. Nellie had come back in to serve and had a 3-point run. MT took a timeout at 18-14 Aggies.

Jae had a kill and Maggie added a tip kill to get the Aggies to the Turn. 21-17 Aggies was an insane rally. MT made a save way off the court to keep it going, but lost the point. MT challenged, but it was again upheld. Unlike yesterday, the refs had a good day today. Mia and Jae combined for a double stuff and Mia slammed the door with a kill to get the Aggies to set point. Maggie finished it with a kill. Aggies take the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.

If yesterday’s match was tense, today’s was exhausting. The Aggies were playing from behind for nearly the whole match. The Aggies were only hitting .189, but that beat out the Blue Raiders’ .104. Kills were 56 to 44 for the Aggies. Serving was an Aggie asset yesterday, but not today. MT was up 6 to 5 in aces and the Aggies had 9 service errors to the Blue Raiders’ 5. The difference was in blocking with the Aggies up 11 to 6.

Blue Raider Gabrielle Clinkscale led all scorers with 20 kills. Maggie Lightheart was next with 19 kills and 11 digs. Jaelynn Kohli had a great game with 12 kills and 6 blocks. Tess Fuqua wasn’t on today, but had 8 kills. Mia Fox also had 8 kills and hit .467. The three setters, Nellie Reese, Claudia Rossi, and Rilen Garcia were all about equal in assists. Somehow using three setters today worked.

While at McAlister’s yesterday, I noticed a new restaurant, Roni’s, had opened next door. I was kind of shocked, since they’d barely put up a “Coming Soon” sign last month. A macaroni and cheese restaurant seems like a hard sell given that I fix that myself regularly, but it was really good. They can put a bunch of stuff on it. I had it with bacon and broccoli with a garlic parmesan drizzle. The garlic cheesy bread side was awesome. This was a bit pricey, but I need to try at least one more combination there.

In other college sports news, Aggie Soccer played their final game of the season against UTEP tonight. They had a longshot chance to get into the conference tournament with a win, but only managed a scoreless draw. The UTEP recap credited Aggie goalie Valerie Guha with keeping the Miners off the board. The Miners were also eliminated from contention.

In more momentous news, I saw on the UTEP site that their Volleyball team had beaten Western Kentucky. This snapped their 100-game winning streak in the conference regular season! And it was a sweep! Don’t start building the trophy case yet. WKU swept right back in the next match. These two are likely headed to a rematch in the conference tournament and will likely both get into the NCAA tournament.

Baseball Journal August 2025 Part 8

8-28-25

The Chihuahuas were playing the Rainiers in their big series tonight.    However at work, there was a leftover feast of Raising Canes from a meeting.    I got a full meal that I was busy preparing when the game started.    I missed the top of the first where Rainiers scored a run off a runner that got on via an error.    In the second, which I also mostly missed, the Chihuahuas scored 4.

When I was finally settled and ready to listen, it started raining in El Paso.    They stopped play and the tarp came out.    I kept an eye on the Gameday coverage and maybe an hour later, play resumed.    It must have been a pretty good shower there in El Paso.    I was surprised it didn’t rain at all here in Las Cruces.

The Chihuahuas resumed scoring the third, as Mason McCoy singled in a run to make it, 5-1.    It still sounded like there was a great crowd there.    Were fireworks scheduled?    They’d have to wait awhile for them.

Tim Hagerty and Carson Harper were calling the game.    Tim seems to really appreciate having someone to talk to in the booth and loosens up considerably.    He mentioned that the storm had knocked out 600AM over the air and that the game was Internet only.    Tim said, “So if you ever wanted to let out some expletives . . .”    Carson mentioned they were broadcasting from a couch.    I’m wondering how that arrangement worked.    Were they in the lounge instead of the pressbox?   

Jackson Wolf worked five innings for the pups and only gave up 1 run.    The Rainiers scored one in the sixth and one in the seventh.    Tyler Wade made a jump catch at third on a liner that might have scored two and ended the inning.    5-3 Chihuahuas.    In the eighth, Rainiers loaded the bases with two outs.    The Chihuahuas made a pitching change and got out of it.

In the bottom of the eighth, Carson mentioned that there are springs in catcher’s masks now.    I assume it’s the hockey-style masks.    There was also a 30-second drone delay in the game.    More importantly, the pups stranded a couple of runners in the inning.    

Ron Marinaccio came in for the save.    I suddenly lost the Internet radio call.    It was something on their end.    Maybe that was for the best.    The Rainiers scored 2 to tie it.       I got the radio call back.    In the bottom, Yonathan Perlaza singled and tried to advance on a flyball and was thrown out.    Into the tenth, the Rainiers scored 4 in the tenth and won, 9-5.    Chihuahuas are not doing well in extra-inning games.   

     

8-29-25

These losses have taken a toll.    The Chihuahuas were now in third.    In a reversal of yesterday, it was raining here in Las Cruces, but not down the road in El Paso, so there was no problem playing the game.       

The Rainiers came out and loaded the bases in the first, but only got a run in, 1-0.    In the second, Tim Locastro stung a three-run homer to give the pups back the lead, 3-1. I was talking to my dad while it was happening, so I had to read it on Gameday.    In the fourth, there was a play at the plate on the Rainiers.    Locastro threw out the runner with a great tag by Luis Campusano as catcher.    Upon replay, broadcaster Tim Hagerty was skeptical they actually got him.

“Ball don’t lie.”    In the fifth, the Rainiers got that run back and more with a double bringing in two runs to tie it and then take the lead, 4-3.    It wasn’t raining there, but the wind was blowing hard from storms in the area.    Fly balls were an adventure.

In the bottom of the fifth, the pups had a leadoff triple, but left the runner stranded.    That was unfortunate.    The Rainiers added 3 more in the sixth and 3 more in the ninth.    It was 11-3 in the bottom of the ninth.    11 batters and 6 runs later, it was 11-9.    The Chihuahuas finished the game with the tying runs on base.    Tim, the crowd, and myself were getting excited, but it was not to be.

8-30-25

It’s the first full day of College Football and the start of the Labor Day weekend.    I have no intention of blogging the season other than Aggie Football and mentioning the odd game here and there.    As evidenced by the last few entries, I’m just about out of gas to do the rest of the baseball season.

I thought I was going to watch a couple of the morning games with dad, but he went out and did something with his neighbor, Lamae, and he said he didn’t want to go get lunch.    When I called back later about coming over, he was still out and was at Whataburger.    I decided to drive over to the Downtown Mall, where I picked up some interesting comics at Coas and Zia Comics ***(to be discussed sometime later).***    For my lunch, I stopped at Long John Silvers, which I hadn’t been to for a while.    It was as deliciously decadent as ever.     

On the Aggie Coaches Show, Football Coach Tony Sanchez made the telling comment about transfers, “It’s hard to keep your players when other schools can buy them.”    Not to mention, as Aggie Soccer and Volleyball seemed to have found out, it’s hard to pay transfers to come to NMSU without any money.    The Coach further noted that many departing players were going to be backups on their new teams.    I’d think if your goal was to get to the NFL, you’d rather start at a small school than stand on the sidelines at a big school.    If you’re any good, the scouts will find you, but only if you’re actually playing.   

The Aggies’ first opponent was the FCS program, Bryant.    The ESPN ticker had the Aggies as 19-point favorites.    For the radio broadcast, Jeff Matthews replaced the irreplaceable Jack Nixon.    Jeff is a long-time area sports broadcaster, so it’s still a familiar voice on the play-by-play.    (Though I’m wondering if he’s near retirement by this point.)    Him and color commentator, Corey Lucas, did misidentify Wave the Wonder Dog on the field.    They named the two previous tee-retrieving dogs fumbling around for a name.    They must not have seen Wave’s merch.  The dog needs to fire his agent and hire me.           

The Aggies did have a transfer in for quarterback with no competition, Logan Fife.    He tossed a 55-yard bomb in the first quarter that led to the Aggies’ first touchdown, though the PAT was blocked.    It was only the 9-3 Aggies at the half.    I missed much of the second half.    The Aggies won, 19-3.    Their defense was stout tonight.    The offense did not play up to the odds makers’ expectations.    Last years’ opener was more of a struggle against an FCS team. Next week will be more of a test.

Earlier in the day, I saw former Aggie running back, Star Thomas playing for Tennessee and doing well.    Good for him.    Alabama was upset by Florida State in one of the evening games.    Another game had the other New Mexico team playing on the road.    UNM was taking on Michigan in Ann Arbor on NBC, no less.    I had to watch some of this and I saw the best part.    Inside the MI 20 and at 4-th and 1, the Lobos went for it . . . with a trick play that resulted in an easy touchdown.    I was elated and then they forced a fumble on the kickoff for good measure.   

The cameras panned around the shocked faces of the Wolverine fans, which was worth whatever happened next.    17-10 MI was as close as it got.    The Wolverines scored a quick touchdown before the half, and after that, doubled up the Lobos, 38-17.    UNM still probably covered.        

The NASCAR Xfinity Series was at the road course in Portland.    Connor Zilisch led almost the whole race.    He had some difficulty at the end with some damage to his car, but still managed to regain the lead and win.    The Kid is seriously impressing.   

I joined the Chihuahuas and the Rainiers in progress.    (I was trying to keep track of too many events.)    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty’s 9-year old son, Carson, joined him on the game call.    Well actually, Carson took over the broadcast and there wasn’t any game call for an inning.    This kid is a natural on the radio.    From talking about himself, it’s clear he wants to be a pro football player and then go into the booth.    I can see it happening.   

Unfortunately, the Chihuahuas were once again done in and buried.    It was 10-3 in the ninth when they brought in DH Cody Roberts to pitch.    He came out shooting peas at 90+mph.    “I did not see this coming,” Tim was absolutely shocked as Roberts blew away the first batter he faced.    Succeeding batters took him more seriously, but Roberts worked a scoreless inning.    Like yesterday, the Chihuahuas did make it interesting in the bottom of the ninth.    They scored 1, loaded the bases, and got 2 walked-in runs.    10-6 Rainiers was the final.

On Mexican TV, the Chihuahua Dorados were playing the Juarez Indios.    (They’re probably not changing their name to the “Guardians” any time soon.)    This was the championship series for whatever level of Mexican League Baseball this was and they were tied at 2 apiece.    There was a huge crowd at the stadium in Juarez filling the grandstand and the outfield bleachers.    The roar from the fans was continuous, along with a blare of horns.    Much of the crowd was wearing Indios shirts.    Their Super Chicken-like mascot was wearing a Superman shirt.

It was a close, tight game early on that went back-and-forth.    It was 4-4 in the eighth, when this big fat guy came up for Chihuahua.    He must have been the DH; there was no position on the field he could have played.    He crushed one to right.    It cleared the fence, the track behind the fence, and went into the bleachers.    It must have been well over 400’.    That gave the Dorados a 2-run lead and they’d add on to win, 9-4.    There was no celebration afterward, so I guess its best-of-seven.    This game also finished after midnight.

At some point, I tried to listen to the Rangers and the A’s, but I didn’t get anything out of it except that the Rangers won.    The last football game of the night was Idaho versus Washington State.    WA St escaped embarrassment and won, 13-10.    I only mention this game because it was 7-0 until late in the third quarter in a display of offensive futility.   

8-31-25

Sunday, I woke up on time (unlike yesterday).    I had decent motivation.    ABC was showing Nebraska playing Kentucky at a Volleyball tournament.    I got see more of my favorite non-Aggie volleyball player, Harper Murray.  I would not leave any of my favorite Aggie Volleyball girls for Harper . . .    but I’d certainly cheat on them with her.    Come on! I hope Harper is majoring in Theater, because I’d pay money see her as Lara Croft in a movie.    Start working on that English accent, sweetheart.

The match itself, I was not taking notes on.    The women announcers annoyed me and after yesterday, I may have been burned out on sports in general.    Nebraska went down two sets to start, but came back for a sweep the hard way by winning the next three.    Kentucky has a long losing streak to Nebraska, so it was a bit heartbreaking to watch.   

Yeah, I was burned out.    The Chihuahuas and Rainiers game came on.    By the fifth inning, the pups were down 2-1.    I gave up and went for lunch at Freddy’s.    I was sure it was going to rain in the morning, but it never did and had cleared off by the time I left.    The Grilled Cheese Hamburger with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Concrete was delicious.    I returned in time to hear Tim Hagerty signing off with the final score, 2-1 Rainiers.    I’d heard all of the scoring in the game.    That would have been a crushing defeat to have listened to all the way through.   

No problem.    I got more baseball on tap.    I flipped over to hear the Rangers at the A’s . . . and the local affiliate wasn’t carrying the game.    I guess that serves me right.    (The Rangers won.)    The Chihuahuas’ station did later pick up the ESPN game between the Braves and the Phillies.    I had it on, but didn’t really listen.    The Braves won, 3-1.   

There was also a Notre Dame/Miami Football game on with both teams ranked.    Miami pulled off the upset, but I wasn’t really watching it, either.    There was a Hot in Cleveland Marathon on the Catchy Comedy channel and I couldn’t hardly tune away from it.    That show was absolutely hysterical.    A few moments being doubled over laughing was my definite highlight of the weekend. 

NM State Aggies vs Liberty Lady Flames Volleyball 10-26-24

Once again (9-21-24), my dad and his friend, Lamae, joined me for Aggie Volleyball.  I had mentioned to dad that beforehand there were a couple of college football games on at the same time.  The early game turned out to be a blowout and dad figured the next would be as well (which was correct).  He wanted to go to volleyball with his friend more anyway.  Lamae was pretty excited to go again.    

 

It was a bit of a light crowd for this early Saturday afternoon (463).  There was at least one girls team sitting on the sidelines.  Also sitting on the sidelines was unfortunately yesterday’s Aggie high scorer, Yasso Amin.  I didn’t see her legs wrapped up, but she was moving gingerly when she was walking.  At first, Yasso was laid out at the end of the bench and seemed kind of lonely.  Nicole Briggs, who also didn’t play today, but was suited up to play, went over and had a serious-looking talk with her.  Maybe, she was giving her some encouragement.  During the match, Yasso was called over to sit by the coaches.  In the final set, she was standing with the reserves. 

 

There were a couple of other interesting people on the sidelines.  The pretty photographer girl from Baseball last season was at the press table.  I hadn’t seen her here before.  On the bench with the Aggies was a little teen girl.  I have no idea who she was.  Coach Jordan chatted with her amicably before the game.  He’s pretty good with kids (as long as they’re not playing for him).  On court, Makayla Martinez started in place of Yasso.  Today, like yesterday, we did have a lovely live version of the Anthem.  Two guys sitting by the court were back as well from yesterday.  They were wielding large inflatable mallets for some reason.  (And I'm a bit jealous they're hanging out with the team.)     

 

Set 1

The Aggies got off to a quick start against the Liberty Lady Flames.  Starr Williams got the first Aggie kill at 3-0 Aggies.  Starr got the next kill a couple of points later.  5-2 Aggies, Kacia Brown had a big overpass slap.  Mari Sharp got the next kill at 7-3.  Maggie Lightheart (our sweetheart) rotated in.  8-3 Aggies, Ashley Herman got her first kill.

 

Liberty then went on a run.  They got to within 8-7 after a carry call (I think).  10-7 Aggies, Kacia rotated in to serve and hit the tape and the ball fell over for an ace.  Then Maggie got her first kill by painting the sideline.  Kacia served up another ace.  The reserves yelled, “Ole!”  Maggie got another kill.  Mari took off from the backcourt and dropped in a kill from orbit.  15-7 Aggies, Maggie had a tip kill going into the Media timeout.  The reserves were going crazy. 

 

Aleka Darko came in after the break.  Ashley added another kill, before Liberty got a kill on their side.  That was an eight-point run for the Aggies.  16-9 Aggies, Kamryn Bacus made a nice solo block on Ash for Liberty.  Lady Flamer Kate Gammer put in an ace on the next point.  Maggie broke their run quick with a kill on a touch.  Starr tooled a block for a kill, then Nellie Reese aced on serve.

 

19-10 Aggies, Liberty took a timeout.  Dad and Lamae were both standing and waving for the t-shirt toss in the break.  Mari had a kill after the break.  Darian Markham had a net serve right after.  I could see the Liberty reserves pounding the floor before that serve.  They’re a spirited bunch.  Mari had a kill and then won a joust at the net on the next point.  The Aggies took the set, 25-13, as Mari and Kacia combined on a block.  

 

Set 2: Aggies 1, Lady Flames 0

Aleka started the Aggie scoring with a kill, 1-1.  2 all was a point with a long rally.  Starr made a save over the press table and finished the point with a kill.  Kacia and Mari each had solo blocks at 3-2 Aggies.  Kills by Mari, Kacia, and Ashley gave the team a 6-2 lead forced an early timeout by Liberty.

 

The Aggies continued to pile on.  9-4 Aggies, Maggie had what I’d call an “intimidation block,” as the attacker fired into the net as Maggie jumped up in front of her.  Nellie dished out another ace.  13-5 Aggies, Maggie painted the backline.  This was followed up with her and Aleka making a block.  15-6 Aggies, possibly the best moment of the match, Makayla aced and PA Ed called her “Mighty Mouse!”  I don’t know if that’s her team nickname or if Ed just coined it.  The normally stoic Makayla did have a small reaction to it.

 

15-8 Aggies, Mari was blocked on this point.  Darian had an off-court save before the block.  Kacia put in a kill and Rilen aced to draw another Liberty timeout at 18-10.  Out of the break, Ashley had two more kills.  Unfortunately after, Kacia and Mari accidentally deferred to one another on a dig and let it drop between them.  The Coach chugged an entire bottle of Maalox on the sidelines.     

 

No problem.  Maggie came back with a kill.  22-14 Aggies, both teams traded service errors.  23-16 Aggies, Aleka and Starr made a huge, crowd-pleasing block.  The fans went wild.  Kills by Starr and Kacia finished off the set, 25-19 Aggies.

 

Set 3: Aggies 2, Lady Flames 0

Shiyazh Pete, our Aggie Football offensive line star, had said yesterday that he planned on coming to today’s game.  He showed up at the end of the second set.  (At nearly 7ft tall, he’s not hard to spot.)  Shiyazh had been disappointed yesterday that he didn’t get the souvenir NM State flag giveaway.  Mine had been sitting a drawer since I’d gotten one.  I brought it along today and gave it to him.  (I hope that’s not an NCAA violation given that it was a giveaway item.)

 

It was halftime when I went over to him.  I asked if he’d entered the “Grand in the Stands” sweepstakes for students.  He had and was eagerly looking forward to it.  So were the Aggie girls.  They were anxiously looking on from courtside as the name was drawn.  Alas, another student in the stands won.  The girls and Shiyazh were all visibly disappointed.  I told Shiyazh I’d bring my dad and Lamae over to meet him after the game, before I returned to my seat.

 

Back to play, 2-0 Aggies, might have been the longest rally of the match.  The Aggies took it after some ferocious battling at the net.  Mari followed that with a kill.  Rilen and Ashley rotated in.  I noticed in this game, Rilen always holds Ash’s hand and leads her out to the court.  It’s so cute.  It’s like little kids running to the playground.  For that matter, there were two little ball girls at midcourt wearing what looked like match plaid pajama bottoms.  Every so often, they’d do these synchronized dance moves to the music.  You had to smile.

 

Kacia teamed up with Ash and then Mari on blocks.  Kacia then had a kill off a great set by Rilen.  7-2 Aggies, Kacia had an overpass kill.  The girl was on fire!  9-2, a Liberty player had a nice free ball save over the table across the court to put the ball back in play.  However, the play was blown dead without continuing.  It had looked good.  Based on the call (and a similar call right after), the ball either hit the antenna going over or went to the outside of the antenna. 

 

10-3 Aggies, Maggie had a touch kill.  She was doing awesome in relief.  11-4, Ash with a kill.  It was like the Aggies were taking target practice.  Maggie and Aleka had a block, but after, Liberty rattled off four-straight points off of bad plays by the Aggies.  Coach Jordan took his first timeout of the game.  You could see that coming.  He’d been standing the sideline with his arms crossed and his back to the court.

 

Out of the break, the Aggies had two awkward digs on the point, but Starr won it with an offspeed kill.  Mari and Kacia added kills, Kacia and Starr had a block, Ash tooled a block, and Maggie had a kill to make it 18-11 Aggies.  Timeout Liberty.  That was no help for them.  Kacia went “Boom!” with a kill.  Liberty players made two off-court saves on the point.  The Aggies were the first to 20 with a huge kill by Kacia.  Again, Liberty players made a diving off-court save and some good digs on the point.  They weren’t losing because they weren’t hustling. 

 

Liberty took the point at 21-16, as Nellie and Maggie missed a connection on a set.  Aleka had an overpass kill.  On the next point, a player dropped something on court.  Aleka picked it up and tucked it away, so I’m assuming it wasn’t gum.  (I’ve seen that happen.)  Aleka scored on the next point.  Mia Fox came in and she would finish it off with an overpass kill.  The Aggies would take the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-0.

 

And Lamae and my dad took off like a shot.  I think told them I was going to introduce them to Shiyazh.  I guess their story will now someday be: I almost met Shiyazh Pete, NFL Hall of Famer.  (No jinx.  No jinx.)  I went over and wished him luck on his game on Tuesday.  Another fan came over and did the same.  Once again, both teams met in a prayer circle on court.  Afterward, I told Shiyazh he should go down to the court and see how Yasso was doing.  He agreed and went down to her.  I took off immediately, since I had potentially lost my ride.  Luckily, they didn’t leave without me.  Lamae had stopped to buy a Volleyball shirt.      

This was a pretty quick match as there were no challenges and only one Aggie timeout.  The hitting percentage was down for both teams from yesterday, but the Aggies still had a decided advantage at .299 to .032.  They led 42 to 23 in kills, 5 to 2 in aces, and 10 to 5 in blocks.  The magic number was 8 today.  Lady Flamers Kamryn Bacus and Kate Gammer, and Aggies Mari Sharp, Kacia Brown, Ashley Herman, and Maggie Lightheart all had 8 kills each.  Kacia also had 5 blocks.  The Aggies had 5 aces to 9 service errors.  Is that an acceptable ratio?  Ask the Coach.  The Aggies really took care of business on this home stand without dropping a set in four matches.

 

 

I must do some additional gushing over my sweetheart, Maggie.  In the last two matches (10-18-24 and 10-19-24), in very limited play time, she looked really good.  Today, Maggie hit .462 and looked like she could have started.  In fact, that was why I was encouraging her during autographs (10-6-24).  There’s probably a lot of other teams she could be starting for next season and I’m afraid she’ll leave me . . . err . . . us.  It’s not good that Yasso was injured and I hope she’s back quick, but some good came out of it.

 

I was so happy this match only lasted three sets; I was starving.  At Lamae’s suggestion, we went to Bubba’s for pizza.  I had forgotten that I’d gotten her and dad pizza there recently.  We ordered a Meaty Meat, which embarrassed me to no end to say, but it was very good.  After we came in, Assistant Coach Battle and Grad Assistant Lia Mosher came and sat at a nearby table.  I went over and congratulated them on the win, but didn’t bother them with any questions.  After I told Lamae who they were, she went over after the meal and told them how much she enjoyed the match.

 

Bonus Coverage: Via the local news, UTEP and WKU played this weekend as well, battling for first place in conference.  WKU remains unbeaten in conference, but it was a near thing on Saturday.  That match went the full five.  These two may be on a collision course for a conference tournament final rematch.  Can the Aggies pull it together to crash the party?

NM State Aggies vs WNM Mustangs Women’s Basketball 12-12-23

Sylena Peterson flexes.

I almost didn’t go today.  I was depressed for no specific reason.  An overcast sky seemed to make everything dreary.  If my ennui had peaked earlier, I’d might have called work and canceled the day off.  I was finally caught up at work from taking four days off last month.  Probably the only reason I went was a promoted cool giveaway poster for the upcoming Aggie bowl game.  I’ll put up a picture of it in another post.  I’m embarrassed to admit this, but it was worth going just to get it. 

 

Since this was a double header with the Aggie Men and Women, I sort of decided I’d hit the grill after the Women’s game, so I’d be going for dinner, too.  (The grill is only open for Men’s games.)  Both games were with NAIA directional New Mexico colleges.  These would not be marquee matchups.  I did see my broker today (maybe that’s why I was depressed).  He said that NM State was legislatively obligated to play these schools every year.  He said he also had season tickets, but hadn’t used them yet.    

 

I ran into Marketing Director Nicole Sack up front.  I immediately asked the question I wanted to ask somebody in charge last game.  Since the Saturday Women’s game had been moved up to accommodate the bowl game, would they be doing a watch party at the Pan-Am Center on the video boards after the basketball game?  She darn near laughed at me.  I didn’t bother with the fund-raising ideas I had for the watch party.  So much for that.

 

I did pick up a poster, which were all gone after the Women’s game.  The merch kiosk had bowl game t-shirts on sale.  I really don’t need any more t-shirts, but . . . I’ll think about it again on Saturday.  If Aggie Football loses, those t-shirts might not be there two weeks from now for the next basketball game.  If they win, there’ll be a winning t-shirt there.  It’s a gamble either way.

 

The game was scheduled for 5:00pm.  When the Anthem started, I think there were like 25 people in the stands.  The attendance was later listed at 432.  Most of those fans arrived later.  The Western New Mexico Mustangs coach ran his team off the court before the Anthem.  The team and assistants looked like they were running for free ice cream.  The Cheerleaders looked a bit freaked out performing in front of nearly empty stands.  I could hear myself clapping at times, which never happens normally.  WNM looked like a fairly tall, spirited group of girls.  Our Coach Adams was wearing an Aggie Artic camo hoodie for tonight’s fashion report. 

 

First Quarter

The Aggies started the game off with a travel call.  On defense, Coach Adams was all over the team right at the start.  The other coach was just as animated.  8’ left in the quarter, Sianny Sanchez-Oliver fought over the ball twice with a much larger, Diamond Moore.  Good to see some fight in the Aggies.  The team committed another travel right after, but Sylena Peterson stole the ball back and hit a jumper, 6-3 Aggies.

 

In the crowd, a guy came in wearing a sharp crimson bowler.  They should sell those at the kiosk.  A lady came in with him wearing a rhinestone-studded Aggie jacket that looked like something Coach Adams had probably worn.  The Aggies were using their whole bench that was available.  Imani Warren, who I hadn’t seen before, came in.  5’ Sy made another jumper to make it 8-4.  The Mustangs took a timeout. 

 

4’ Sabou Gueye made a steal.  Lucia Yenes then found Ene Adams inside for a bucket, 10-6 Aggies.  Ene scored again with an offensive rebound and a layup.  2’ left, Sha’Kaia Parker was another new face that came in.  The Aggies started trapping and got a turnover.  The Band, who was at half-strength because most of the students were on break, started chanting, “Double digits!” at the Mustangs. 

 

1’ Sabou lost the handle on a pass, but managed to get back ahold of it and Euro-step her way to the basket for a layup.  Ene made another layup and drew a foul.  She missed the free throw, but Sabou got the rebound and the bucket.  With under a minute left, Ene made an “Ole” move for two under the basket.  Jade Goynes for WNM hit a last second jumper to make it 21-12 after 10 minutes. 

 

Second Quarter

The Aggies began with another travel.  (I’ll stop harping on it when they stop doing it.)  Sabou began the Aggie scoring with a steal and a layup, 23-12 Aggies.  Sabou got another steal and passed to Molly Kaiser for a jumper.  27-12 Aggies and timeout WNM.

 

Sylena had a turnover.  WNM missed their layup and Nxerro Maluw (no, I’m not sure how to pronounce that) went hard into the goal.  She came up okay.  5’ Aggie trapping forced a WNM travel and a turnover.  Ene and Nxerro nearly exchanged blows in the lane.  Thankfully, that didn’t happen.  However, Sabou committed her third foul and came out.        

     

4’ left in the quarter, Ene and Nxerro tangled again.  Ene came away with free throws, but missed both.  Jaila Harding got the rebound and a layup, 35-14.  3’ Molly followed that by going coast-to-coast, 37-14.  Next trip, Molly went into the goal.  She was okay and made her free throws, 41-16. 

 

Imani traveled making a spin move to the basket.  She then committed a foul.  The coach left her in.  She was coaching Imani on court during the free throws.  Imani was fouled afterward and made a free throw.  The half ended, 42-18 Aggies.

 

Halftime

A kid’s hip hop dance troop performed.  They were cute and worked it.  The parents in the crowd were very excited.  The crowd had filled in by this time.  I walked up the steps to the bathroom and ran into that guy that wanted to buy my truck at the last game.  Still not for sale.

 

Third Quarter

Coach Adams took an early timeout right after the quarter started.  I have no idea why.  Nxerro dropped in a 3 to make it 42-21.  Santa was in the house.  I noticed him by the north end seats talking to the kids there.  What a guy!  He wasn’t formally announced until after the game.  He was up front getting pictures with kids and not-kids.  (No, not me.  I sort of wanted to, but didn’t.) 

 

Coach Adams was at the end of the bench talking to Jaila.  She was spending a lot of time individually coaching in this game.  7’ Sydney Wright hit a 3 for the Mustangs, 34-26.  Molly found Ene under the basket, 46-26.  Sianny made a steal.  Sabou would be fouled on the possession and made her free throws, 48-26. 

 

5’ Molly made an unexpected 3, 51-28 Aggies.  Sabou committed her fourth foul and came out.  I noticed a Men’s team member watching the game up by the concourse.  I don’t know who.  He was in the shadows and I also don’t know anybody on the team.  Molly dropped in another 3.  She was feeling it.  54-29 and timeout WNM. 

 

Broadcaster Jack Nixon arrived.  I checked the time.  It was still going to be a while till the Men’s pregame.  4’ Lucia missed a 3.  Molly grabbed the rebound and passed it back to Lucia cutting to the basket for the layup and a foul.  She missed the free throw, but the Aggies got two offensive rebounds before Sylena was fouled and made two free throws, 58-29. 

 

3’ Sy made a nice pass to Lucia, who made a nice move to the basket for a bucket, 60-31.  Ene made a scoop shot and a free throw with a foul, 63-31.  Molly took a charge on defense.  She was playing like it was a close game.  Molly then had a steal by picking up a player’s dribble and made a jumper, 65-31.  1’ WNM missed two free throws, but Jade got the rebound and stuck it back in.  Diamond out-jumped two taller Aggie players for a rebound on defense.  Jaila finished the quarter with a 3, 68-35 Aggies.

 

Fourth Quarter

The reserves mostly took over for the final 10 minutes.  8’ Imani hit a 3, got a steal, was fouled on the layup, and converted her two free throws, 75-38.  Sianny and Nxerro collided on court and both went to the floor.  They were okay.  These girls must be living right to be avoiding injury in this game. 

 

Nxerro made a big block on Imani.  5’ Mustang Brooke Rodgers dropped in a 3, 77-45.  Parker had a layup for her first points as an Aggie.  4’ Lucia grabbed a rebound, which she’d been doing quite a bit during the game, and hit a 3.  2’ Joslyn Montez entered the game for WNM.  PA Ed announced her as being from Las Cruces and she got a big cheer from the crowd.  She was easily the smallest player on court.  Parker hit a 3 and then fought to the basket for a layup.  The Aggies won 89-54.

 

The Aggie ladies took care of business, but the Mustangs played hard all the way through.  Nxerro Maluw led for WNM with 12 points.  For the Aggies, Molly Kaiser was huge with 22 points.  Ene Adams scored 15 and Lucia Yenes had 13 points with 9 rebounds.  The Aggies had 10 steals.  Sabou Gueye had 3 of them. 

 

Like I said, the students were out, so there were no ushers in the arena.  I was sitting in a prime seat, but I could have moved elsewhere and stayed for the Men’s game.  I just didn’t feel like it.  I could listen on the radio anyway.  I did want dinner before going.  The grill was open to get a burger.  I finally got a good look at the menu and nearly changed my mind.  They also have chicken fingers, chili cheese fries, Papa John’s pizza slices, and full pizzas for $20.  I stuck with the burger, put it in my coat pocket, and left for home.

 

(The burger was good, especially given it was only $6.  After what had happened with the pretzel last time, I probably shouldn’t have trusted them.  I’ve had the pizza before.  It’s kind of cold, since they deliver it from the restaurant and just keep it warm at the concessions.  I’m interested in trying the fries and chicken fingers.)

 

I talked to dad at home and he mentioned UTEP Volleyball.  They were playing in the championship game in the national tournament they were in tonight.  They lost in the championship to Wichita State in straight sets, but the Miners had a great run.  They played six games, all at home, in front of capacity crowds.  I wonder if they accepted the invitation to the tournament because they play in Memorial Gym, which they don’t share with the basketball teams, and wouldn’t have to travel.  This may be why the Aggies didn’t play in it. 

 

(I had a Men’s game program that I was going to use for a picture, but I lost it at the game.  I tried to get another, but they’d run out like with those Bowl posters.)  I listened to the Aggie Men’s game against Northern New Mexico.  There were just under 4,000 at the game and they watched the Aggies finish the first half down by 1 to the NAIA team.  At the half, they had the Teddy Bear toss.  Santa and Frozen characters were on the floor with the Grinch, as fans tossed their teddy bears on court.  The Grinch tried to steal them, but was stopped by Santa. 

 

About halfway through the second half, the Aggies finally got the lead and the crowd got into it.  NNM tied it late.  The Aggies lost the lead, but retook it and finally won 76-71.  It was even closer than that score indicates.  In the postgame, Coach Hooten had admiration for NNM and apologized for his players’ efforts.  Between injuries and eligibility issues, he hasn’t had much to work with this season.  He pledged to make a donation to the university to make up for it.  (Pave the parking lot and make Coach Kill happy.)  The Coach also flirted with Jack’s analyst, Anita Skipper, at the end of the interview.  You sly dog.

 

Okay, Saturday is the big bowl game and I plan on being at the Women’s game before it.  I guess I won’t be watching the football game, but I’ll listen on the radio.