NM State Volleyball Borderland Invitational 9-9-17

Isn’t that a fun picture?

NM State Aggies versus Samford Bulldogs

I flirted with the idea of watching the other teams’ matches today, but decided it was impractical given the time between them.  I can kind of understand the scheduling, but I’d at least consider putting the non-Aggie matches together.  Perhaps run all of the matches together and just sell day passes, like the softball tournaments.  The Rangers were playing the Yankees on TV, so I was busy anyway.

No conflict with a Chihuahuas’ game tonight since they swept their way into the league championship yesterday.  I’m okay with not getting a game under those circumstances.  I tuned into the Aggie/Lobo football game for the pre-game and dropped into an interview with a couple of members of the volleyball team.  No, I’m not sure why.  Maybe they didn’t want to talk about the football team.  I heard Tatyana Battle and, I think, Briana Anisworth being interviewed by Jack Nixon.  Though the volleyball match was going to be on TV with no radio, I took my radio with me anyway, so I could check in on the football.  (Though I was sure they’d announce some updates during the match.)  Before I left, the Aggies had gotten a touchdown off a turnover, but gave up two points on a failed PAT, 6-2 Aggies.      

A good crowd was in the middle of showing up when I got there.  Several young girls were there, who were high school and middle school volleyball players.  I overheard a lady, probably a coach, saying she was hoping her girls could learn some teamwork tonight.  It’s always great to see that kind of community support and also when Aggie teams run clinics for local teams.  The ticket was $5, even though the game was part of a tournament.  Inside, the PA gave a scoring update on the football.  The Aggies had scored again and were still leading. 

“I think I need a loan for this,” said a fellow patron at the concessions.  I felt about the same after surrendering $16 for a drink, pretzel, and a churro.  I also had to wait about 10 minutes for it, so they weren’t ready for the crowd.  At least it tasted good, though I was covered in sugar and salt afterward.  After yesterday’s lighting issues, they didn’t bring them down for the intro video, making it a lot less dramatic.  Lia Mosher and Sasha-Lee Thomas were in as starters.  Ari Sierra and Lia got the biggest cheers during the player intro’s.  

Set 1

Without a radio call, I was lost for counting scoring.  The scoreboard wasn’t showing player kills.  The Aggie girls were spreading the kills around in the first set.  Brielle Sterns and Natalie Mikels came in early.  Natalie had another net serve.  Her serving motion is really awkward (though I saw someone on Samford have the same style, so it’s not unique), but it is effective when gets over the net.  Megan Hart was again in a knee brace.  I noticed Jordan Abalos was limping a little.

The Aggie football team was up 16-5 on the Lobos in Albuquerque, while it was 9-5 Aggies in Las Cruces.  12-6 a ball flew into the stands on an Aggie point.  T-shirts were then tossed into the crowd.  I’m starting to realize how lucky I was to get two shirts here last year.  The PA announced the football score to the cheers of the crowd.  13-6 Tatyana Battle and Ari made some great dives to help win the point.  15-6 Briana Ainsworth got an ace on serve.  19-7 Kaylee Neal came in to big cheer and served up an ace.  22-8 Lia got an awesome kill.  The set ended 15-10 on a KC Tohm kill.  The girls and the crowd were happy.  Coach Jordan was quiet in approval.

Set 2: Aggies 1, Bulldogs 0

23-5 Aggie football at halftime.  The guys were looking good.  The volleyball teams changed sides, and I got a good look at a Samford assistant coach.  This guy had the part in the front of his hair gelled up into a spike.  If he was in a boy band that would probably look appropriate.  4-3 Briana got a really clever dump shot for a point.  From that point on, however, Samford took the lead.  I could see Coach Jordan on the sidelines shaking his head.  At 9-12 Samford, he called a timeout and was remarkably calm-looking while discussing things with the girls.  Meanwhile, banks of lights in the arena kept going on and off, and this was throughout much of the match.  The place is still having electrical problems.

By 10-15, Samford was clearly playing with some confidence.  Jordan and Sasha were getting enough kills to keep the team in it.  13-19 and another Aggie timeout.  15-20 a ball hit the bottom of the video scoreboard over the court.  I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more.  Megan Hart came in at 16-22.  She wasn’t scoring, almost more of a decoy, but the tide started to turn.  21-22 KC got a massive kill and Samford took a timeout to regroup.

I spotted Julianna Salanoa on the sidelines encouraging her teammates.  23-22 the Aggies reclaimed the lead on Ari’s serve.  24-23 KC can do it with a light touch too and got a tip kill.  Natalie came in to serve for the set.  She did get it over, which I thought was encouraging.  Samford was not willing to concede however.  The match went to five set points.  The older fans were getting tired of standing up for them.  Tatyana Battle got a tip kill on an epic point to finally win it.  28-26 Aggies.

Set 3: Aggies 2, Samford 0

What?  No Taylor Swift Look What You Made Me Do over the PA tonight?  Is it already over?  Don’t worry.  She’s released another new song that has a couple of drops in it that will be irresistible for sporting events.  Somebody put me in charge of the music.

The stats finally came up on the scoreboard.  Jordan and Tatyana had 9 kills, KC had 7.  Tatyana and Ari got aces on serve early on.  Samford had their best point at 4-3 (Aggies) on a block and a spike straight down into the floor.  The Aggies returned the favor on the next point, doing the same.  10-7 was a scary point as Jordan dove for a dig and hit the floor hard.  She came up limping.  I’d already noticed her having some trouble walking earlier.  I’m officially worried about Jordan making it through the season.  Nobody can question her heart, but her left knee is truly doubtful.    

Touchdown Aggies!  Third quarter on the field, 30-5 Aggies.  13-11 on the court as Lia crushed a kill to end a Samford run.  14-12 Jordan hit it long on the previous point and came back for a tip kill on this one.  18-13 Brielle got an overpass kill and forced a Samford timeout.  23-16 Jordan Abalos was finally taken out of the match and was replaced with Jordan Pleasants.  Analyssa Acosta came in to serve up match point.  25-17 and the Aggies won in straight sets.  Jordan led the team with 12 kills.  Tatyana had 11 kills and Brielle had 8.  That second set was really gritty for the Aggies and showed some good character.  I love these girls.

After I got home, I put the football game on.  Unfortunately, things got interesting in a slowly unfolding horror sort of way.  The Lobos changed quarterbacks in the fourth quarter and rallied (or the Aggies collapsed, I don’t know which since I wasn’t watching the game).  By the end, it was 30-28.  A last minute (okay, last two minutes) failed two-point conversion was the only thing keeping the score from being tied.  All-American running back, Larry Rose III, got the Aggies two first downs to end the game.  Whew!  There’s some more Aggie grit for you.

(No ticket image.  It had a coupon on the back of it and I used it for lunch on Sunday.)

NM State Volleyball Borderland Invitational 9-8-17

Afternoon Match: NM State Aggies versus Abilene-Christian Wildcats

I talked to my dad in the morning and he asked me if I was going to the volleyball game in the afternoon.  I hadn’t even thought of going, even though I could have.  I may be in serious denial about my current work schedule.  Thinking about it, I considered that the match could not have gone long for me to make it to work on time.  Also, I’m never sure about parking at the university during a weekday. 

Not to mention, I’d already planned on listening to the radio broadcast.  Adam Young reported a “light” crowd for this Friday afternoon match, but the “die-hards were there.”  When he’d talked to Coach Jordan at the Aggie Coaches’ Show earlier in the week, Adam mentioned the good crowds of 1,000+ so far.  The coach lamented that they used to recently get 3,000 for rivalry games and once had 7,000 for a game against Hawaii.  (7,000 would be a good crowd for a Men’s basketball game against a conference opponent these days.)  At least the crowd that was there sounded good.

Regardless of the crowd for a Friday afternoon game, it had to be more embarrassing that the arena couldn’t get the lights back on after the team intro video.  This isn’t the first technical glitch I’ve seen during an event at the Pan-Am Center.  This created a 20-minute delay, which if I had been there, would have really made me nervous about the time.  However, the girls made the best of it.  Adam reported that both teams were on the court dancing to the PA music to entertain the crowd.  When I saw a video of it on the team Twitter feed in the evening, I completely and totally regretted not being there.  Both teams were doing an “Electric Slide-ish” routine that was too cute for words. 

Set 1

The match seemed like almost an afterthought in comparison.  The Aggies started their regulars for the game with KC Tohm, Lia Mosher, and Sasha-Lee Thomas out there.  I didn’t take point-for-point notes; I just hit the highlights.  Ari Sierra dropped in two aces in the set, and Tatyana Battle shined on kills with five.  25-17 Aggies.

Set 2 Aggies 1, Wildcats 0

The Coach got “yellow carded” for arguing a double contact called on Lia.  “I don’t care,” he said.  I didn’t even know they handed out soccer-like cards for volleyball.  Freshman Lia Mosher played well, but I think she’s been called for that a few times.  KC got in on the kills and Tatyana was up to 10.  25-17 Aggies.

Set 3 Aggies 2, Wildcats 0

This set was tight.  The Wildcats lead through most of it.  Coach Jordan called a timeout late when the team went down by two.  It worked and the team rallied to a 25-22 Aggie set win and 3-0 match win.  Freshman Natalie Mikels looked good and bad during the set, but I think more good things are to come from her.  Tatyana Battle pounded it with 17 kills.  KC Tohm had 10.  Briana Anisworth had another double-double in assists and digs.  This was a pretty efficient match for the Aggies, and it needed to be.  They had another match in about three hours.

Evening Match: NM State Aggies versus Delaware State Hornets.

Work definitely interfered with me going to this match.  I would have wanted to go to this match.  Adam said the Aggie reserves were going to do most of the playing in this match, and I would have liked to have seen them play.  This personnel decision was driven by the early game and a Saturday game tomorrow.  Certainly it was also rather sporting of the coach.  The Hornets had not won a set so far this season. 

Set 1

Most of the regulars did start, except for team captain, Jordan Abalos.  Most of them cycled out fairly quickly.  Freshman Julianna Salanoa came in and got a kill.  I’m hoping to be right about her being great in the future.  The coach and the assistant coaches complained to the refs about Delaware State serving out of rotation, twice.  It was not called.  Analyssa Acosta came in on defense and made a couple of good digs.  She seemed sweet when I met her last year, so I’m glad she’s doing well.  Ari Sierra chipped in a couple of assists during the set.  Kaylee Neal served an ace.  25-11 Aggies.

Set 2 Aggies 1, Hornets 0

Megan Hart came in.  Yea!  She had a sprain, but was doing better and got a kill.  KC Tohm got in on the kills this set.  Julianna got in on the blocks.  A “pancake dig” was called on a play against the Aggies.  The Coach and Ari questioned why the refs didn’t whistle the play when it happened and let everyone keep playing.  Natalie Mikels put in an ace.  Adam mentioned how accomplished she was in high school play.  Out of rotation service was finally called on the Hornets, twice.  From playing PE and intramurals at school, I remember service turns were always confusing.  Still, it shouldn’t happen at this level.  Megan McGuire came in and served set point.  25-14 Aggies.

Set 3 Aggies 2, Hornets 0

Jordan Abalos came in to start the set.  Where’s Bridgette Lowe, last week’s hero?  Adam briefly mentioned she was injured.  Julianna served up an ace.  Jordan Pleasants came in for Jordan Abalos and served well too.  Lia Mosher got the kill on match point.  25-13 Aggie set win and 3-0 match win.  KC Tohm led with 12 kills.  Ari Sierra had 16 digs, including her 1,000.  Briana Ainsworth had 19 assists.  The Aggies took care of business today, even the reserves.  I hope this is a good confidence builder.

Baseball Journal August 31,2017

8-31-17
Here was the last Chihuahuas’ home game of the regular season as they played the Grizzlies, hopefully not their last home game though.  The game started off well in the top of the first with a double play on a strikeout and a runner thrown out at second by catcher, Tony Cruz.  Tim Hagerty spoke with last night’s hero, Chase d’Arnaud.  He said he’d had three walk off hits in the Majors.  This is a good thing that the team has all these clutch hitters.

Nick Buss got the scoring started with a home run in the second, 1-0 Chihuahuas.  Tim was also informed by the visiting broadcaster that the Grizz catcher was being mis-identified.  They guy listed on today’s lineup wasn’t able to make the flight.  The Grizzlies tied it in the third on a sacrifice.  In the bottom, I walked away for a minute to make dinner (which was an uncharacteristically terrible Marie Calendar frozen fish meal) and the Chihuahuas scored two runs on a couple of doubles, 3-1.

In the fourth, the Chihuahuas had a great chance with bases loaded and no outs.  Cruz came up, but struckout.  A fielder’s choice and another strikeout ended the inning.  Not bad work for the Grizzlies’ pitcher, who’d been injured on a liner during the inning and had two injury visits by the coach.  In the sixth, Hunter Renfroe had the defensive play of the game as he robbed AJ Reed of a home run (or at least close to one).  Reed leads all of Triple-A in home runs and has popped several in this series.  Inspired, Christian Villanueva made a great play on a foul near the bullpen mounds to end the inning.  In the bottom, Diego Goris was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on a double.

I checked in on the MLB free game.  It was late in the game, but it was the Brewers versus the Nationals in Milwaukee.  I immediately switched to audio feed to hear Bob Uecker call the action.  Sorry, Tim.  I’m not passing up listening to Uecker for a bit.  We don’t know how much longer we’re going to have him after all.  It was the bottom of the eighth.  The Brewers were up by a couple and ended up scoring more this inning.  They won 6-3.  I got busy and missed the ninth, but it was good to hear Bob.

On the video, I saw that Front Row Amy was back.  I admit that she fascinates me, probably because she reminds me of someone I know.  She’s still there keeping a scorecard.  Next to her was a kid who was a Nationals’ fan and he was fairly into it.  A guy that was a Brewers’ fan on her other side chatted with her briefly about her scoring.  If I was sitting next to her, I might ask for help with my scorecard too.  (She’s married, no point in asking her out.)

Things started to get busy with work.  It was month end and I couldn’t afford to fall behind, so I wasn’t able to listen much.  In the seventh, the Chihuahuas loaded the bases and Rafael Ortega doubled in two runs for a 5-1 lead.  Renfroe was given an intentional walk to bring up Ortega.  Renfroe was also thrown out at the plate trying to score on that double.  Certainly the guys were being aggressive on the bases (or misjudging the arms on the Grizzlies’ outfielders).  5-1 Chihuahuas was the final.  I checked the PCL scores later.  Tacoma won it in the ninth over Salt Lake.  The Bees finally lost.  El Paso is in first place.

Meanwhile, the New Mexico State football team played Arizona State tonight.  I got to listen to a good deal of it, though I didn’t take notes.  The Aggies played pretty well in a 37-31 loss.  They went down early, 14-0.  There were three interceptions (one might have been on a two-point conversion), but the Aggies actually lead in most of the offensive categories.  They even scored a touchdown on the last play of the game.  The defense had one bad breakdown in the second half on a first play bomb, but otherwise wasn’t bad.  I’m taking this game as a tentative good sign.

If I’d realized that the Aggie Volleyball team was also playing tonight and I might have been able to watch or listen, I would have really been busy.  Jack Nixon, on the football broadcast, mentioned them.  They lost in five sets to North Dakota.  They’d won the first two, but lost the rest.  North Dakota must have a made a really good adjustment at halftime.  I didn’t have time to look at any stats.  I’m still looking forward to seeing the girls on Saturday.

So, that’s it for August.  The Chihuahuas have been so compelling, I haven’t been following the big leagues much.  Not to mention, most of the divisions seem pretty settled, and I’m not a big fan most of the teams who are winning.  My coverage may be slacking after the Labor Day weekend.

NM State Volleyball Springhill Suites Invitational Sept 2, 2017 Part 2

Saturday September 2, 2017

NM State Aggies versus UNLV Running Rebels

And I’m back at the Pan-Am Center for another match today.  I couldn’t exactly hang out at the university for six hours waiting.  I was pleased to see plenty of cars parked there this time.  Adam Young later put the crowd at over 1,000.  The ticket for this game was $7, which is what Aggie sports usually charges for tournaments.  For my dinner, I got the Pete’s Combo for $8, which surprisingly included two small bags of chips.  When I sat down to eat my hot dog, it was nice, plump, tasty, and on a fresh fluffy bun.  Yes!  Finally, a good hot dog at the university.  More like this please!

Going through the concourse, I saw volleyball alumni, Nathalie Castellanos.  I immediately recognized her from playing in the Crimson and White game two weeks ago.  She’s got a distinctive, attractive look.  I definitely enjoyed watching her play.  Up close, Nathalie was taller than on the court, perhaps she was in heels or maybe it was because the other girls around her were taller.  I wanted to chat, but she didn’t look like she did, so I let that go.  Her black, leather jacket did make her more intimidating, while I was juggling a very hot hot dog, two bags of chips, my notebook, and a rolled up poster.  Maybe I’ll run into her in a better mood sometime.

After I got to my seat, I noticed the attractive team assistant I’d seen on Friday at the scorer’s table, standing in front of Adam.  On that note, I was more than pleased that he was going to be radio for the game.  It really adds to the experience.  The schedule didn’t list any games on the radio.  During Adam’s pre-game, I saw team captain Jordan Abalos come by and give him a smile.  Awww.  The family and friends and boosters (not sure exactly who’s there) section below me was nice and full for the girls.   The cheerleaders came in while Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do was playing.  I suspect I’ll be hearing that song a lot here. 

Damn it!  The girls were having their hit around and I finally saw Megan Hart and why she wasn’t playing Friday.  Her and a teammate (who I couldn’t identify) were both wearing boots.  I was really looking forward to seeing her 6’5”frame blocking in the middle.  Looking at the program, the Aggies have 20 players on the roster (now 18).  The Rebels just brought 13 players.  Given that they were playing twice today, that didn’t look good for them on paper.  On the other hand, with two of our girls in boots and three in knee braces, the Aggies look like a rehab ward.     

We’re ready.  The lights went out and the new intro video played to the tune of Led Zepplin’s Immigrant Song (“We come from the land of the ice and snow . . .”).  Very cool.  Our starters were introduced.  Freshmen Brielle Sterns and Lia Mosher were in.  Sasha-Lee Thomas was not starting.  This was interesting in a worrying sort of way.  The girls tossed little souvenir volleyballs into the crowd.  Jordan and Brielle have good arms on them, tossing to the other end of the court.  The other girls, not so much. 

Set 1

The Aggies dropped the first three points until Kassandra “KC” Tohm got a kill.  Pistol Pete came by and took a picture with a little Aggie fan girl.  Aww.  The score went to 1-6 Rebels.  Coach Mike Jordan had seen enough and called a time out.  He sat the girls down in front of him.  The PA started playing loud music.  There were 1,000 people in the arena making noise.  I was wearing earplugs and listening to the radio call maybe about 15 rows up from the bench. 

I could hear the coach clearly.

He let them have it in screaming tones.  I found myself saying, “Yes, sir.”  Even the cheerleaders throwing t-shirts into the crowd did not help with the collective shock from that dressing down.  The beautiful Norwegian girl on UNLV that I’d noticed in the morning, Thea Sweder, came in, which did make me feel better.  This match got too intense for girl-watching though.  The next point was long, but thankfully the Aggies won it.   

Jordan got her first kill at 3-6.  Sasha came into the game and got her first kill at 8-9.  Her and Lia combined for a block at 9-11.  The score was tied at 13 over a long point with dumps and tips, but won on block by Jordan and Sasha.  13-15 Kaylee Neal came in and was immediately targeted on spikes.  Tatyana Battle started getting the ball for kills late, but the Rebels got to 24.  Her and Jordan got kills and then there was a block to hold off three set points.  Timeout UNLV.  Associate coach Ben Wallis did all the talking to the Aggies.  Coach Jordan probably needed to rest his voice.  The set ended on the next point, a cross court kill from the right side pin.  They did that all during the set.  I think a couple different players were doing it.  The Aggies had no answer for that shot.

Set 2-Rebels 1, Aggies 0           

Brielle got a kill off a Rebel’s face at the beginning of the set.  Reserve player, Bridgette Lowe, was a surprise starter in the set.  She got a tip kill to tie the set at 2.  The girls seemed to rally at her scoring.  Brielle got another kill off a tip on an overpass on one touch and gave the team a lead at 3-2.  Beautiful.  Freshman Natalie Mikels came in and served up an ace that just dropped over the net, getting her and the team fired up.  But she netted it on the next serve.  She just needs more experience.

UNLV got then got three blocks in a row, and the Aggies were firing out of bounds. The Rebels retook the lead at 9-11.  Timeout Aggies.  Brielle got tip kill in a point with several of them on both sides, 11-13.  Bridgette got another kill, 13-14.  Tatyana kill, 14 all.  Brielle got a kill and the Aggies led 15-14.  The score tied again at 16.  Coach Jordan argued that the point was out and the crowd agreed.

KC got into it with a hard kill and then a tip kill. 22-20 Aggies, timeout Rebels.  The crowd started getting into it.  Kaylee came back in and was targeted again, but this time she got the digs.  Jordan got a pair of kills to take it to 24-20 and set point.  The crowd got up and started clapping as the Aggies won it on a service error, 25-20.   

Set 3-Aggies 1, Rebels 1

Intermission was a balloon popping contest with kids.  I went to the bathroom and someone took my seat while I was gone.  I settled in nearby.  There was that Taylor Swift song again.  The PA likes it.  Coach Jordan and coach Wallis both gave Kaylee a hug before the start of the set.     

Sasha got started with a kill on a point with two diving digs, 2-0 Aggies.  Early on, Coach Jordan argued the score with the refs.  Wrong, he ended up saying “I guess I can’t count.”  He got into with them immediately afterward on another touch or out point.  I was getting into this.  I was jumping for balls while still in my seat.

Jordan served up an ace, which started an Aggie run.  7-3 Aggies, Bridgette scored again as she hit the back line on a kill.  11-6 was an epic point with three dump plays, but ended on a net violation for the Aggies.  The Aggies went up 13-6 and UNLV took a timeout.  More t-shirts flew into the crowd.  Even with my other Aggie shirts, I did want the Volleyball shirt.  14-8, Jordan made an “oops, excuse me” overpass that accidentally dropped over the net for an underhanded kill. 

With sides changed back to their original sides in Set 1, the Rebel right side crosscourt attack started working again.  They went on a run that got temporarily broken up on a Jordan kill at 20-16.  At 20-19, the Aggies took a timeout after 8 of 9 points went to the Rebels.  KC got a kill at 20-19, but UNLV answered with that right side attack, 21-20.  Jordan and Sasha got kills.  23-21 a ball dropped untouched between four Aggies.  I suspect the coach will be reviewing that play a couple of times at the next team meeting.  24-24 and the crowd was up and clapping.  Natalie served up another ace to close out the set 26-24.

Set 4 Aggies 2, Rebels 1

The dance cam went Gangnam Style and actually had a couple of girls on the Rebels dancing until the coach got their attention.  Kids were dancing on top of a sideline table.  Back to the action, Sasha and Tatyana got kills early, and Sasha and Bridgette teamed up for a block.  12-9 Aggies, Jordan, with a very soft touch, floated a tip kill in.  13-9, Sasha and Bridgette again with a block.  15-10, Tatyana with another kill.  Timeout UNLV.  During the break, Alison French on the Rebels started dancing to the PA music.  I have to mention this, because she was really working it.

18-11, Bridgette got a hard kill.  19-13 the Aggies won an ugly point, finished by Tatyana getting a tip kill.  Megan Mcguire made her first appearance in the game to serve at 20-14.  It was a late sub and the UNLV coach complained, but it was allowed.  Sasha got a block and then a soft, lefty tip kill to get it to 23-15.  The crowd got up at 24-15.  The Rebels scored a couple more, but a long out serve ended the set and match at 25-17 and 3-1 Aggies. 

The Rebels seemed out of gas by the end.  Even if the Rebels hadn’t played earlier, I think the Aggies still would have won.  UNLV came out sharp, probably because of the early game.  The Aggies may have come out flat from last night’s loss.  Both teams seemed evenly matched, but the home court would have helped the Aggies.  Since both teams were riding three-game losing streaks, they had equal motivation.                    

Coach Jordan still seems to be trying to figure out what he has to work with.  Putting in Bridgette Lowe was inspired.  I don’t know how much she played last week, but I don’t think anyone saw that production coming off the bench.  She was ready.  Kudos to the coach for sticking with Kaylee Neal.  She hadn’t looked good earlier, but she got it together.  Natalie Mikels looked good and bad, like a freshman.  She should get better.  Brielle Sterns looks really good right now.  KC Tohm and Lia Mosher’s time was limited in the game unfortunately.  I know these two can play, so I hope they get worked into the rotation. 

What can you say about the captain, Jordan Abalos?  She led the team in kills (16) and digs (25).  She hit the floor hard a lot, but didn’t seem any worse for wear.  Tatyana Battle was second in kills at 13.  Sasha-Lee Thomas didn’t start, but she was absolutely pivotal.  I hope she’s okay to play most of the time.  Ashley Owens led the Rebels with 12 kills.  The Rebels’ right side attack was devastating.  I hope nobody in conference was watching this game, before the coach can figure how to cover that better. 

Ari Sierra was all over the court with digs.  Even on hits she had no chance on, Ari would end up splayed out on the floor and come up smiling apologetically.  Speaking of smiles, Briana Ainsworth did her usual great job of setting the ball.  Her lovely self and beautiful smile is easy enough to notice by everyone, but her game contributions sometimes get lost in the kills and digs.  She doubled with 31 assists and 12 digs.  Lastly, I kept an eye on freshman Julianna Salanoa on the bench.  She never came in, but was all smiles the entire game and high-fiving teammates at every opportunity.  I want this girl to succeed.  If you’re a reserve now, be the best reserve.  Your time will come. 

Well, I saw a game with no rooting interest and no crowd and a game with a definite favorite and a large crowd today.  Both were very enjoyable in their own ways.  I’ll take the Aggies and the crowd in preference.  I’m not sure what I’ll do next weekend with another invitational.  It’ll depend on the scheduling if I go to the games not involving the Aggies.  These games were a great start to watching live volleyball games this season.  (Keep those fresh buns coming on the hot dogs.)

NM State Volleyball Springhill Suites Invitational Sept 2, 2017 Part 1

Saturday September 2, 2017

UCLA Bruins versus UNLV Running Rebels

I’m sure UNLV will be forced to change their name by the end of the month.  I really only bring this up because of the Aggie brew kerfuffle.  The university partnered with a local brewery a couple of weeks ago to produce a special Aggie beer.  A week later, the beer was pronounced to be racist, because it had some kind of cryto-neo Confederate/Nazi logo on the label.  Who knew that the number “88” was a symbol of racial hatred?  Really, who knew?  I’ve never heard of this before.  The university immediately apologized and had the label changed.  The brewery now certainly regrets having anything to do with the university, and this incident serves as a warning to any other local businesses wanting to work with them.

Up until a few years ago, the name of the Aggie yearbook was “The Swastika.”  They only changed it in the 80's when they finally got tired of explaining that it was actually a Native American symbol (and a Buddhist one as well, Hitler totally should be sued for copyright infringement), and they’d been using that name since before there ever were Nazis.  Okay, now I’m done.  What was I talking about again?  Oh, yeah, the game. 

10:00 am on a Saturday doesn’t seem like an optimal time to start a game, especially when the next match isn’t until 7:00 pm, but I showed up.  I assumed I’d be buying a day pass for the event, but outside the venue was the “Old Man” from every other Aggie sports event, who offered me a ticket that he’d been given and didn’t need.  That was really nice of him.  The ticket was actually for just that game and it was priced at under $1.50.  All of this was unexpected.  They should have promoted the other teams’ games better if they were doing reduced price tickets.

Inside, the concessions were manned by a single, bored employee.  I went ahead and got drink, so I’d have purchased something.  Two new posters were available on the courtesy table.  Sasha-Lee Thomas was the new volleyball poster.  Gotta be honest, Sasha is lovely, but the nose hardware is not attractive in a close up.  I wonder if the three other seniors have posters coming.  I also picked up a very pleasant looking Devin Hart Aggie soccer poster.

The UCLA players were all tall and very lean.  The coach seems to recruit to a certain build.  The UNLV players might be a bit shorter on average, but seem more powerfully built.  Don’t let this fool you.  This isn’t football.  Tatyana Battle on the Aggies has a slight build, but is definitely a hard hitter.  The Aggies are generally built about the same as UNLV, maybe a bit shorter on average.  A couple of the UCLA girls had full leg compression sleeves on, but none of the girls on either team had knee braces.  The Aggies have issues there and with some of their best players.

 

The crowd was sparse, though the teams themselves would make up for it, doing their own cheering.  There were some UNLV fans below me, behind the benches.  A few UCLA fans were on the other side of the court.  A few other fans were scattered around.  A couple of guys behind me were having a really deep volleyball discussion, scouting the teams.  The Aggie girls came in right before the match and sat up high in the student section in the shadows.  Coach Jordan and his assistants were standing behind their section.  Adam Young, in workout clothes, was at the scorer’s table.  I think he had a college football pre-game show going on his laptop. 

Taylor Swift’s brand new song, Look What You Made Me Do, is already in the music rotation.  The video is a triumph of the artform.  Lyrically, it’s well-written, if well-trod ground for Tay.  The tune isn’t hugely catchy though.  (And I am still waiting in line to be her next boyfriend/relationship material for her next hit song.  I love you, Taylor.  I’m the actual one you’ve been waiting for.)  Both teams were spirited before the game.  UCLA had a special clapping cheer worked out.

Set 1

I don’t think I was rooting for either team, so I just applauded good points.  Early on, the points were mostly short and brutal kill shots.  UNLV got in some really nifty dump shots and tips to counter.  UCLA actually used a great decoy on a spike on one point, which got an “Oooh,” out of me.  UNLV showed a lot of skill on blocking, which forced UCLA to also use the occasional dump shot.  UNLV coverage would start adjusting for that.  15-12 Bruins was the epic sort of point we were waiting for with great saves on powerful spikes.  UCLA would prevail 25-18 in the first set.

Set 2-UCLA 1, UNLV 0

They threw out free t-shirts to the crowd!  Maybe I was a little greedy signaling for one.  A couple of UNLV fans and a family got most of them.  Both teams had some surprising serving issues.  I guess everybody is susceptible to the yips, and they’re contagious.  UNLV did get in a good ace.  I finally took a moment to identify the good primary blockers on UNLV, #14 Ashley Owens and #17 Riley Jacobs. 

I also finally started noticing UCLA’s player-specific cheers.  I think their reserves had one for every player whenever they got a kill.  #4 Jenny Mosser got called out a lot.  They just sang out her name.  “Mac Attack!” was used for #14 Mac May.  Somebody was “Hip, hip, hooray,” but I don’t know who.  Also, any double touch foul would be followed with, “Can I get a double?”  UNLV wasn’t as coordinated, but their reserves were spirited too.  They even unintentionally disrupted a point as a UCLA player served into the net.  (I say “unintentional” because the cheering girls weren’t facing the court at the time.) 

The 11-9 UCLA point had several digs and dumps, but ended on a UNLV kill.  Later, a ball flew into the stands below me on a hard shot.  I wasn’t prepared for that.  I noticed an attractive blonde come in for UNLV, #6 Thea Sweder from Norway.  Sweet recruiting there coach.  Put her on a poster.  On the 20-16 UCLA point, she got in a great falling away backward spike for a kill.  She’d use that shot again later.  That’s unique.  24-19 UCLA was another epic point as they made a couple of digs off balls that hit the net.  UCLA won the second set 25-19 to go up by two.

               

Set 3-UCLA 2, UNLV 0

There was no halftime break.  It was just a regular set break.  I just had time to get to the bathroom to unload my drink.  The Aggie team and coaches were gone when I got back.  I’m not sure if they were there to scout UNLV or if they were just supporting the other teams’ games, maybe the later.  At 4-4, UCLA had another couple of great digs on net balls and won the point.  Their coach had to love that, never giving up on a point.  At 7-6 UCLA leading, a ball flew into the UNLV reserves.  They had to scatter to allow the on-court players a chance at it.  13-10 UCLA, Ashley Owens put a beautiful, light touch on a ball that just fell over the net for the point. 

UNLV tied it at 13.  15-13, UCLA served an untouched ace into the middle of the court.  16-15, UNLV got back into it with a good dump shot.  Tied at 17.  21-18, UCLA put an untouched spike into the middle of the court.  Their reserves started bowing, “We’re not worthy.”  25-21 UCLA was the final, and they won the match 3-0.  I’m not sure they ever trailed in the match. 

The UCLA team went over to the other side of the court and saluted their fans there, whom they outnumbered.  They might not look tough, but boy can they play.  From these two games, I got the impression they only played as hard as they needed to to win.  They probably have another gear to go to against harder opponents.  Coach Jordan has a relationship with somebody on the UCLA coaching staff, which accounts for this ranked team coming here, so thank you for the visit and for not embarrassing anybody.  Last night’s game looked pretty well attended, so I think the fans here were excited about it too. 

    

After scouting UNLV for this game, what can I say about them?  One, they might be a bit tired this evening after playing this morning.  I’m not sure why anyone would schedule two best-of-fire volleyball games in one day.  Two, they block well.  I hope Coach Jordan and the girls saw that and have some strategy for it.  Three, they’re good on dunk and tip shots, so stay alert.  Four, the Norwegian chick on the team is really hot.  (That information probably isn’t going to be helpful.)  From what I’ve seen, the two teams should be well matched for a good game.   

I made sure to catch up with the Old Man afterward and thank him again.  He was jacked up.  He really enjoyed the game.  So did I, but it was a short affair though, as the match only ran about an hour.  I’d had breakfast before going, assuming I’d be hungry before lunch.  As it was, I ended up at Schlotzsky’s right after they’d opened.  (Can’t resist that ice cream there.)  I went home and typed this up and waited for the evening.  I guess I’ll tag this as an NM State Volleyball post, though the team wasn’t playing this time.    

NM State Volleyball Springhill Suites Invitational Sept 1, 2017

Friday September 1, 2017

The tournament started on Thursday with the Aggies playing North Dakota.  As I mentioned elsewhere, the (I don’t know what their nickname is) North Dakota team won in five sets.  The Aggies went up by two sets, but lost the remaining three.  I don’t know what happened apart from that.  I never checked the game recap.  Friday night, I was having a bad and busy night at work when I discovered that the Aggies and UCLA Bruins were on Aggievision.  I would have loved to have sat down and watched, but I only got glimpses and ended up just watching the end.

The Bruins are ranked eleventh in the country, so this is likely the toughest opponent the Aggies will face outside of the NCAA tournament.  Adam Young and his co-host (a former player whose name I keep missing) mentioned the Aggies used to have Hawaii in their conference, who were really good and who the team used to measure themselves against.  Coach Jordan wanted a challenging pre-conference schedule. 

So given what I watched, all I can authoritatively say about the match is that UCLA won in three sets.  The first two were close, the last one wasn’t as close.  It wasn’t a blow out.  The Bruins were just better at finishing.  Though both are Underarmor schools, at least the Aggies had cooler uniforms.  I just got a few impressions of the Aggies from watching and listening to the commentary and taking a peek at some team stats on their website.

Freshman #21 Lia Mosher is a standout on offense and defense.  I’d noticed her in the Scrimmage, but Adam brought her up when we chatted briefly.  I can see why.  Coach Jordan definitely likes freshman #13 Brielle Sterns for her work on defense.  These two are going to be put in a lot.  I’d liked the looks of freshman #9 Julianna Salanoa, but I can see why she’s just playing in spots.  She has some defensive problems.  In an interview with the coach, he mentioned her asking him how she can get better, so I take that as encouraging.  Right now, she probably just needs to learn the game more at this level. 

For the veterans, #3 Jordan Abalos is, of course, awesome offensively and defensively.  #14 Kassandra “KC” Tohm is probably the second, if not first, option on offense and is blocking well.   #20 Sasha-Lee Thomas looked really good on offense, but I’m not sure how much she played.  Either the coach is saving her or she’s still not really right.  If the team can get all three of these girls playing all the time and at the top of their potential, it’s lights out for the rest of the conference.  On a bad note, I never saw #12 Megan Hart in the game.  Oh, I hope she’s not hurt again.  Lastly, who was that attractive blonde assistant on the sidelines?    

Baseball Journal August 28-30, 2017

8-28-17
Chihuahuas versus Grizzlies.  Carlos Correa was supposed to be on the Grizzlies tonight, rehabbing from the Astros, but he never showed up in the game.  I didn’t even hear an update about him.  Good for the Chihuahuas then.  An opera singer beautifully rendered the anthem before the game.  The Chihuahuas went up by two in the first.  Somehow I missed hearing it.  This set the tone for the evening.  Franchy Cordero tripled in a run, and Hunter Renfroe drove in the other.

Former Chihuahua, Rico Noel, came up in the third for the Grizzlies to a nice round of applause.  That’s nice, but he’s not Carlos Correa.  Tim Hagerty had time to talk about Tony Cruz’s walk off hit yesterday.  Cruz told him that it wasn’t his first.  He’d hit two when he was with the Cardinals.

The fifth inning was contentious.  Jordan Lyles for the pups gave up two consecutive walks.  There was some kind of confusion with the umpire on the count for the second one.  Lyles then gave up a wild pitch which moved up both runners as a prelude to them both scoring on a hit, two all.  The batter was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.  This started the Grizzlies arguing.  It carried over to the next batter, who struck out to end the inning on a strikeout.  He then got ejecting for continuing to argue.  The on deck batter almost joined him in the clubhouse for doing the same.

Adding to the general irritation, my connection with the radio station’s site kept dropping.  I finally brought up Gameday and found out I’d missed quite a bit.  Franchy had driven in a run, Renfroe had hit a two-run homer, and Christian Villanueva hit a solo home run.  It’s 7-2 Chihuahuas.  I completely missed the pups scoring another run on an error in the sixth, 8-2.

I finally tried the radio button on the Chihuahuas’ website and got the call back.  Tim was in a great mood.  In the seventh, Nick Buss tripled in a run and scored on an error.  Tim called it a “Little League home run,” 10-2.  In the eighth, another Grizzlies player got into it with the ump.  Either he was doing a bad job, or the Grizz just didn’t like him.  10-2 Chihuahuas was the final.  I checked the late game with Salt Lake.  No change in the standings.

8-29-17
All of the Chihuahuas’ games are important at this point.  Still, I had to listen to Adam Young’s Aggie Coaches show.  I wanted to hear about the Soccer and Volleyball teams, since I’m planning on going out to see them, hopefully starting this weekend.  From Steve Kaplowitz’s remote from the ballpark, I did know that Carlos Correa would be playing today for the Grizzlies, this time for sure.  I missed most of the top of the first, but did tune in for his first at bat.  It was a fly out in the middle of four walks in the inning, which forced in a run.  An error gave them another run for a 2-0 Grizz lead.

The Chihuahuas reeled off three straight singles in their half of the inning.  A Hunter Renfroe fielder’s choice drove in their first run, 2-1.  In the top of the second, catcher Tony Cruz, had a catcher’s interference call against him.  Tim Hagerty, without missing a beat, said that was the second time that had been called against the team this year.  It’s a rare call or should be.  Correa got a hit after nearly being hit by a pitch near his injured thumb.  I’m sure the Astros loved that news.  On that note, this Triple-A game had more than twice the crowd that the Astros and Rangers had playing their hurricane-moved game in Tampa Bay.  I’m hearing bad things about the Rangers refusing to switch home series with the Astros, thus forcing this poor move.  In the bottom, Cruz hit a two-run homer to give the pups the lead, 3-2, and make up for the interference.

In the third, the home plate umpire got hit by a foul ball for the third inning in a row.  The umps aren’t doing well this series.  In the bottom, the Chihuahuas loaded the bases and scored on a single, 4-2.  After this, there was a strikeout and a popup, which invoked the infield fly rule.  (Rules geeks must have loved this game).  From this point on, hold on to your hats.  Tony Cruz came up with the bases loaded and two outs.  Boom!  Grand slam home run!  Tony, you just keep interfering all you want.  8-2 Chihuahuas.

Wow!  What a great inning!  I . . . Oh, it’s still going on.  The Chihuahuas batted around.  They chased the Grizz starter out of the game.  The bases were loaded again.  Renfroe came up with a chance for a second grand slam of the inning.  A wild pitch scored a run.  Then a single scored a run.  Then a double scored two more runs.  The inning finally ended after 14 batters and a 12-2 Chihuahuas lead.

We’re not even close to done.  Unfortunately, I got busy and flat out couldn’t keep up.  (Actually, I couldn’t keep up with the previous inning and had to look at the official recap.)  In the fourth, the Grizzlies had an eight batter inning.  They scored four, the first run off of an error, to make it 12-6.  In the fifth, a Grizzlies player was hit in the head with a pitch and had to leave the game.  The Chihuahua’s pitcher came out shortly after.  He gave up a run on a passed ball, seemingly a bit shaken.  A fielder’s choice and another error brought in another run, 12-7.  In the bottom, Franchy Cordero made the final out, trying to stretch a double into a triple.

Tim was having a good time, calling this an “old fashion PCL slug match.”  The Grizz got solo homers in the next two innings, 12-9.  In the eighth, Franchy tripled and made it this time.  He scored on a dropped sacrifice fly, 13-9.  It was scored as a sacrifice and an error.  The top of the ninth started with another Grizz solo home run.  The game ended on a double play for the second inning in a row.  13-10 Chihuahuas was the final.  I think the fans at the park got their money’s worth.  I forgot to check the results of the Salt Lake game afterward.  Here’s a quick explanation for how the Chihuahuas nearly blew a 10-run lead: four errors and a few other gaffes.  Manager Rod Barajas probably lit the team up after this win.  Expect some extra fielding drills tomorrow guys.

8-30-17
Crap.  Tonight’s Diablos/Grizzlies game was really the one game I wanted to go to this season, since they were giving away team card sets.  I couldn’t find any when I was there earlier this season.  Since this was also going to be the last appearance of the Diablos this season, their jerseys were going to be auctioned off after the game.  Hmm.  I wonder that worked out, given how the game went.  Carlos Correa was sent to Double-A, ostensibly to get him closer to the big league team, but maybe because he almost got re-injured last night.  Opera singer, Maria Sandoval, sang a great anthem.  They should use her every night (when the opera isn’t performing, of course).

Things started off quietly enough compared to yesterday.  In the first, Franchy Cordero launched his bat into shallow right field and into a wall on a bad swing.  What’s with these guys losing their bats lately?  The Diablos loaded the bases in the second, but didn’t get any runs.  In the third, the Grizzlies got their first baserunners and ended up leaving two on.

In the bottom of the third, Tim Hagerty was joined by one of the sponsors in the booth.  He’s a season ticket holder and a big fan of the team.  Franchy tossed another bat.  This one went into the stands.  However, him and then Hunter Renfroe both got on with two outs.  Christian Villanueva (whose name I’ve inexplicably been getting wrong for the last couple of weeks, sorry, I've corrected it where I could) drove them both in on a double, 2-0 Diablos.  The sponsor, a long time El Paso baseball fan, reminded everyone of what Paul Strelzin would say, “Who scores more runs with two outs?”  I actually heard that in person once.  Tim, again, really wished he could have heard Paul call a game at the Dudley Dome.  (The place probably exists more pleasantly in your imagination than in reality, Tim.  Trust me.)

In the fourth, the Grizz got three on with no outs.  They came away with a run on a double play, but that was all, 2-1.  In the bottom, the Diablos scored on a double and a single with two outs, 3-1.  Then the wheels came off in the fifth.  The Grizz got their first run of the inning after an 11 pitch at bat drove in a run.  That was the first of six runs in the inning, 7-3 Grizzlies.  At this point, I got busy with work and, given the score, I kind of mentally tuned out.  The teams would trade runs in the sixth and seventh to make the score 8-4.

I completely missed the eighth when Diego Goris hit a two-run homer to make the score 8-6.  He did it off of a pitcher who hadn’t given up a run in his time in Triple-A.  (I think.  I wasn’t taking notes at the time.)  The bottom of the ninth had my full attention.  Jumbo Diaz came in to close out the game for the Grizz.  According to Tim, he’s one of the largest individuals to have ever played professional baseball.  “Jumbo” likely isn’t his given name, but it is the actual listed name he goes by.  Now I’m really sorry I missed this game.  The crowd got into it.  On one big foul ball, a nearby fan in the stands tried to wave it fair.  Tim was amused.  Hunter Renfroe came to the plate with a runner on.  He’s only hitting over .500 since being sent down, but Jumbo hadn’t given up a home run all year. . . until tonight.  Renfroe’s two-run homer tied the game, 8-8.  Tim and the crowd went nuts.  We went to extras.

From here, both teams would have their chances as the game went on, but nobody scored for the next four innings.  By this time, Salt Lake’s game, which had started an hour after this one started, had finished.  They came from behind and won, thus making the outcome of this game even more important.

Finally, we got to the bottom of the fourteenth.  Tim reported that the crowd had thinned out, but it still sounded like a good, lively bunch.  You could even hear kids cheering, though it was a school night.  There was even a great fan catch that got the attention of the dugouts and the rest of the crowd.  Tony Cruz had come into the game and got a hit in his first at bat.  Travis Jankowski followed that with another hit.  Cruz went from first to third, in a heads up play that may have made all the difference.  Chase d’Arnaud came to the plate and rapped a single.  Tony Cruz trotted home for the win, 9-8.  That was the longest game in park history at 14 innings and 4 hours 33 minutes.  (They’d played another 14 inning game this season in Albuquerque, but I can’t remember when.)  Great job by the Diablos' relief core.  No change in the standings for another day.