NM State Aggies vs ASU Sundevils Volleyball 9-3-23 Part 1

Mari Sharp Guns Up!

 

Okay, wait.  I’m at another Sundevils game?  Where am I?  I know Arizona State is in Arizona, but I don’t even know where in Arizona.  Did AD Moccia win a bet with the ASU AD?  Or perhaps the other way around given the results.

 

I hate to say it, I’m actually glad Ron isn’t here for this game.  I could already hear him, “We’re gonna lose.  You ready to lose?”  Oh wait that was what Coach Jordan Friday when asked about today’s game.  I’m not really kidding here either.  He was more than pessimistic in the postgame interview.  Ron would have said it too, though.    

 

Admittedly, I was wondering if I should be going to Aggie Soccer if I wanted a better chance of seeing an Aggie win.  Annoyingly, their game against the Pacific Tigers was scheduled at the same time.  You couldn’t have started one game a little earlier or a little later?  Both games also had the bucket hat giveaway.  But, I had to support Aggie Volleyball playing a Power 5 opponent (and it was indoors and not in 98-degree heat with some humidity).  And there was another reason.   

 

Dad actually came with me today.  I’d been asking if he’d want to go for a few years.  Obviously, I think highly of the sport and thought he might like it.  For whatever reason (probably didn’t have anything better to do), he said he might want to go the day before and carried through with it.

 

At the ticket office, I ran into Team Operations Director, Tatyana Battle.  I was reluctant to bother her there as she was busy and in a rush.  At the window, I got a ticket for dad and a surprise.  It was $10.  That’s double the usual.  (Now, I was regretting inviting him.)        

We were there way early.  In spite of the surprise ticket price, I was expecting a really good crowd (which it was at over 1200).  In fact, we got tickets and got in right before a whole team of middle school volleyball players came in.  (More on them later.)  The main reason to get there early today was for the reversible bucket hat giveaway.  Yes, I have a Chihuahuas one, but not an Aggie one.  Dad wasn’t interested, but changed his mind when he saw it.  They are rather sharp.  (Taty was right there again, talking to some boosters.  I still didn’t have the opportunity to say, “Hi.”)  There was also a new schedule card with a sweet team picture, which I’ll put up in the next post. 

 

The suites were open today, but I never saw anyone up there.  Dad and I strolled around the concourse before taking our seats.  There was radio today.  I noticed setter Peyton Castillo limping around without a crutch, but broadcast Adam Young said she was done for the year.  He also mentioned that ASU was currently 5-0 having beaten the USF Dons in four sets yesterday.

 

Seated, Dad nudged me and asked if I still knew how to juggle.  That was an odd question.  (The answer is “Yes.”  Once you know how to juggle, it’s like learning to ride a bike.  You don’t forget.)  He pointed out Assistant Coaches Whitis and Hertel were trying to demonstrate juggling with the souvenir volleyballs for Peyton and Mia Daniel.  I restrained myself from going down there to help, since I don’t think they knew how to do it. 

 

While the girls warmed up on court, the camera kept focusing on Maggie Lightheart.  I approved (and somebody else has a crush on her apparently).  The team looked a little grim on court.  They did not look loose and happy.  Meanwhile, grad assistant Molly Johnson was looking very sharp and classy today. 

 

The middle school girls came in and sat down around us.  (I saw that coming, but still wanted to sit in my usual spot.)  Their indefatigable cheering and dancing was a source of entertainment for the rest of the match.  They went crazy (for the first time) during player introductions.  The lights turned off and crimson lights bathed the arena for the intros, which was new.  I didn’t see any bucket hats with the girls.  They might have gotten stiffed on them.  However, a couple of them did catch the souvenir volleyballs tossed by the starters. 

 

I’ll go ahead and take a quick pregame interlude to go over some other Aggie Sports.  Soccer won their game 3-1.  Adam did a scoring update during the volleyball game, but didn’t give the final score.  There were nearly 600 there for it.  Sydnee Johnson, after her ejection a couple of games ago, came back with a vengeance today.  She had a goal and an assist, though she also got a yellow card.  Goalie Valerie Guha, who had been injured, came back into goal late and had a save.     

 

In Football Saturday night, the Aggies beat Western Illinois 58-21.  They are a lower level FCS school, so this was expected.  It was close before the Aggies completely blew them out in the second half.  Let’s hope this gives the team some confidence. 

 

Set 1

Ryleigh Whitekettle started the game off with a kill on the line.  Sydney McIntosh took a swing that was called out, but Coach Jordan challenged and got it overturned.  Good call by the coach.  Syd then racked up a couple more kills to make it 3-1 Aggies.  The team was now looking loose and playing sharp. 

 

6-2 Aggies, ASU challenged a touch call on a block.  It was overturned, 5-3.  The next point had several thrilling tips at the net before Starr fired out.  Syd put up another kill.  Alex Connatser and Rilen Garcia came in.  Kacia Brown fired a fastball that got a touch for a kill.  7-6 Aggies, ASU blocked out Starr.  They were obviously focusing on her and Ryleigh.

 

Coach Jordan was up and out on the court coaching.  He’s mostly been on the bench prior to this.  Behind him, Adam had to stand up and look around him to call the game.  I could occasionally hear the coach through Adam’s mic.  ASU aced to tie it at 7.  ASU went up a couple of points.  Ry had an out swing.  The coach nearly challenged.  After an ASU service error, the Aggies tied it at 11.  Darian Markham had a massive dig on the play.  The teen girls loved it whenever there was a great dig on court. 

 

Ryleigh tied it up at 12, but did it with a softball kill this time.  (It’s not always about hitting it hard, but hitting it where they ain’t.)  Kacia got a kill, but the Aggies fell behind 15-13 ASU.  After the Media timeout, Kacia got another kill, but then immediately served out.  16-15 ASU, Rilen set Alex for a kill.  Alex and Mari then teamed up for a block to tie it at 16.  (Redshirt freshman Alex is ready for primetime.)  Ry then tooled a block to give the Aggies a 17-16 lead.  Timeout ASU.

 

As you might expect, the teen girls went crazy for the t-shirt toss in the break.  Marta Levinska, star hitter on ASU, hit out to make it 18-16 Aggies.  To this point, she only had four attack errors and no kills.  ASU challenged a touch and got the overturn to tie it at 18.  Mari Sharp got her first kill to retake the lead for the Aggies.  Alex came out and Coach Whitis had her sit down with him to talk.  It’s a good sign that they think she’s coachable. 

 

Meanwhile, Mari blocked Lavinska.  The ASU hitter came back with her first two kills to tie it at 20.  Ryleigh then got a kill off a block and then got another that bounced off three defenders, 22-20 Aggies.  It was even an off-balance “excuse me” swing on that second kill.  Timeout ASU.  The teen girls stood and waved to get on camera in the break. 

 

Out of the break, Ry got another kill off a block after a long rally.  Mari laid out in a full Superman to get a dig on the point.  Of course the point was challenged.  (I’m seeing a trend here.)  Actually, ASU was out of timeouts, so this might have been a delaying tactic.  The teens began a “Let’s go Aggies!” chant.  The challenge was denied, but Mari served into the net so it broke the run anyway.  Sydney put in another kill to get to set point.  Starr finished it as she hit the tape on a swing and it rolled over for a kill.  25-21 Aggies.

 

Continued in Part 2, because this ran long. 

NM State Aggies vs University of San Francisco Dons Volleyball 9-1-23

Aleka Darko styling.

After the afternoon game between UTEP and ASU and a dinner trip to McDonald’s, I returned to the Pan Am Center for this evening’s game between the Aggies and the University of San Francisco Dons.  The first stop was to the bathroom to relieve some of the three Dr. Peppers I had just downed.  There I ran into broadcaster Adam Young.  I had the opportunity to congratulate him on his new son.  Adam was beaming with pride.  Good for him.

 

Adam was providing the radio call for this match.  His scouting report on the Dons was that they were 0-25 two years ago, but had since improved greatly.  Also, oddly, the liberos on both teams were from McKinney, Texas (different high schools).  He talked a bit about the new volleyball floor.  The Teraflex overlay provides some cushioning for the players that the basketball surface doesn’t.

 

I did a quick recap of Volleyball’s California trip with my Soccer recap.  Unfortunately, setter Peyton Castillo was on crutches on the sidelines.  She’d seem to won the job as the secondary, but luckily the team has three other options this year.  (Junior Aspen Aldous seems to be the doghouse, which surprises me from what I saw of her playing.)  The good news from the trip was that libero Darian Markham was not only fine (I was worried she was injured), she was excellent.  She was named the C-USA Volleyball defensive player of the week and led the country in digs per set.          

 

The crowd was good at over 1100.  It was no Nebraska Volleyball game with 92k in their football stadium, like happened earlier this week, but the Aggie crowd was pretty enthusiastic. The Aggies were wearing black today, which is usually their road color.  Coach Jordan had the team in a pregame huddle.  They were all listening intently and nodding. 

 

Volleyball finally put out a schedule poster for this game.  Mari Sharp was featured on it.  My copy got accidently mashed by another fan, but I’ll post a picture later.  During player introductions, Mari was on camera and was totally caught off guard when her name was called.  It was cute.        

 

Set 1

Ryleigh Whitekettle got the game started off well with a kill for the first point of the match.  However, the Aggies would be firing out early.  The scoreboard also stopped working after a couple of points.  The old south auxiliary scoreboard did keep the correct score.  The Dons went up 6-2 after a double touch call on setter, Bianca Perez.  Timeout Aggies.

 

USF increased their lead with a block on Starr Williams and an ace.  8-3 USF, Rilen Garcia came in to set along with Alex Connatser.  The redshirt freshman middle blocker is definitely well-liked by the coach.  Alex looks kind of inexperienced on the floor at times, but she’s tall and can jump.  It seems like she needs some more mass on her to play at the net.  (Alex is cute as heck, regardless.) 

 

9-4 USF, Darian got a rare kill after an overpass from her just dropped over the net untouched.  She also nearly dove headfirst into a sideline table going for a ball on another point.  Rilen hooked up Starr for a kill to get to 10-7 USF.  Starr then came out for Ryleigh.  The both of them were not playing together at first.  Ry was still having trouble finding her range with 3 attack errors to this point and getting solo blocked twice.      

 

14-8 USF, Mari Sharp got a kill.  That got the crowd and the team going briefly.  USF went on another run, but Sydney McIntosh broke it up with a kill, 17-9.  There was an insane rally a couple of points later, 17-11.  Darian had two great saves on the point, before Mari finished it with a kill.  Ashley Herman, our favorite team cheerleader, came in for a couple of points. 

 

Coach Jordan challenged a point and it was overturned, 18-14.  Bianca talked to the team on court during the break.  Starr tooled a block on the next point, but USF took the next points leading to an Aggie timeout, 21-15.  The Dons took another point, but Mari made an incredible one-handed jumping save to keep the point going.  Morgan Stewart came in with Bella Castro at 23-16.  Together with Rilen that put three “smalls” on court.  The Dons would take the set 25-18.

 

Set 2: Dons 1, Aggies 0

After three Dr. Peppers an hour ago, one trip to the bathroom was not enough.  I went for an epic wee between sets.  Ryleigh and Starr were joined by Aleka Darko in starting the set.  Starr and Aleka combined on a block on the second point of the set.  Kaylee Peterson came in to serve.  Aleka made a solo block, Ry had a kill, and Mari had a block.  The Dons got whistled for four touches and took a timeout at 6-1.

 

The Aggies had a double touch to side out and USF had a solo block before Ry had a tip kill.  8-6 Bella came in to serve.  She was in with the small lineup with Kaylee and Darian.  The Dons made a great off-court save at 10-6, though the Aggies took the point.  Mari had a kill, Kacia Brown had a stuff, and Kacia and Bianca combined on a block to make it 13-9 Aggies.

 

The scoreboard was working again (except for the player stats, as usual).  17-12 Bianca got in a dump shot.  That was a rare thing for this whole weekend.  I didn’t even see more than a couple of attempts.  Ry came in with Starr and Aleka for a “big” lineup.  18-12 Starr made an Ole’ kill and USF took a timeout.  Ryleigh put in two kills, one off a touch.  Starr got a kill off a touch.  Mari had a block.  Kaylee had an ace.  Mari had another kill to bring the Aggies to set point, and Darian finished it with an ace.  It was all Aggies, 25-14.       

 

Set 3: Dons 1, Aggies 1

There was nothing wrong with my McDonald’s meal, but I think ate it too fast and had too many Dr. Peppers with it.  It was not sitting well.  It kept threatening to come up, and I kept (excuse me) farting.  It was trying to come out everywhere.  I was a bit uncomfortable.    

 

I noticed my favorite (I’m calling it here), freshman Maggie Lightheart, carrying equipment as the teams exchanged ends.  When the Men’s Basketball team hazing scandal broke, I was thinking this was the kind of hazing that was going on.  Actually, Maggie probably volunteered or was told by a coach to take stuff. 

 

The crowd was loud to start.  Ryleigh gave them something to cheer for.  She started off the set with a couple of kills and a block with Kacia.  Once again, the coach put in the small line up early.  USF went on a run, but Kacia got a kill to tie it at 4.  Starr came back in and Aleka joined her to have five “bigs” in.  The Aggies retook the lead, 7-5, with an ace by Kacia, but then served out.  This was followed by the Dons mishitting a serve and then an Aggie net serve.  It’s contagious.

 

Ryleigh tied it at 9 with a kill and then added a tip kill.  She added a block with Aleka to make it 11-9 Aggies.  Two service errors in a row followed.  (The coaches had to be restrained.)  USF challenged a touch and the call was overturned to tie it at 12.  Mari came on with a pair of kills, one at the feet of a defender and one between blockers.  15-13 Aggies, Kacia and Bianca combined on a block.  Media timeout.

 

The lead increased to 17-13 as two Don players collided and went down.  USF took a timeout, but the girls were okay.  The Dons went on a run as the Aggies made a couple of errors.  Timeout with the Aggies leading 18-17.  USF tied it at 18 on a net violation.  Anji Vishwanathan came in.  The Dons then took a 19-18 lead on a kill and Coach Jordan took another timeout.  He gave a short, angry speech in the huddle.  Kacia brought the team in and hopefully said something encouraging. 

 

Ashley and Rilen came in.  Rilen set Starr for a kill at 20-19 USF, then Bianca served out.  Starr pounded one to get the deficit down to one.  Ry did the same at 22-21 USF.  The Aggies made three good saves, but the Dons took the point at 23-21.  Ryleigh got a kill off two blockers, her twelfth, 23-22.  Bella came in and, once again, there were three smalls in. 

 

USF got to set point, 24-22, on a four touches call.  Coach Jordan challenged the call and also got a yellow card in the process.  He sent Mari to talk to the up official briefly.  The crowd broke into a “Let’s go Aggies!” chant.  The challenge was denied, though the officials did confer afterward.  A USF ace ended the set, 25-22.  The coach was still arguing the call afterward.

 

Set 4: Dons 2, Aggies 1

The team huddled by itself and Kacia once again took charge.  Some of the crowd thinned out, but the rest were loud as the PA played Enter Sandman.  The Aggies got off to a good start again with a solo block by Mari and a kill by Ryleigh.  At 3-0 Aggies, USF took a timeout.  They came back and tied it at 3, before side outing on an out serve.

 

Syd made two kills for a two-point lead.  USF came back.  Starr made a swing into the net to tie it at 6 and the Dons followed with an ace.  Starr tied it at 7 with a kill.  It was challenged, but denied.  Rilen served long to put the Dons back in the lead.  They got an overpass dunk to make it 9-7 USF.  Starr and Mari had kills to tie it at 9.  The Dons went back to the lead, but Starr had a wide open kill and then an ace on the backline to tie it at 11. 

 

USF had two service errors in a row on their serve to tie it at 13.  Ryleigh tooled a block to put the Aggies up, then USF blocked to regain the lead.  Ry made a kill that hit the USF coach on the head to tie it at 15.  (He was fine.)  The Aggies went up 16-15 off a kill by Starr, her fourteenth.  She killed it on the next point, and then again to tie it at 18.  Starr couldn’t be blocked. 

 

The fans next to me were really into the game.  They must have had money on it.  USF retook the lead, though their libero, Abby Wadas, hit her head on a teammate’s knee.  She was shaken up, but stayed in.  (Every time I heard her name called on the radio, I thought Adam was saying “Juarez” with an accent.)  Alex got a big block to tie it at 19.  She showed a bunch of emotion.  Bella came in to serve and unfortunately put it into the net.  The Aggies were then called for a net violation.  Coach Jordan challenged and the call was overturned.

 

Ryleigh made a kill down the line to tie it at 20.  USF blocked out.  Ry got a big kill off Wadas to put the Aggies up 22-20.  Timeout USF.  Ryleigh took over with another kill and a tip kill.  The Dons had a net serve to end it.  25-22 Aggies.  

Morgan, Rilen, and Maggie cheer on the team.

Set 5: Dons 2, Aggies 2

The Dons came right back with a kill on the sideline.  Mari buried one to tie it and the crowd was jacked up.  USF blocked Ryleigh, but Sydney came back with a kill, 3-2 Aggies.  A double touch on Bianca tied it at 3.  The coach argued and received another yellow card. 

 

The Aggies went back up on a kill by Starr.  Wadas made a valiant one-handed save attempt.  Kacia got a kill.  Wadas was totally selling out and nearly went headfirst into the press table going after it.  Kacia served up an ace.  A net violation by USF put the Aggies up by 3. 

 

Starr made a kill inside the block, but USF blocked the next shot to make it a two-point Aggie lead.  The Don’s net served to make it a three-point lead again.  Bianca then served long.  Both teams kept trading service errors.  Ry then came up with a kill that was blocked out.  Kacia and Syd combined for a block.  11-7 Aggies.  Timeout USF.

 

Mari put one into the net, but Kacia came back with an authoritative kill.  12-9 Darian served long, but then USF did the same.  (This is brutal.)  USF then made an attack error.  Finally, Alex and Starr combined on a block to finish it.  Aggies took the set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.  Whew!

 

Coach Jordan gave the girls a serious talk in the huddle, but they celebrated afterward.  In the postgame interview, the coach wasn’t happy with their performance, but did like the team’s grit.  Some of the team came up into the stands.  Starr went over to her family.  All 6’3” of her sat in her dad’s lap and hugged him like a little girl.  Awww. 

 

Ryleigh Whitekettle led all scorers with 20 kills.  Starr Williams had 18 (and we’re as proud of her as her dad is) and Mari Sharp had 10 kills.  Bianca Perez had 40 assists from the setter position.  Darian Markham, Mari Sharp, and Bianca all had double digit digs.  For the Dons, Astrid Puig led with 11 kills.  Lindsay Oldendorf had 10 kills and 5 blocks (match leader), and also had three players with double digit digs.  Serving-wise, USF had 5 aces with 12 errors, while the Aggies had 5 aces with 11 errors.  (It was a crap-show for both teams serving.)

 

This was a gritty win.  In spite of the Aggies’ talent, serving is an issue and the blocking isn’t quite there.  Ryleigh and Starr look like the stars they should be.  Bianca looked really good in support.  I’d hesitate to call anyone a natural (Juliana Salnoa comes to mind), but Alex Connatser can really play.  Even with her inexperience, she is no liability on court. 

 

After two games, I was a little spent, but still managed to write up the previous game when I got home.  I did not have a stomach ache when I went to bed late, but nonetheless I had two vivid nightmares about my previous two jobs.  Again, I don’t blame the McDonald’s meal, but I may not go there again for a while.  

Here's our star players: Starr and Ryleigh.  

UTEP Miners vs ASU Sundevils Volleyball 9-1-23

Deanna Almaguer

 

Wait.  Didn’t we just play the Sundevils?  And who are these girls they’re playing?  What sport are we playing here?  Where am I? 

 

It was a Biden moment.  Thursday night I was running a trouble-filled month end processing at work and was convinced the whole time it was Friday.  I was also missing out on Aggie Soccer playing Incarnate Word for their tribute game to Thalia Chaverria.  Coach Baarts even colored his hair purple for her.  On the other hand, it was a nil-nil draw.  I sort of felt like I dodged a bullet.  (Since they aren’t doing overtime anymore, can college soccer please start doing shootouts for tie games, please?) 

 

I was taking off today so I could see a couple of Volleyball matches at the Pan-Am Center.  For this Borderland Invitational tournament, games were being split between El Paso and Las Cruces.  I don’t know why ASU wasn’t playing the Miners in El Paso.  (They will be playing the University of San Francisco there.)  As long as they were both here, it was a good opportunity to scout a couple of future Aggie opponents and maybe see some good volleyball.

 

I wasn’t the only one.  Aggie Associate Head Coach Whitis was sitting on the sidelines scouting the teams.  My preliminary analysis sitting in the stands was that ASU looked big and UTEP looked lean.  The Miners were also wearing something like muscle t-shirts and had loose arm sleeves.  The crowd was light.  It was a mix of Miner fans, some ASU fans, and some Aggie regulars (I guess that’s me, too).  The partisan fans were vocal cheerers.  The Aggies fans (including myself) were sort of rooting on UTEP.  Officially, it was over 200, but it looked like more. 

 

Also present was the sexy Asian line judge.  Today she was all smiles, so she was having a better day than last time.  Broadcaster Adam Young was here.  He would be doing the Aggie game later on radio.  He was also helpful.  ASU player, Geli (Jelly) Cyr went over to him to borrow a Sharpie, which he provided.  The bus driver, probably for ASU, came in nearby to watch the match.  AD Mario Moccia walked by and we shared a friendly wave. 

 

There was no Anthem.  The players and the crowd stood, but it never happened.  There was a young PA guy, whom I don’t think I’d heard before.  He did a good job for the match.  The only faux pas was nearly forgetting to mention Miner Coach Wallis during the introductions.     

 

Set 1

While ASU looked bigger, UTEP did block for the first point of the match.  ASU came back with a kill anyway.  The Miner reserves were loud.  The ASU reserves were chanting “O-U-T!  Out!” on out swings, at least at first.  2-2 the first long rally of the match and UTEP took it.  The ASU fans piped up as the Miners went up 5-3.  The UTEP libero, Alyssa Sianez, had a bump kill that got past ASU libero, Mary Shroll. 

 

Both teams were hustling making off-court saves.  Both teams also got called for being out-of-rotation.  (I think, if I was interpreting the down official correctly.)  The staff attempted to show player stats on the scoreboard, but it was showing the wrong names.  Nobody can figure it out how to use the new scoreboard for volleyball. 

 

UTEP had a slim lead midway, but Claire Jeter tied it at 15 for ASU with a dunk on an overpass.  She was easy to spot on court.  She was the tallest and probably biggest player.  UTEP’s block combo came back to get the lead, but Jeter came back with a solo block.  She followed that up with another dunk to give ASU the lead, 17-16.  After a Sundevil ace that just nipped the corner on the next point, UTEP took a timeout. 

 

The University of San Francisco Dons team came to watch the game.  UTEP beat them in El Paso yesterday and the Aggies would be playing them tonight.  Kaya Weaver made an authoritative kill to get the Miners within 1, but ASU pulled ahead and held.  They rattled off the last 5 points.  25-18 ASU.  I think UTEP was called for a lift on the last point.

 

Set 2: ASU 1, UTEP 0

The teams changed ends.  They hadn’t been doing that the last couple of years.  ASU ran up a 5-2 lead with a couple of blocks.  Shakira LaCour had a kill for UTEP to make it 6-3.  ASU made an off-court save on the point.  7-4 Jeter was stuffed on a swing, but then got a dunk to finish the point. 

 

UTEP came back to tie it at 7 with an ace.  ASU immediately regained the lead with Roberta Rabelo slapping down an overpass.  Jeter served into the net at 11-8 ASU, but UTEP served long right after.  It’s contagious.  The Miners took a timeout losing 13-8 and another TO down 17-9.  UTEP seemed to be putting out the reserves for the rest of the set.  ASU took it 25-12.  The Aggie fight song inappropriately played for the halftime break.

 

Set 3: ASU 2, UTEP 0

In the break, they advertised free popcorn with the purchase of a large drink on Fridays.  Unfortunately, I had other food plans this evening.  The Miners went off court and up the tunnel.  They let out a howl and came back out on court cheering.  ASU stayed on court.  The Dons left to get ready for their game.

 

The Miners came back with some inspired play.  They went out to a 3-1 lead after an ace off the tape.  ASU came back within 1, down 5-4.  The hot line judge was nearly taken out on the last swing of the point.  UTEP rebuilt the lead with an ace.  ASU took a timeout down 8-4. 

 

UTEP came out of the break with a net serve, but Kaya made a couple of hard-hit kills to make it a 3-point lead.  ASU made a kill on an overpass, but UTEP maintained their lead with a popup kill that landed in next to the up official.  ASU closed to within a point.  UTEP blocking stopped one swing, but a follow up shot was a kill.  Jeter had a kill to tie it at 11. 

 

UTEP regained the lead after a big kill and then a foul on ASU.  A controversial net violation call on the Miners after a long rally got ASU to within a point again.  At least the Miner fans booing indicated it was controversial, but UTEP kept coming.  After a kill through a block and a tip kill, ASU took a timeout down 4.  The Miners were jacked. 

 

Up 18-14, UTEP won a long rally.  They had to make several saves on the play to win it.  Sara Pustahija made a solo block to make it 19-15 Miners.  They were the first to 20 with a block.  Next they had a facial kill.  (The receiving ASU player wasn’t hurt.)  The other line official accidentally got in the way of an off-court save attempt.  The point was replayed.  (A nice feature of volleyball.)  Another UTEP block ended it as they took the set 25-19.

 

Set 4: ASU 2, UTEP 1

AD Herb Taylor chatted up the hot line ref in the break.  What can I say?  He’s a silver stud.  Coach Whitis talked to two of the ball girls.  I wonder if they’re his teen daughters.  One of the girls was wearing sunglasses the whole time.  Given new brighter lights in the Pan-Am Center that’s not a bad fashion choice. 

 

Before the set started, I noticed Mattie Gantt doing a hand jive with one of the UTEP assistant coaches.  I’m not sure if she does it all of the time, but it reminded me of our Ashley Herman slapping hands with all of the Aggie coaches and players before the start of a set.

 

UTEP challenged a play early in the set, but Coach Wallis was denied.  Still, the Miners went up 4-1.  ASU came back to tie it at 4 with a kill on the back line and then took the lead.  Kaya got a straight down kill to get the Miners back to within a point.  From there, ASU started to takeover.  9-7 ASU Marta Levinska got a kill.  She’s good.  I finally heard her name called enough that I could figure that out. 

 

11-8 ASU, the Miners had some great blocking on this point, but the Sundevils still got the kill and nearly took out the up official on the swing.  UTEP called a timeout down 12-8.  It didn’t help.  An ASU ace punctuated a run to 15-8.  On the next point, ASU had an overpass kill that was hit hard enough to send the front line Miner players running for cover.  UTEP finally broke the run, but they were down 18-9 by that point.  ASU rattled off a couple more aces.  They took the final point, 25-10, and the match, 3-1, off of a long rally. 

 

The Miners went down fighting and were playing their hearts out.  Never underestimate Coach Wallis’ ability to rally his team and hype them up for a match.  For the Sundevils, I hate to say this, I don’t think they were really playing that hard.  I think they have another gear to go to against harder opponents.  They maybe got a little lax and were surprised in the third set, assuming they were still going to win it.   

 

Here’s your stats.  For ASU, Roberta Rabelo led all scorers with 15 kills.  Geli Cyr had 13 and Marta Levinska had 12.  Shannon Shields led everyone with 41 assists.  For UTEP, Alianza Darley led with 9 kills.  Alyssa Sianez led everyone with 11 digs. 

               

I enjoyed the match, even if it was a bit of an overmatch.  I appreciated that it ended with over an hour before the Aggie game was about to start, which allowed me to hop across the street to McDonald’s for dinner.  A squirrel darted in front of me on the way there, but I didn’t take it as a good or ill omen. 

 

I’m not much for McDonald’s, but it was that or the Concessions.  (Dominos is also there across the street, but there wasn’t enough time to get a sandwich there and they don’t sell chips or fries for their sandwiches, thus you need to eat them at home.)  The McCripsy chicken sandwich looked reasonable in the pictures.  It was one of the better chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had at McDonald’s, but that isn’t saying much.  Chik-fil-a and Popeye’s have no reason to be concerned. 

 

Their fries were good and their ice cream machine was working, so I had a McFlurry, which was adequate like the rest of the meal.  It was also all overpriced.  I should mention it was cold inside of Pan-Am Center.  Along with the ice cream, I drank three cups of cold Dr. Pepper.  By the end of the meal, I was shivering almost uncontrollably.  I’d also probably eaten too quickly.  I returned to the arena for the **Aggie game,** in a rather bloated condition.        

Baseball Journal August 2023

 Or thereabouts.  This was just a convenient stopping point to make a post.  The Chihuahuas have continued fading in the second half, so I’ve only been keeping up with them sporadically.  MLB.TV hasn’t been doing daily free games lately.  They had a Saturday with all free games, but I was busy and none of the match ups that day were all that great.  Not to mention, Aggie Sports have started up.  Also, the Rangers have swooned, so I’m a bit depressed about baseball.     

 

8-8-23

In an otherwise forgettable 18-1 loss to Sugarland by the Chihuahuas today, Jantzen Witte was a highlight.  The outfielder pitching was at least interesting.  He had a 33 mph eephus pitch that didn’t register on the pitch tracker.  Unfortunately, the hitters weren’t as fooled, as he gave up 4 runs in the ninth.   

 

8-9-23

Michael Lorenzen pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies.  He thanked the fans for giving him encouragement late in the game.  A few days ago, Trea Turner, who’s been slumping all season, was given a standing ovation there.  He rewarded them with a three-run homer later in the game.  Okay, what’s happened to the Philly Fans and who are these people in the stands in Philadelphia?  At this rate, I may have to bury my Philly Fan impersonation.  Boooooo!

 

While that was going on, I was watching the Blue Jays play the Indians.  (MLB.TV had a live look-in of the no-hitter ending.)  The Jays won 1-0 off of a solo home run by George Springer in the first.  He fought off 13 pitches before homering.  

 

8-12-23

Brett Sullivan slammed a line drive homer into the scoreboard tonight against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.  Later in the game, with the score 18-11, broadcaster Tim Hagerty noted that with the double digit scores you could see that some bulbs had been broken in the display.  (Admittedly, I only listened to about an inning.  I was listening to the Rangers winning against the Giants.)         

 

Meanwhile in other games I didn’t see, the Braves swept a double header against the Mets, 21-3 and 6-0.  These two teams were supposed to be fighting each other for the division all season.  Further west, the Orioles beat the Mariners 1-0 in ten innings.  That must have been like a playoff game.

 

8-13-23

I came into today’s Rangers/Giants’ game late.  The Giants were leading 1-0 through 8 and 2/3 innings.  Thanks to an error and some hustle, the Rangers managed to score the tying run.  In the 10-th, the Rangers took the lead off of a runner being balked in from third.  Even the Ranger announcers seemed to be skeptical of the call.  In the bottom with the automatic runner on second and two outs, the Giants hit a two-run homer to suddenly win the game.  Matt Hicks was nearly in shock calling the game-winner.  I was disappointed, but it didn’t seem like the Rangers deserved to win today.  Like I used to hear said on Aggie Basketball, “Ball don’t lie.” 

 

8-16-23

I chose badly.  I listened to the Rangers lose 2-0 to Angels.  They were no hit for 7 innings.  This reminded me too much of Sunday’s game.  The Rangers are still doing well.  The problem seems to be me listening.

 

I should have listened to the Chihuahuas versus the Isotopes.  I noticed that they were up 10-4 in the second and didn’t start listening until late in the game.  The pups won 20-7!  They had an 8-run second inning, which included Ray-Patrick Didder hitting two home runs!  Brandon Dixon had a heck of a night with three homers and 8 RBI’s.  The wind was blowing out, but only when the Chihuahuas were batting apparently.

 

Broadcaster Tim Hagerty mentioned the crowd size the previous night.  The Isotopes are actually one of the biggest draws in Minor League baseball (and have one of the biggest MILB ballparks).  He seemed a little dismissive and wondered if there was a special promotion going on.  I checked.  There wasn’t and they’re not that great a team either.  Perhaps Tim should be asking the staff there what they’re doing to get the turnout.

 

8-18-23

The Angels got a grand slam from Shohei Ohtani and turned a triple play in the ninth and yet still lost to the Rays today.  Meanwhile in St. Louis, highly touted prospect, Masyn Winn, made his debut for the Cardinals.  He collected his first hit on an infield single, which Pete Alonso of Mets promptly threw into the stands . . . for real.  I’ve seen players fake doing this to freak out the rookie.  Pete apologized profusely to Winn and the media afterward.  He just had a “brain fart,” as he put it.  Also, since this happened in St. Louis, the receiving fan did give back the ball in exchange for some gear.

 

8-19-23

I tuned in late to the Chihuahuas vs Isotopes tonight, since I was late getting back from Aggie Volleyball.  I didn’t miss much as they were scoreless through 7 innings.  After that 20-run game (and Chihuahuas’ pitching in general) on Wednesday, this was hard to believe.  There was a hard wind blowing, but it must have been blowing in.

 

In the top of eighth, Brett Sullivan called time, but was still hit on the knee by a pitch.  The players started jawing at each other and a Chihuahuas player was ejected.  Sullivan was not given first, because time was called before he was hit.  He drew a walk anyway (painfully).  The pups loaded the bases and scored on a tapper in front of the plate that the catcher dropped. 

 

In the bottom, the Isotopes loaded the bases with no outs.  There was a run on an infield hit and then a grand slam.  The ball got caught in the wind, which must have shifted.  It had an exit velo of only 88mph.  5-3 Isotopes was the final.  The dogs did try to make a bit of a comeback in the ninth.

 

In the afternoon beforehand, I was watching Stadium and saw the Triple-A Worchester Red Sox playing the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders.  I was impressed with the Woo Sox’s facility and the full house there.  (I have also reluctantly praised the Yankee’s affiliate for their stadium.)  The Sox went up 7-1 early, but the Railriders came back.  I was kind of sorry I had to leave for Volleyball before the end.  Curious, I looked up the score after I got back.  The Sox hit a grand slam in the 8-th.  The Railriders scored 4 in the ninth, but fell short.  14-12 Woo Sox final.  The crowd got their money’s worth.

 

8-20-23

Everybody I was rooting for lost today.  The Rangers lost three in a row to the Brewers.  The only possible cause was that I listened to all of those games.  Lucky for them, the Astros ran into a buzzsaw against the Mariners and lost all three of their games to them this weekend.  The teeth of the saw were named Julio Rodriguez, who has gotten 18 hits in five games, which are video game numbers.  (My prediction of his “sophomore slump,” has now expired.)  The AL West is becoming a three-horse race. 

 

The Chihuahuas and Rockies lost, as well.  Annoyingly, everything I wanted to see or listen to today was all on at the same time.  I listened to the Rangers, switched to the pups, and then to the Rox as each game ended.  There was also a Minor League game on Stadium. 

 

An NHRA drag race also came on TV during all of this.  I was kind of excited as Leah Pruett made it to the finals, though things kept getting in the way of me watching.  She lost in the final, but at least it was to Antron Brown, who I also like.  (I didn’t get to hear his winning interview, because I was on the phone.)  And I found out that there was Monkees marathon going on another station, which I might have wanted to watch.  At least, I derived some pleasure from the Yankees losing their eighth game in a row today. 

 

   

8-22-23

What a surprise.  I came into tonight’s Chihuahuas game late (from having to go offsite for a meeting and dinner.)  Suddenly, Daniel Johnson came to bat.  Yes, our former Aggie Baseball star was now playing for the pups.  He’s bounced around a bit from when he played with the Indians.  This was his first game and he made a good impression going 3 for 4 with a home run.  Aggie Sports Twitter was all over it.  They also reported that Kyle Bradish with the Orioles was tied for the ERA lead in the American League.

 

8-25-23

I came in late (this seems to be a recurring theme in this post) to the Tigers versus the Astros on today’s MLB.TV free game, but I think I got the best part.  Framber Valdez tossed a no-hitter for the Astros through his 7 innings, but it was broken up in the eighth off a reliever.  Still, the Tigers were down 1-0 in the ninth.  Strikingly, the fans were standing and cheering for the whole inning and they were rewarded.  Rookie Parker Meadows jacked a walk-off 3-run homer off Ryan Pressley to win the game, 4-1.  (Obviously, the Astros had a bad inning leading up to that shot.)  Meadows had even robbed a homer earlier in the game in the outfield. 

 

8-26-23

There was a Free Saturday on MLB.TV, unfortunately I only really watched one game.  (The matchups this weekend weren’t that great and I was busy with other sports.)  I did watch the end of the Reds versus the Diamondbacks.  The Reds managed to tie the score with 2 runs in the ninth and went on to score 3 in the tenth.  The D-Backs responded with 3 in the bottom of the tenth.  With a runner on third in the top of the 11-th with 2 out, the D-Backs almost wiggled out of it, but an untimely balk brought in what would be the winning run.  Reds win 8-7. 

 

Those two teams are still fighting for NL wild card spots.  Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners are suddenly leading the AL West.  How did this happen?  Didn’t they trade away their closer at the deadline?  Well, going 9-1 in their last 10 games probably helped, while the Rangers went 1-9 in their last 10.  The Rangers won Saturday night, but would lose on Sunday.  The Astros haven’t been able to capitalize and aren’t winning either.

 

8-27-23

I was waiting to go somewhere and caught some of an Indianapolis Indians game on Stadium.  Nick Gonzales had been sent down from the Pirates this month and was back with the Indians.  The game I was watching was a rebroadcast, so at the time I didn’t make note of the particulars of it.  What I did note was that Nick had a great game.  He was 4 for 4 when I left.  This was the other team’s broadcast and by this point, they’d taken notice of him.  They chatted about his epic career at New Mexico State, which pleased me to no end.  Joey Ortiz is also doing well in Triple-A.  Barring injuries to the big league clubs, I think these two will be juicy trade bait in the offseason.