NM State Aggies vs UNLV Rebels Soccer 9-7-23

Mya Hammack poster that is currently on my refrigerator.

I’m still not caught up at work from being gone on Friday.  Taking another day off this week wasn’t a good idea.  This Friday I’m going to be very busy at work.  However, after missing the last two soccer matches, I wanted to see the Soccer girls.  Those missed games have been a nil-nil tie and a 3-1 win respectively. 

 

Today, I only managed to go to Legend Burger (so much for the diet, but it was worth it) and I watched the D&D movie finally.  It had its moments.  There were a bunch of Easter Eggs for the long-time game fans.  (I’m assuming the kids from the 80’s D&D Cartoon escaped the trap they were caught in somehow.)  Hugh Grant and Chris Pine were great. 

 

Otherwise, it wasn’t worthwhile.  I wasn’t thrilled over the rest of the casting and the story was questionable in how the heist was set up.  They made sure to give all the characters motivations and yet, they still felt poorly motivated.  I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it.  I was still pissed off over the OGL thing at the time.  The movie is worth watching once (for free).  If only they’d done a live action movie about the 80’s cartoon.

Mya Hammack and Brooke Schultz looking charming for their interview.

I also listened to a local podcast featuring Mya Hammack (my favorite) and Brooke Schultz.  They talked about their careers and how they got on the team.  They are from the Pacific Northwest and played together up there on a club team in this offseason.  Mya mentioned she’d been converted to defense this year.  I thought I remembered she was an offensive player last year.  She’s also played every minute this season.  Coach Baarts must like her, too.          

 

It was at least a nice night for a game.  It was warm, maybe a little muggy, but there was a cool breeze blowing across the field.  There were some dark, scattered clouds.  It looked like it might have been raining outside of town, but there wasn’t a threat of rain in town.  I went wearing my new Aggie bucket hat.  (I probably looked like an idiot.)  I picked up a tea and popcorn, which would be my dinner after that heavy burger.  The ref waved to me when I came in.  I smiled and nodded.  It was the same ref I’d said I told to have a “good game” at an earlier game.                

 

A good crowd turned out (over 600).  I was worried the NFL Kickoff would take away from it, but even some of the Aggie Football team came.  The UNLV Rebels (I guess they dropped the “Runnin’” part) brought a few fans, including one beautiful blonde that might have been a player’s sister.  She sat somewhere behind me, so she wasn’t a distraction, however another beautiful girl sat in front of me that was a spitting image of KerolSmile, one of my favorite Twitch streamers.  A friend of hers came in and sat next to her, so I didn’t get to meet her, which was probably a good thing.

 

The warmup music was horrible, as usual.  The worst was a sampling/remix of House of Pain’s classic Jump Around.  It was bad and remaking sampled songs is distasteful in and of itself.  Valerie Guha was back starting in goal for the Aggies.  It was strange that she came in as a sub late in the previous game.  Brooke also started the game.  She’d been out with injury this season.  Two of the Rebels were kneelers during the Anthem.  That’s way more embarrassing than my floppy hat.

 

First Half

The Rebels got an early corner, but nothing came of it.  Both teams seemed to be feeling each other out for the first 10 minutes.  38’ left in the half, a hard kicked ball went straight into the stands.  It missed an older woman across the aisle.  Worried it would hit someone behind me, I reached out to deflect the ball, which I did.  It went to the bottom of the stands, where another fan put it back in play.  Ow!  Those balls are hard and that was a hard kick.  I was fine for the rest of the game, though I’m typing this with sore fingers now.  (And they’re still sore the next day, I already had a high degree of appreciation for goalies and that’s only increased now.)

 

36’ Sydnee Johnson made the first real Aggie attack on a rush, which the Rebels’ goalie, Lucia Guemes, fell on.  35’ Mya H. made a nice breakup of an attack and a rear-facing kick.  34’ Ariana Leamons took a high shot on the Rebel’s goal.  Then, disaster!  Right after that shot, a high bouncing goalie kick came down to the Aggies’ end to a Rebel player.  Two defenders were chasing it and Valerie came out to get it, but all they could do was watch helplessly as the ball was chipped into the goal.  Cassie Villanueva was credited with this very soft goal.  1-0 UNLV.

 

The Aggies redoubled on offense.  31’ Jena Johannes took a long shot from the wing.  29’ the Aggies made some good passing on an attack.  Gia Valenti took a shot that went high and wide.  25’ here we go.  Bianca Chacon made a rolling free kick on the outside wing of the Rebels’ box to Gia, who rolled it right past Guemes, 1-1 tied.  I was glad that the Aggies at least wouldn’t be losing because of that first goal. 

 

23’ Villanueva made a blatant grab on Ari’s jersey.  That was an easy yellow card call.  21’ the Rebels took a shot on the wing.  It went high, very high.  I think the wind caught it, as the ball flew into the excavation pit behind the south goal.  19’ there are mass subs for both teams. 

 

17’ Rebel corner kick, Valerie made a good save on the follow up shot that was right in front of the goal that might have been kicked with a knee.  16’ off an Aggie corner, there was a foul in the Rebel box.  I didn’t see the foul, but there was no argument as Bianca was given a penalty kick.  (It was a handball.)  She buried it with anger.  2-1 Aggies. 

 

13’ Tati Jerman and a Rebel player had each other in headlock on the far side of the field.  The ref broke them up.  12’ Aggie corner.  Guemes made two nice saves.  9’ good Aggie passing caught the Rebels off guard.  Shila Rasoul had a nearly open shot on goal.  Guemes managed to cutoff her angle to stop the shot. 

 

4’ a well set up Aggie attack was spoiled by a slip on the turf in the Rebels’ box.  3’ a very hard liner shot on the Aggie goal.  Val caught it, no problem, though I think I felt it from the stands.  1’ Rebel counter against one defender.  The shot went wide across the goal. 

 

Disaster struck again!  With under a minute left, a Rebel free kick at midfield ended up by the Aggie goal.  Two Rebels were right there.  Where were the Aggies?  Heading to the locker room?  Michelle Madrid made a great pass and Marley Salveter headed the ball right in.  Halftime and we were suddenly tied at 2.  Shots on Goal were even at 3 and Corners at 2.  

 

Halftime

I’m glad I wasn’t in the Aggie locker room.  Coach Baarts was probably already planning on letting the team have it for that first goal.  He must have been apoplectic after the second.  Both goalies were warming up during the half, likely glad to be out of earshot of their coaches. 

 

[Annoying Monday Edit: Okay, I was pretty sure I saw that I saw the backup goalies warming up at halftime, which would make sense given the game situation.  However, it’s hard to get the goalie’s number in play, which is why I write it down at the beginning of the match.  They didn’t post the official stats that night, when I wrote out this out, nor the next day.  I went with what stats were posted, which didn’t mention the goalie change, even though I was pretty sure it had happened.  I’ve since edited the post.]

 

The Outlaws Pep Band and the Drum Line performed enthusiastically and . . .  oh my goodness . . .  the Hot Pan Am Girl was there putting the performance on Aggie Social Media.  Be still my heart.  Between her, the two hot girls in the stands, and Mya (and some other girls on the team), I don’t know how I concentrated to take notes.  (I didn’t.  I missed naming all of the goal scorers.  If I got some other names on plays wrong that’s just normal for me.)  PAG was in a black tank top and little black shorts.  After the performance, she walked across the field by herself like a dream.  The Band could have played her out with Dreamweaver.

 

Second Half

The Aggie girls returned to the field still holding their red ears.  Karolanne Lafourtune subbed in for the Aggies in goal and Hanne Breur came in for the Rebels.  I don’t know if I’d necessarily blame either first half goalie for the four total goals, but both coaches probably thought it’d be better to make a change.  43’ Mya H. moved up on offense and took a long shot, which sailed over the Rebel’s goal.  40’ a great pass downfield by Mya Gonzales to Bianca and then to Xitlaly Hernandez, but there was no shot taken.

 

39’ a Rebel attack in the Aggie box was foiled and a corner after.  38’ Shila made a rush into the Rebel box, but was blown offside.  37’ near disaster.  Karol punched away an accidental own goal attempt by Jena and then fell on another shot.  Jena seized up in front of the net after nearly giving the Rebels the lead.  36’ Karol made another point blank save. 

 

The action going up and down the field at this point was furious enough that I couldn’t keep up.  34’ Karol made another stop from a shot on the wing and caught the corner kick that came after.  33’ Loma McNeese did some fancy dribbling front of the stands to the delight of the crowd and passed to Bianca, who passed to Shila for a shot.  Breur fell on it. 

 

It’s a disaster movie!  29’ another high bouncer from the other side of the field (apparently off an Aggie header) went past Mya H. and over Karol.  Villanueva was right there behind them to shepherd the ball in with a nudge for her second goal.  3-2 Rebels.  (Up to this point, I was going to say Karolanne probably won the starting goalie job.  Afterward, I wasn’t so sure.)

 

26’ Xitlaly got hurt away from the ball.  There was a stoppage as she limped off field, though she’d return later.  25’ Loma turned and took a quick kick off a corner.  It went just high.  24’ Bianca took two shots.  One was blocked by a defender.  The goalie fell on the other.  21’ with some good passing, the Rebels got into the Aggie box and took a shot across the goal.  They got a pair corners with the attack, but nothing came of them.

 

18’ Ari took a long shot that was caught.  17’ a shot off an Aggie corner was caught.  14’ Loma took a desperate-looking long shot that went way off.  13’ Karol scooped up a rolling shot.  10’ Meredith Scott was knocked down by the Rebel box making a charge.  No call.  Right after, she took a long shot that was caught.  Meredith was really hustling all over the field in the second half. 

 

8’ the Band took a direct hit.  Thankfully, the music didn’t stop.  7’ Mya H. made a long shot that was caught.  Mya had moved up into an offensive role by this point.  6’ a yellow was given for a delay by UNLV.  4’ Shila had an open shot and hit the side of the net.  2’ Mya H. took another shot that just missed.  With under a minute, the ball took a bounce over the north auxiliary stands.  It wasn’t recovered until there were 10 seconds left.  I doubt it mattered.  Time expired.  Aggies 2, UNLV/Aggie Misplays 3.

 

That was disappointing.  Like the ASU game, I think the Aggies beat themselves more than were beaten.  Actually, tonight, I’m sure of it.  Credit to UNLV for capitalizing on all of the Aggies’ mistakes.  They also did a good job of neutralizing Loma, Sydnee, and Xitlaly.  I thought the Aggies did a really good job of getting the ball into position to take a shot several times, but didn’t finish.  Apart from their lapses, the defense and goalkeeping were very good.  UNLV finished up 7-5 in shots on goal and 6-2 in corners. 

 

Now, all I have to look forward to is a bunch of work on Friday and sore fingers.  At least, I have the weekend off from Aggie sports reporting.  I need to recover after a couple of bad losses.  

 

A Ref, Valeria Guha, Mya Hammack, Ariana Leamons, and Bianca Chacon all standing for the Anthem, unlike UNLV.

NM State Aggies vs ASU Sundevils Volleyball 9-3-23 Part 2

What a sweet group pic.

 

Continued from Part 1.

Set 2: Aggies 1, Sundevils 0

The Aggies and Sundevils switched ends.  ASU’s Claire Jeter took charge in the players’ huddle.  They looked serious and angry.  The teen girls got up and posed for Flex Cam.  By the way, where was the Football team?  Were they at the Soccer game?  I thought I saw them there in a picture.

 

Ryleigh Whitekettle had a solo block to tie the score at 1.  Sydney McIntosh got another kill for a 2-1 lead.  ASU had a great dive save on the point.  ASU took a 3-2 lead, though the Aggies had a great save on the point.  Syd tied it at 3 for her seventh kill.  The score tied at 4 as both teams traded service errors.  ASU aced for a two-point lead.  Alex Connatser came in and got a kill with a full swing.  ASU aced again.  Ry put a swing into the net and the Aggies took a timeout down 11-6. 

 

A buff young man who was likely on an Aggie Sports team worked it to Walk Like an Egyptian for Dance Cam.  Mari Sharp got a kill.  Bella Garcia came in to receive on the point.  Ry was blocked on a double team.  ASU was focused on her.  They weren’t focused on Syd, as she racked up three more kills.  Darian Markham aced and Syd and Kacia Brown teamed up for a block to make it 15-12 ASU.  Timeout ASU.

 

Out of the break, Sydney got her eleventh kill with 0 attack errors.  Starr Williams fired a kill directly into libero, Mary Shroll’s chest.  Kacia and Alex teamed up for a block to make it 17-15 ASU.  And then Marta Lavinska went on a serving run and the Aggies called a timeout down 20-15.  Mari finally broke it up a point later.  Ryleigh got a kill, but ASU got an ace to get to set point.  The Sundevils took the set, 25-17, as Ry fired out.

 

Set 3: Aggies 1, Sundevils 1

A couple of Volleyball alumni were recognized on court.  For Dance Cam, the teen girl middle school volleyball team sitting in front of us had a whole routine worked out for it.  A pair of service errors started the set.  What a great way to start.  ASU aced up 3-1, but then had another service error.  They then aced again.  Down 7-2, the Aggies called a timeout.  The team looked obviously tired.  That’ll show up in serve receive really quick.  The coach talked to Mari, as both aces were off of her.

 

Out of the break, there was an argument with the official about the rotation.  Starr made a couple of kills, Rilen Garcia served an ace (and then had an error), Kacia had a tip kill, Mari took flight for a kill and got another kill, but the Aggies still trailed 12-9.  Sydney had her first attack error a couple of points later and then was blocked on another swing.  15-9 ASU.  Timeout Aggies.  The coach talked to Syd. 

 

Ryleigh racked up a couple more kills, though Darian served out for the team’s seventh service error, 17-11 ASU.  More seriously, Starr dove for a dig and came right out.  (What have I said about “Bigs” going for digs?  Oh yeah, don’t.)  Ashley Herman came in for her.  19-11 ASU, Lavinska spiked a kill directly into Darian’s face.  Thankfully, she was fine. 

 

I got to see Maggie Lightheart come into the game.  I was happy for that, but it kind of meant the coach was throwing.  Ashley got her first kill, eventually.  The officials disagreed with each other on the call.  Coach Jordan finally had to challenge to overturn the call to get it.  Aspen Aldous, the third setter, also got on court.  Experience for the reserves aside, it was an ASU wipeout, 25-12.

 

Set 4: Sundevils 2, Aggies 1

Dad was getting either bored or uncomfortable from the seat or both.  Pistol Pete was here and was going around getting pictures with fans.  The teen girls were taking selfies all during the match, but did stop to do a well-coordinated dance routine to Blinding Lights while singing along.  I was impressed. 

 

Ashley started the set.  I was happy for her to finally get playing time, but then figured out it was because Starr was either injured or hurt and the coach didn’t want to risk her getting injured.  The set started with a long rally, which Ryleigh finished with a kill off a block.  Bianca Perez then served up an ace.  The Aggies went up 3-1 with another Ry kill.  ASU challenged, but was denied.  In the break, the teen girls danced to that song where the guy is giving dance instructions.  (Obviously, I don’t know what it’s called.) 

 

Sydney added another kill to make it 5-2.  Ash took a couple of shots and missed one and was blocked on another.  ASU tied it at 5 as the Aggies were called for being out of rotation.  ASU aced to take the lead.  Syd hit the net and by 8-5 ASU, Coach Jordan called a timeout.  They were on a 6-point run.  The coach looked calm in the huddle though.

 

The Sundevil roll continued.  Lavinska got her tenth kill.  The Aggies finally broke the run on a challenge, 9-6 ASU.  The teen girls were singing along with Baby, Baby in the break over the PA.  Anji Vishwanathan and Aspen came in.  10-8 ASU fired directly into the court on their side of the net for an Aggie point.  Aspen had a great one-handed save on the play.  Anji got a kill and along with Ryleigh.  14-12 ASU, Ashley got a kill.  Mari served an ace.  Ry tied it at 14 on an overpass kill.  ASU challenged, but was denied.    

 

That was as close as it got.  16-14 ASU, it was a near Aggie kill, but great save put the ball back in play for a Sundevil kill.  Ash got two kills to get the score within 1.  One kill was off a couple of players.  The other hit the corner.  Syd made a kill down the line.  ASU tried to challenge, but PA Ed announced that they were out of challenges to the cheers of the crowd.  Adam thought ASU was out before the last challenge and after writing this out, I agree, unless rules have changed.  The lesson for the refs is don’t mess up early, because all your calls will then be questioned for the rest of the match.

 

ASU aced to be the first to 20.  The Aggies took a timeout at 21-17 ASU.  The teens sang along to I Don’t Care.  They know all the songs.  Mari had a kill.  I noticed Aspen had taken over as the second setter from Rilen.  Maybe the coach wanted more height at the net.  23-19 ASU, after Ry got stuffed twice on swings, Aspen made a backset and nobody was there on the other side.  Oops.  Aspen did get a kill off a dig on a set point.  The Aggies were called for a net violation on the final point.  Coach Jordan made a half-hearted challenge, just to give the match one more final delay, but it was denied.  ASU took the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.

 

Darian and Starr sub in and out

Here’s your stats.  For the Aggies, Ryleigh Whitekettle had 14 kills.  (Unreasonably, we now expect double digit kills for every match.)  Sydney McIntosh had a career game with 13.  Bianca Perez had 27 assists.  Darian Markham led everyone with 19 digs.  I was impressed with Ashley Herman.  She learned quickly out on court, which was great to see.  Whatever her injury was, she did not seem to be affected by it. 

 

For the Sundevils, Marta Levinska led with 14 kills, Geli (Jelly, cool name) Cyr had 13, and Roberta Rabelo had 10.  Setter Shannon Shields had 40 assists.  ASU was up 9 to 4 in aces.  The teams were equal in service errors at 7.  The Aggie gotta work on the serving, as usual.   

 

Coach Jordan blamed service pressure for the problems after the first set.  He also felt they weren’t blocking well.  He didn’t say anything about Starr’s condition.  About Sydney’s performance, the coach said they were taking advantage of a mismatch in the ASU lineup.  That’s good scouting.                                                      

I enjoyed the match, even if it did turn out about how I thought it would.  ASU is still undefeated, though they did drop a set to all three teams in the Invitational.  I would have really been disappointed if the Aggies didn’t take a set.  If Starr hadn’t gone out, maybe they could have done better.    

 

Dad said he enjoyed the game.  I’m not sure if he really did.  He didn’t want to get any diner afterward, so I took him home.  (Oddly, dad asked me to drive him, though the university is only five minutes away from us and he drives somewhere almost every day.)  I had to go to grocery store right after and picked up a pepperoni calzone from Albertson’s.  It was pretty tasty and even with the spicy meat, I did not have a repeat of the McDonald’s experience.  We’ll hope the team bounces right back from this game.

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.