With the win the Aggies take sole possession of first place in the WAC while this also marks the first time NM State is 6-0 in conference play since 2004 when they were a part of the Sun Belt Conference. The Aggies are 11-8 overall and 6-0 in league play.
“Desiree [Scott] has been the most dominant player for us so far this season,” said head coach Mike Jordan. “Luckily, we have been able to make adjustments as the conference season has gone one and playing such a tough non-conference schedule is really starting to pay off.”
NM State used four other players to mark at least five kills against Kansas City with senior Stephanie Ziegler chipping in with seven kills and a match-high 13 digs. Senior Ciara Brown tallied a match-high 28 assists for the Aggie offense while sophomore setter Taylor Livoti added 13 assists and six digs.
The Aggies won set one 25-21. NM State went up 3-1 early on but the Kangaroos battled and eventually took a 10-9 lead midway through. After ties at 10, 11 and 12, NM State put together a three-point scoring rally to be the first team to reach 15 at 15-12. The Aggies held that three-point cushion at 20-17 and 22-19 before eventually winning by four.
Set two was a tough one for the Aggies to pull out as there were 14 ties and six lead changes. After a 10-10 tie, NM State score three in a row, top off by two straight Scott kills, to jump ahead 13-10. Kansas City played tough and took a 17-16 lead but a 5-1 rally moved the Aggies ahead 21-18. NM State wrapped up the set on a kill from senior outside hitter Lauren Loerch, who finished the evening with six kills, 10 digs and two total blocks.
The Aggies were very efficient in the final set of the match, marking only three attack errors. After falling behind 8-7, the Aggies took their second lead of the set at 9-8 and would not relinquish their lead again. NM State went up by as many as six at 20-14 when sophomore Bradley Nash tallied one of her six kills. NM State used a Ziegler kill to wrap up the set 25-17 and to win the match 3-0.
The Aggies now prepare to take on Bakersfield, Thursday, Oct. 17 on the road and Utah Valley, Saturday, Oct. 19 in Orem, Utah.