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A three-win weekend in California ended with a milestone for New Mexico State volleyball. A quick trip up Interstate 25 ended considerably differently.
Playing for the fourth time in five days, the Aggies fell to New Mexico in four sets Monday night at The Pit in Albuquerque, 25-14, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19.
The loss snapped a three-match winning streak for NM State, which swept through the Bulldog Invitational in Fresno with victories over UC Irvine, Fresno State and Southern Utah. The run included the 600th career victory for Aggies coach Mike Jordan.
But against the Lobos, NM State struggled defensively and allowed New Mexico to hit .336, easily the highest percentage by an Aggie opponent this season.
“This was our worst defensive match of the year by far,” Jordan said. “We let balls drop and seemed like we couldn’t move well enough to make plays. The passing cratered at times as well, not a great combination.
“Maybe four road matches in five days had an effect on us, but it takes what it takes to play well — and we didn’t do enough.”
NMSU stayed close early in the opening set before New Mexico pulled away, hitting .480 in the frame on its way to a 25-14 win.
The Aggies responded in the second, building an 18-11 advantage before the Lobos cut the margin to 21-19. Ashley Herman stopped the run with a solo block and Katrina Catalan followed with an ace as NM State held on 25-21 to even the match.
New Mexico controlled the final two sets, however. NMSU never led in the fourth despite tying the score four times. Herman and Tess Fuqua finished with 10 kills apiece, while Herman added four solo blocks and three block assists. Makayla Martinez had 12 digs, giving her double figures in six of the Aggies’ last seven matches.
The performance contrasted with an impressive three days in Fresno, where the Aggies found several different ways to win.
NM State opened the tournament Thursday by rallying past UC Irvine in five sets, overcoming an 8-4 deficit in the deciding set for a 15-13 victory. Fuqua led the Aggies with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Herman had 12 kills and hit .550.
The victory was No. 600 for Jordan, who reached the milestone in his 28th season leading the Aggies.
“I’m just happy we got the win,” Jordan said. “It was kind of a back-and-forth, up-and-down match. We were great at times, and we were bad at times, but they weathered the storm. I’m glad 600 came in kind of a gut-check win.”
The Aggies followed with a four-set victory over tournament host Fresno State on Friday. Herman delivered a career-high 14 kills while hitting .571, and Fuqua added 11 kills and 13 digs for her second consecutive double-double.
NMSU completed the sweep Saturday with a 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 25-16 victory over Southern Utah. Jaelynn Kohli led three Aggies in double figures with a career-high 15 kills and six blocks, while Herman added 13 kills and Lightheart had 12.
The Aggies hit a season-best .287 against Southern Utah and finished the tournament 3-0, their first three-match winning streak since October 2025.
NMSU now returns home after its four-match road swing. The Aggies will host UTEP at 6 p.m. Friday at the Pan American Center, beginning a three-match homestand.
