Seniors

Many athletes end their careers biding time and relishing the moment when it's all over.  They enter college as enthusiastic, exuberant and naive to the entire process of college volleyball, it's demanding, exhausting and exhilarating.  Our seniors have experienced manic highs, depressing lows and every emotion between the polar caps.  Their collegiate careers are over and they're moving on to the next phase of life.  I've been exposed to a small confined window of their time at New Mexico State.  I'm proud and pleased to say that I've had the opportunity to coach and know these  young ladies.  You've had great careers, represented yourself, your family, university and program with class and dignity.  There's no doubt in my mind you'll succeed in life.  Good luck ladies and stay in touch!

Go AGGIES!!! 

Hi Aggies,

My name is Stephanie Ziegler and I am redshirt sophomore this year. Through these last couple of years here at New Mexico State, I have had to overcome some difficulties. Early last season I broke my leg in a preseason tournament. That injury left me confused and sometimes even angry that it had occurred. I had never really been injured before so the world of rehab and physical therapy was extremely new. But watching from the bench last season and realizing that I was not going to be able to contribute made me even more determined to work hard to come back this season.      

As for this year, my goal was and still is, to help in any way I can for this team. Coming back to school in July I felt strong and ready to compete. I knew that the competition for a starting position was not going to be easy, so earning the starting role on the pin was awesome. It made all of the physical therapy and rehab worth it. Throughout this whole experience I have grown so much, but I have also learned the true meaning of a team. Without my team's support, or the staff that we have here at NMSU, I would not have been ready to come back. They have been with me from the beginning.  #15 Stephanie Ziegler

Coach Jordan celebrating win #300 at Reno! Now that's a fashion statement

Hi Aggie fans!

My name is Shelby Tamura and I am a sophomore this year at State. The best part about being a sophomore is of course, no more freshman equipment duties! But with the riddance of old responsibilities comes new ones; you have a whole year of experience under your belt and you are expected to use that knowledge to the fullest. I remember in my freshman year it was difficult to adjust to the pace of collegiate volleyball. I had a high bar set for myself coming into season and to this day I will not settle for any performance that falls short of what my teammates and coaches expect from me.
This year I am working hard to perfect my technique as well as use my knowledge to help out the freshman class below me. I believe that over a year I have grown both mentally and physically- and will continue growing to become the player that will make a difference to this team.

#8 Shelby Tamura

NMSU VB Playing in the snow

Coach Jordan reaches 300 Win's

October 06, 2011 

Jordan Earns 300th Win

Courtesy: WAC           Share|

Courtesy: New Mexico State New Mexico State 3, Nevada 0 The Aggies gave head coach Mike Jordan his 300th career victory Thursday as they swept Nevada 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 in WAC action at the Virginia Street Gym. NM State has now won 10 straight over the Wolf Pack and go to 15-4 overall and 4-0 in WAC play. Nevada drops to 2-13 overall and 0-4 in the WAC. NM State out-hit Nevada .311 to .216 on the night. Both teams tallied 41 kills, while the Aggies edged the Wolf Pack in digs, 30-29. Nevada tallied more assists (40-36) and service aces (4-2), but NM State won the blocking battle, 10-6. Stephanie Ziegler posted a .571 hitting percentage with 12 kills on 21 attempts and zero errors. Meredith Hays tallied a match-high 16 kills. Nevada was led by Grace Anxo with 13 kills.

WAC Player of Week

October 03, 2011 

WAC Volleyball Player of the Week Announced

Courtesy: WAC           Share|

Courtesy: WAC Oct. 3 WAC Volleyball Player of the Week DENVER – New Mexico State senior libero Kelsi Phillips has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 26-Oct. 1. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for Phillips. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native averaged 6.29 digs per set last week as the Aggies defeated Idaho and Utah State to move to 3-0 in WAC. She opened the week with a career-high 30 digs against Idaho. The 30 digs is the conference high in WAC matches this season. Phillips followed it up with a 14-dig performance in a sweep of defending WAC Tournament champions Utah State. She is the first Aggie to tally 30 digs in a four-set match in nearly six years. Phillips ranks fourth in the league with 4.38 digs per set and has posted double-digit digs in 13 matches with 20-plus digs three times this season. Other nominees included: Fresno State’s Lauren Albertson averaged 1.50 kills on .385 hitting and 0.75 blocks on the week ... Jenny Feicht of Idaho averaged 9.71 assists and 2.57 digs per set as the Vandals went 1-1 on the week ... Nevada’s Elissa Ji averaged 2.33 kills and 1.83 digs on the week ... Rachel Orr of Utah State averaged 4.00 kills and 4.43 digs as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week.

Hi, 

I'm Desiree Scott and I'm a sophomore this year and  excited to be back! Last year as a freshman I started and had a blast but it was a total learning experience because I was just coming out of high school and had never played at such a high level. It was a little rough in the beginning especially having a few injuires to start off the season but in the end freshman year turned out great. This year as a sophomore it is a totally different experience because we dont have to do all the freshman duties, setting up the nets and carrying the equipment when we travel to name a few.  The team also has higher expectations for each other and a team as a whole, we're closer and it feels more like a family than a bunch of individuals on a team.  Which I love and is one of the main reasons I decided to attend NMSU and play volleyball in the first place. This year is also easier in school because we had a year to figure out how to do things around school fitting in homework sleep time and volleyball,  and now we have it down to a science.  All the support from our fans this year is awesome and I hope to see everyone continuing to cheer us on!! Go Aggies!!!

 

Desiree Scott #14

NMSU VB soccer skills

This is why we play volleyball

There's nothing like being a New Mexico State Aggie.  As a freshmen very few people plan to be a redshirt athlete.  Nobody says "Oh boy, I get to sit out for a full year!!!?? This is great!" And that's exactly how I felt when I learned that returning to NMSU after playing a season at Florida would only come with a consequence. 

I’m the oldest player on the team, I recently turned 23.  My bones and muscles (or lack thereof) are feeling the toll of old age.  I once asked Coach Jordan if I could have 15 extra minutes to warm up before matches to get the blood flowing again haha.  So being older has its obvious disadvantages.  On the other hand, the advantages are serious profit in terms of maturity.  I’m expected to be a leader on our team and a very consistent player.  These are examples of two responsibilities I fully accept.  I also know the way things have been run for the past five years so it comes in handy when my younger teammates have questions about college, coaches, traveling, scheduling, Las Cruces, boys and life in general.  I’m proud to have this responsibility and thanks to old age the past several years have taught me how to handle all these aspects of life. And I hope that I can pass these skills onto my younger teammates so they may have the greatest five years of their life too.

This fifth year of being  a part of the Aggie volleyball team has been a real blessing.  And I truly feel like my transfer and redshirt season were divine intervention so that I could be an Aggie just one more year. Getting a chance to play with this year’s freshmen is such a privilege.  They are dynamic and athletic, a fantastic bunch that I know I can help grow as players on the court.  I love to coach just as much as I love to play so getting the chance to watch and help them develop skills and mentalities that they might not have had during high school is a benefit I would not have had if I didn’t stay at NMSU for an extra year.

While I’m thrilled to play with the freshmen I’m unexplainable blessed to play with the rest of my teammates again as well, for I missed them more than anything while I was away at Florida.  The relationships on this team thrive with time and that’s exactly what I’m experiencing with each and every one of my teammates.  I know these young women will be people I will have lifelong connections with and I’m thankful for their friendship, support and most of all laughter.

So transferring cost me a year of the uniform but like I said, there is nothing like being an Aggie.


#3 Brynja Rodgers


________________________________________

Hey aggie fans!!

I'm Deirdre Pajares and I am a sophomore this year! I am really looking forward to this season not only because of the great talent we have this year but also because our expectations for each other are definitely higher than what we had last year. My freshmen year was kind of rough for me.. I was just coming off of a total knee reconstruction and I was struggling to get back to how I was playing before I hurt myself. So two knee surgeries later, I am back as a sophomore! I couldn't be more excited! Besides the fact that we have a ton of talent, we have a bunch of REALLY great girls that have become our "home away from home" family. As a freshmen it is pretty easy to get lost and not know how to prioritize your time. So this year I know a little more of what to expect and how to stay ahead of the game. This season will be GREAT for us! So thank you everyone for your continued support and can't wait to see yall in the PAN AM!! 

#31 Deirdre Pajares:))

Hello Crimson Fans!

My name is Bradley Nash, and I'm from a small town called Kayenta--its on the Navajo Reservation in Northeastern Arizona. I loved growing up there; the support the athletes received was wonderful and helped me develop a good sense of pride and school spirit--something that has definitely transferred as I've come here to NMSU. The competition was pretty dang good but there was one problem: I was a good distance from any club volleyball organization. So while most collegiate athletes are picked up during club season, I never got that opportunity. It has made the transition slightly more difficult, I believe, because although nothing quite compares to the speed of Division I volleyball, club-caliber competition is probably a lot closer to it than high school ball. Although I wish I could have been able to play club ball, especially since I love volleyball so much, my high school did play year round, and I also played basketball, which is a pretty big deal on the reservation, so I was constantly competing athletically. Through this tough transition, I have found that the upperclassmen have been really helpful, as well as the coaches. I have a feeling the success of Aggie Volleyball will only continue to thrive, and nothing less! I hope all you Aggie fans come watch our always exciting, nail biting, kung fu fighting (thank you my wonderful roomie Meredith Hays for that lovely description) matches all season!

GO AGGIES!

Bradley Nash #9

                                      Hello!

      For those of you who don't know, I am from a tiny 1A high school in the small town of Elfrida, AZ. My graduating class had about 35 kids in it, so as you can imagine, it has been a huge transition from high school to here at NMSU! However, I am absolutely loving my experience here so far both on and off the court. The change in level of play for one, is huge. I love having great competition and an AMAZING team to play with. Especially with all the team chemistry that showed right from the very beginning! As for off the court I love the fact that I can meet someone new almost every day. Everyone on campus is incredibly friendly and Las Cruces already feels like home! Although the change from such a small school to a university was a bit intimidating at first, I am so thankful that I took the opportunity to come here and be an Aggie! 

#23 Gwen Murphy

Going on the first road trip to UNM was very enjoyable. Bonding with the team and having that first experience of playing on the road was a lot of fun. Even though car rides aren't typically anything special, the unity the team is starting to form is exciting to see happen. The chemistry of the team is already very strong, so for it to be only the beginning is remarkable. All the hard work we put in during double days and practices is really starting to show when facing other opponents. Getting to play someone else besides ourselves really gave us a feel for where we are at. Expectation levels are set very high and working to achieve them is what we all are striving to do. This season is going to be a great one.  We're bonding already as you can see in the picture

#19 KIley Mansfield

                                                 Hello Aggie family!!

For those of you who don’t know me I am Michelle Kuester and I will be a Senior this fall. This summer is a new experience for me; I have never attended summer courses or shown up for workouts early. I love being here early and regret not doing the same last summer. It is nice to have time to get to know my new teammates and spend time with the returners ahead of season. Our team chemistry is already miles ahead of last year and so is our effort. We are working out with Tony two times a week, doing cross fit workouts twice a week, and playing three times a week! The team effort on the court and in the weight room has been phenomenal. It is awesome to look around and see everyone bettering themselves and pushing to beat the person next to them. The feeling of competitiveness is strong in the newcomers and of course all of us older players as well. I am very confident in our abilities and our chances of beating Hawaii this year!  We look forward to seeing you out at games in the fall and we can’t wait to show you the new and much improved Aggie Volleyball Team!!! 

Go Aggies!!

Michelle Kuester #13

I'm adapting to NMSU great. I absolutely love it here, it feels like home. I love the views and how you can see the whole city of Las Cruces when driving down the hills we have around here. The weather is a nice change as well:) I love being in the sun and warm weather. As far as summer workouts go, I have definitely been challenged. Although I have never been so sore in my entire life, I know it will be worth it in the end and I'm glad that I am being pushed above my limits..I've been wanting to feel this pain because I know I'm getting stronger. Can't wait to continue along the journey!  I'm the taller one on the left.
#5 Maggi Jo Keffury

I came to New Mexico State because of the great tradition of success within the volleyball program, and because I really look forward to learning from the coaches and playing with the girls there. Most importantly though, is that I feel like its where God wants me to be.


#3 Meredith Hays

Hello all! 

 

To those of you who don't know me, I am Kelli Goodan from the small town of Des Moines, New Mexico, where the cattle outnumber the people.  It is located in the Northeast corner of New Mexico, between the small towns of Raton and Clayton.  I graduated from High School there, with a class of twelve people.

 

I played volleyball for Mike (and Ashley Hardee, Stevi Adams, Debby Baker, Don Flora, and Tricia Wright) for the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 volleyball seasons.  We made school history in 2008 by making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament and pushing with Hawaii for the regular season WAC Championships.  I played with a number of people, but here are just a few:  Alice Borden, Jackie Choi, Tanya Allen, Jordan Bostic, Kim Oguh, Amber Simpson, Bri Akrie, Anna Callis, Krystal Torres, Lindsey Yon, Krista Altermatt, Angel Tirado, Whitney Woods, Erin Birmingham, and many more over the years.  We have had a very successful reign of athletes, and I look forward to this year's reign to continue to push further into history.

 

I graduated in May 2010, after exhausting my NCAA volleyball eligibility, with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Community Development, a minor in Natural Resource Leadership and Agriculture Business Management.  Currently I am working on attaining my Master's of Arts in Agriculture and Extension Education.  I am currently the graduate assistant for the NMSU Volleyball team and hope to graduate in May 2012.

 

Upon graduation, I would like to become a coach somewhere, or even perhaps teach.  It all depends upon what job openings are available at the time of my departure from NMSU.  I try to live life to the fullest, and have a full schedule as a result.  My faith, family, and friends are very important to me, and I have a definite love for the game of volleyball.  Everyone has been tremendously supportive of my dreams and aspirations, and I appreciate them and love them dearly.

 

I look forward to a tremendous 2011 year for Aggie Volleyball.  I see great things in the athletes and am excited for the upcoming season.  We appreciate all your wonderful support of the program and the girls!  Thank you!

 

Go Aggies & God Bless!

Kelli Goodan

Three school Three years…
Hello Aggie friends and family! For those of you who don’t know me my name is Madison Hardy. I will be a red shirt junior this next year here at NMSU. I am a transfer student athlete; NMSU is school number three on my crazy life journey that I have embarked on.  Really New Mexico State is my 8th school in 8 years, I went to 2 middle schools and 3 high schools stretching from Reno Nevada to Placerville California. All of the moving around I did before I graduated high school made it difficult for me to be eligible to attend a Division 1 program right out of high school. I was devastated when I received this news, my plan was to come straight to NMSU and join the Aggie family.
          I started looking at Junior Colleges that I could attend till I could transfer to NMSU. I had a few options and chose a school called Iowa Western Community College located in Council Bluffs Iowa. I was a dual athlete there; I played volleyball in the fall and ran track in the spring. The volleyball program was one of the best in its division. We finished the season with a 58-6 record and 4th at Nationals. Running track in the spring was a fun experience; it is so different than volleyball. I ran the 4 x 4 and 400 hundred-meter hurdles. Those are very difficult events and I pushed my self to limits I didn’t think were possible. Iowa Western taught me so much about myself, and attending a smaller Junior College was an excellent way to ease myself into the college experience. I was tested mentally and physically everyday, at the end of my freshmen year I felt so accomplished and proud of myself for working hard and making something good out of a not so good situation.  My volleyball coach there was offered another job, so once again I was faced with a decision to make. I was offered to play at Hawaii Pacific University, a Division 2 school on the island of Oahu. Since my coach and many of my teammates were leaving Iowa Western I decided to take the offer and move to Hawaii.
         Hawaii Pacific was an adventure in itself; I absolutely love the beach and the ocean. I was able to play beach volleyball practically everyday which is something that I enjoy very much. Hawaii is a very beautiful place, and I grew a lot as an athlete and a person. Unfortunately the level of volleyball was not as competitive as I had hoped. As many of you know University of Hawaii is in our league, when I was living in Hawaii I went to watch NMSU play UH. I will never forget that moment when I realized how important it was to me that I compete at the highest-level possible, and felt like I belonged on the floor with the Aggies.  So my mind was set, I was to be an Aggie. I got my release from HPU and talked to coach Jordan. That summer I made my plans to move to Las Cruces.
         My journey has been a very eventful one so far, and all my experiences have shaped me into the person I am today.  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, I know where I came from and how hard I had to work to become an Aggie. I wouldn’t change my journey for anything.  Everything that I have gone through has made me a better person and I feel so blessed for being able to be an Aggie.  NMSU will be my last school I promise.

Madison Hardy #12 

Hello AGGIE FAMILY!!
With only a week of volleyball practice left this spring there is still lots of room for improvement. We have a tournament this upcoming weekend at Texas Tech.
This will be our fourth and final tournament this spring. I can’t believe this is my last spring. I’m so thankful for how much I have learned about life and myself these past 3 years. It’s been an AMAZING JOURNEY so far. Three years ago I came into college a young girl and have transformed into a young women. I have seen some wonderful places, have been blessed to meet some of the most amazing
people and have made some great memories! Wow! Time sure does fly by. ONE-WEEK LEFT!! I’m looking forward to finishing my LAST spring semester STRONG! I absolutely love SPRING semester! Spring is when the team becomes a better, stronger and smarter volleyball team. We run and lift 3 times a week and have practice every weekday with tournaments on the weekends. Our strength and conditioning has been altered a little bit  and we're leaps and bounds better.  We have all worked hard this semester in the practice gym, in the weight room and in the classroom. I definitely can see big improvements from everybody, but know we still have a long ways to go. So we don’t lose everything we have gained this spring, we are to continue working out through the summer to prepare us for a challenging fall semester.  Fall will be here before we know it. We have a hard preseason schedule and I am looking forward to playing teams such as Nebraska who is one of the very physical and talented teams we will play against. The Western Athletic Conference has become a MUCH stronger conference in the last 3 years, which is good to see. With this in mind each conference game will be very challenging. Something that I was taught in my younger years of volleyball was “anybody can beat anyone on any given day.” I truly believe this. Each practice, each game you have to prepare well in order to play well. It takes HARD WORK to play WELL and takes HARD WORK to WIN! We have some VERY talented freshman coming in who will all have a big impact on our success. Some of which will be KEY players for us. I’m eager to be their teammate, to inspire them, and lead them towards being WAC champions and doing well in the NCAA’s.  Summer is almost here! YAY!! Which means……….. I become an AUNTIE of a little princess, 100-degree weather, sun tan lines, swimming pools, workouts, thunderstorms, family time, lemonade, sunshine, watermelon, smiles, BBQs and laughter. Enjoy your SUMMER EVERYONE!!!! Can’t wait to see you all in the fall!

GO AGGIES!!!
Jennah DeVries #10

Hi All!

Now that our new and most wonderful assistant coach has given us the opportunity to be more connected
with all you fans, I thought I would let you guys get to know me a little bit.  Im not sure if many of you know,
but i am the only hometown girl on our team! I was born and raised here in Las Cruces, and am ecstatic to
get to be an Aggie as well as a part of such a wonderful program.  When I graduated high school I did not
think that volleyball was something I wanted to do in college so, I entered NMSU as a normal student for my
first semester in college.  As much as I enjoyed all the freedom that came with it, there was still part of me
that was itching to get back into the gym and play again.  Thankfully, Coach Jordan was kind enough to let
me join the team in the spring semester of 2010!  I have been with them ever since and have loved every bit
of it!  It's great being back at it again.  I'll have to admit, it took me a while to get back into the swing of
things, and I have learned so much in just the year I have been apart of this team.  Fall was a big
adjustment for me and an incredible experience and I cannot wait for next season!  Now that we are back at
it this spring training hard, everyone including myself, are making huge strides.  The environment in the gym
and weight room are awesome and we are working hard preparing for this upcoming season! I hope to meet
more of you guys soon!  We appreciate all your support! Go Aggies!
Jene Coppedge #1

Hello Aggie Volleyball Friends, Fans, Family and Alumni!
Spring has sprung here in beautiful Las Cruces! 80 degree weather is the norm with no lack of sunshine, the trees and grass are getting green again, and volleyball is in full swing here at NMSU. It’s kind of bittersweet heading into my last spring season and I cannot believe how time has flown by! The past three years have been so much fun and I feel as though I’ve grown a ton as a player and person. We have about a month left of training and so far this spring has been great for everyone!
 Spring always seems to drag on, at least for me, because there is so much practice without a lot of competing against someone other than ourselves and the level of training is much higher and harder on the body but this year has been so much fun with the energy in the gym that it has gone by so fast. We got a lot of great work in during positional training for the first month and a half or so and after a month of full team practice every day it is easy to say that it really paid off. Everyone has improved from the fall and it’s been great to get a new set of eyes and opinions in the gym with the addition of our new assistant coach. We’ve really stepped up the intensity this spring with conditioning and practice and it seems to be paying off a great deal, everyone is moving faster and jumping higher and the level of competition in the gym has grown leaps and bounds. I know I’m not the only one who is ready to get back here in the fall to compete for real and show how much this spring has paid off!
Can’t wait to see you all (or most of you) in the stands this fall!!
Go Aggies!
Kelsey Brennan #6

Tricia Wright

This is my 7^th year now @ New Mexico State.  I returned to Las Cruces three years ago.  I love Las Cruces for its supported volleyball community and enjoy the food and culture.   

Tricia Wright

New Coach

Hi,
I'm the new assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at New Mexico State University.  I've been in Las Cruces a little over a month and it's been great.  We're currently on Spring Break and I'm finally catching up with recruiting. This NMSU VB Blog is a resource for all our fans, parents and followers to stay connected to the Aggie Volleyball program.  I look forward to meeting all of you in the near future.

Go AGGIES~
Keith Rubio