Transition from being a player to coach..... Everything my coaches ever said to me throughout my athletic career finally made sense!  Transitioning from a player to coach has been amazing experience thus far and I would expect it continue that way.  I have always considered myself to be a student of the game and now, being on the other side of the white lines, I have already expanded my volleyball knowledge tremendously.  I am so excited for the opportunity to be with the Aggies in the fall and share with the girls my knowledge of defense, serve recieve, and passion for winning I have acquired throughout my colliegate career here at NMSU.   Furthermore, I love working with the girls and seeing them transform into better players and young women on a day to day basis.  It is such a blessing to be a contributing part of thier success on and off the court.  I also feel so fortunante to be able to continue being apart of the girls lives as I truly do care for and love each and every one of them.   It is an extremely competitive atmosphere in the gym and offices as the coaching staff puts in countless hours and are constantly bouncing ideas off one another all in lue of better our programing and achieving our collective goals we have set for ourselves.  I am so blessed to be able to stand along side Mike, Kieth, and Tric, as a coach because I know I have so much to learn and gain from them!  They are an extraordinary bunch of individuals and want nothing more than to make NMSU the best program it can be.  GO AGGIES :)    Kelsi Phillips- Graduate Assistant Coach

Hi Aggie Fans!! Back for another spring and starting off strong. Having already completed 2 springs, this year has definitely been different. For starters, we began the first week of school. 5:50 in the gym when the sun was still asleep was difficult but now my daily alarm clock goes off at 5. Physically we’ve had to run outside on the hill, work in the pool and go through “marine” workouts with our coaches, and then go lift. Through every workout there are psychological struggles 1: complete the workouts to the best of my ability, 2: push not only myself but teammates and 3: learn the ability to get rid of distractions, like how cold it is or how my body feels.  All to make us better!! We knew these workouts would be tough, mentally and physically; because the winter workouts were so intense, we knew the spring would bring similar challenges. It has brought change in the best ways and I know we are getting tougher and stronger, mentally and physically!
#15 Stephanie Ziegler

Spring Season 12 New Mexico State Volleyball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wAdOmT4HX0

Hello again Aggie Family,

I really can’t believe how fast these last few years has gone by. My college career has been such an amazing adventure and I am so very thankful I get to finish it at NMSU; it has been a wonderful experience. The girls that we have playing this spring are not only dedicated athletes, but wonderful people as well. We also have great talent coming in the fall, and I can’t wait to see what the future hold for us.

 This spring has already been tough but brilliant, we are working so hard and we all hold one another accountable to show up and give it our best everyday. Being an upper classmen and stepping into the leadership role is pretty electrifying. I want to set a good example for the younger girl on and off the court. I have always felt comfortable as a leader, but what I am most excited about is how magnificent all the girls are. Everyone is so dedicated, and we all have a common goal, which is so important in being successful.  I am excited to see how all of our hard work will pay off and how we will flourish and come together as a team.

GO AGGIES!!! #12 Madison Hardy

Hey Team Aggies, 

It’s Ciara Brown, an upcoming junior setter and transfer from VCU. I’m beginning NMSU this January and am really excited and honored to become a member of this prestigious volleyball program. When I decided to transfer universities, I looked for a winning volleyball program that is committed to obtaining excellence, coached by a coaching staff determined to help us reach this goal. The transfer process is very stressful and I visited multiple schools; however, after my visit to Las Cruces, I felt right at home, and knew that this was where I wanted to finish my collegiate career. 

Volleyball has been a major driving force for me since I was 10 years old.  I have been a member of the USA Team pipeline, competing in the international High Performance tournament since 2009. I have always pushed myself as an athlete and hope to use this work ethic, along with my international and collegiate experience to contribute to the Aggies in any way possible!

Team Aggies is my future and I know that God has brought me here for a reason. My fellow teammates and I have been working hard this break with our winter workouts and we are ready to begin the New Year right!! As a Floridian, I’m ready to make my move out West and join the Aggie Nation! See you soon Aggie Fans 

~#4 Ciara Brown

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