LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's volleyball team hit a red-hot .388 and ran its win streak to 15 matches and clinched its fourth Western Athletic Conference regular-season championship in the last five seasons with an 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 sweep at Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon. This is the Aggies' sixth WAC regular-season championship under head coach Mike Jordan. The Aggies (23-3, 13-0) raced out to a 4-1 lead in set one before GCU brought it back to tie up at nine. The rest of the set was a battle as both sides traded points, and the lead, until NM State found itself ahead 23-22. Then, Savannah Davison and Megan Hart hit back-to-back kills to give the Aggies the first set 25-22. New Mexico State rode that momentum into the second, starting things off with a monster kill from Julianna Salanoa. However, the Lopes continued to battle and only trail 15-13 at the media timeout. However, NM States cored three-straight, with a kill from Hart and an ace from Halle Razo to stretch its lead to 18-13. The Lopes came back though and made it 23-20 late in the set. Then, Hart smashed a kill and Krysten Garrison served up an ace for a 25-20 Aggie win in set two. After a kill from Salanoa started the third set, the Lopes scored the next three points to make it 3-1 before NM State went on a 4-0 run of its own. The two teams traded points with the Aggies trailing 15-13 at the media timeout. Coming out of the timeout, NM State went on a quick -0 run with kills from Savannah Davison, Hart and Garrison for a 17-15 lead. However, Grand Canyon was able to tie the set at 19. Then, New Mexico State found itself on set point, 24-21. After a kill from GCU, Davison finished the match-winning kill off the assist from Mikels for a 25-22 victory in the third set and a 3-0 sweep. The win clinched the WAC regular-season championship and the number one seed at the WAC tournament. This is NM State's fourth WAC championship in the last five years. Hart led the way for the Aggies with 15 kills on .440 hitting while Salanoa added 10 kills on a scorching .625 hitting percentage. Natalie Mikels added 23 assists with Garrison tacking on 18. Both teams were on fire offensively with NM State hitting .388 and the Lopes hitting .329. New Mexico State finished with 52 kills to 37 for Grand Canyon. The Aggies now return to the Pan American center to wrap up the regular season with a pair of home matches. First, the Aggies take on Chicago State on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 12 p.m. before they host Kansas City on Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m.

DENVER – NM State junior middle blocker Julianna Salanoa and Chicago State senior libero Megan Klavitter have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Nov. 4-10. This is the third honor of the season and fourth of her career for Salanoa and the second of the season and fourth of her career for Klavitter. Salanoa, an Olympia, Wash. native, averaged 3.29 kills on .579 hitting and 0.43 service aces per set last week as the Aggies ran their win streak to 15 matches and clinched their fourth WAC regular-season title in the last five seasons. She opened the week by hitting .545 with 13 kills and two aces at CSU Bakersfield. Salanoa then hit a scorching .625 with 10 kills in a sweep at Grand Canyon. For the week, she had just one error on 38 attempts en route to hitting more than .200 better than any other player in the conference. Klavitter, a Fenton, Mich. native, averaged a WAC-best 7.20 digs per set over two matches last week. She opened the week with 35 digs in a five-set loss to Seattle U. Klavitter then posted 37 digs in a win over Utah Valley on Saturday, the Cougars' first WAC victory of the season. It was one shy of her career high. Klavitter leads the WAC on the season with 5.25 digs per set, nearly 1.00 dig per set more than the next closest player. Other offensive nominees included: Sydney Marks of California Baptist averaged 3.57 kills on .295 hitting last week ... Grand Canyon's Melody Horton averaged 3.50 kills on .310 hitting on the week ... Melanie Brecka of Kansas City averaged 4.33 kills on .328 hitting and 0.33 service aces per set last week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Sarah Cruz averaged 4.4 kills and 0.40 service aces per set. Other defensive nominees included: California Baptist's Nicole Abreu averaged 4.86 digs per set ... Teagan DeFalco of Grand Canyon averaged 4.88 digs ... Kansas City's Mykal Sadler averaged 1.17 blocks per set ... Samaret Caraballo of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 4.40 digs per set.

DENVER – NM State sophomore outside hitter Savannah Davison and UT Rio Grande Valley junior middle blocker Veronika Jandova have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Oct. 21-27. This is the first-ever honor for both. Davison, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, averaged WAC bests of 5.29 points and 4.7 kills on .306 hitting to lead the Aggies to a 2-0 record on the week to remain unbeaten in WAC play. She tallied 17 kills with 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the season against Utah Valley on Thursday. Davison followed it up by hitting .414 with 16 kills in a sweep of Seattle U on Saturday. Jandova, a Prague, Czech Republic native, posted a WAC-best 1.86 blocks per set in a pair of victories last week, more than doubling her season average of 0.83 blocks per set entering the week. She opened the week with six blocks in a sweep of Seattle U. Jandova followed it up with a season-high-tying seven blocks against California Baptist. Other offensive nominees included: Ellie Voss of California Baptist averaged 2.33 kills and 2.9 points per set last week ... CSU Bakersfield's Brooke Boiseau averaged 3.29 kills on .346 hitting, 0.29 service aces and 4.0 points per set on the week ... Kaira Moss of Grand Canyon averaged 2.38 kills on .548 hitting and 3.1 points on the week ... Kansas City's Alli Schomers averaged 11.75 assists, 1.00 kills on .368 hitting and 1.2 points per set last week ... Barbara Silva of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 3.86 kills on .449 hitting and 4.5 points per set last week ... Utah Valley's Megan Childs averaged 2.50 kills on .304 hitting and 2.6 points per set. Other defensive nominees included: California Baptist's Nicole Abreu averaged 4.89 digs per set ... Rafa Bonifacio of CSU Bakersfield averaged 4.79 digs per set ... Grand Canyon's Klaire Mitchell averaged 3.88 digs per set last week ... Ty Lukes of Kansas City averaged 1.38 blocks per set ... NM State's Megan Hart averaged 1.57 blocks per set ... Tijana Milojevic of Seattle U averaged 5.50 digs per set ... Utah Valley's Seren Merrill averaged 4.25 digs per set.

DENVER – NM State redshirt senior middle blocker Megan Hart and UT Rio Grande Valley junior libero Samaret Caraballo have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Oct. 7-13. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the second of her career for Hart and the first-ever honor for Caraballo. Hart, a Kelowna, B.C., Canada native, averaged 4.5 points and 3.91 kills on a WAC-best .500 hitting to lead the Aggies to a 3-0 mark to remain undefeated in conference play. She tallied 43 kills with only six errors on 74 attempts over the three matches. Hart posted a career-best 19 kills and a .643 hitting percentage when NM State swept Grand Canyon. At California Baptist, she posted 15 kills and a .560 hitting percentage. Hart leads the WAC with a .440 hitting percentage on the season. Caraballo, a Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native, averaged a WAC-best 5.88 digs per set last week. In a four-set match against Grand Canyon last Thursday, she posted a match-high 22 digs. Caraballo followed it up with a career-high-tying 25 digs in a win over CSU Bakersfield on Saturday. She currently ranks second in the WAC in digs per set (4.51). Other offensive nominees included: Sydney Marks of California Baptist averaged 2.67 kills and 2.9 points per set last week ... CSU Bakersfield's Brooke Boiseau averaged 3.38 kills on .386 hitting on the week ... Yeni Murillo of Grand Canyon averaged 3.14 kills and 3.6 points on the week ... Kansas City's Alicia Harrington averaged 4.8 points and 4.2 kills on .228 hitting on the week ... Kailee Kurokawa of Seattle U averaged 10.00 assists per set last week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Sarah Cruz averaged 4.6 points, 4.00 kills and 0.50 service aces per set last week ... Makaila Jarema of Utah Valley averaged 1.60 kills on .406 hitting and 2.2 points per set. Other defensive nominees included: California Baptist's Nicole Abreu averaged 3.56 digs per set ... Leisa Elisaia of CSU Bakersfield averaged 2.75 digs and 0.50 blocks per set ... Grand Canyon's Melody Horton averaged 2.33 digs and 0.50 blocks per set last week ... Mykal Sadler of Kansas City averaged 1.50 blocks per set ... NM State's Julianna Salanoa averaged 2.00 blocks and 0.82 digs per set ... Tijana Milojevic of Seattle U averaged 3.89 digs per set ... Utah alley's Makaila Jarema averaged 1.20 blocks per set.

DENVER – UT Rio Grande Valley senior rightside hitter Barbara Silva and NM State junior middle blocker Julianna Salanoa have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Sept. 2-8. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for Silva and the first of the season and second of her career for Salanoa. Silva, a Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil native, averaged 4.09 points and 3.81 kills on .376 hitting last week. She opened the week with a career-high 24 kills on a season-high .488 hitting in a rivalry win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Over the weekend, Silva earned UTSA Classic All-Tournament Team honors after leading UTRGV to its first-ever win over a Big 10 opponent. In a 3-2 win over Maryland, she posted a match-high 19 kills. Silva also tallied 11 kills in a loss to Houston. Salanoa, an Olympia, Wash. native, was named to the Borderland Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 1.45 blocks per set and posting 16 total blocks. She recorded eight blocks in the team's sweep of Pacific while also posting six digs. In a five-set thriller with UTEP, Salanoa had five crucial blocks that helped the Aggies stay undefeated this season. Other offensive nominees included: Cassidy Dennison of California Baptist averaged 3.18 kills and 3.45 points per set ... Grand Canyon's Sarah Hagge averaged 2.33 kills on .394 hitting ... Alli Schomers of Kansas City averaged 8.5 assists, 1.12 service aces and 0.75 kills per set ... NM State's Megan Hart was named tournament MVP after averaging 2.36 kills on .489 hitting and 3.2 points per set as the Aggies went 3-0 on the weekend ... Ezgi Ozkan of Seattle U averaged 11.82 assists and 0.27 service aces per set last week ... Utah Valley's Kazna Tarawhiti averaged 3.93 kills and 4.3 points per set. Other defensive nominees included: California Baptist's Nicole Abreu averaged 4.00 digs per set ... Teagan DeFalco of Grand Canyon averaged 4.67 digs per set ... Kansas City's Mykal Sadler averaged 0.90 blocks per set ... Tijana Milojevic of Seattle U averaged 5.27 digs per set on the week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Draik Banks averaged 1.13 blocks per set last week ... Seren Merrill of Utah Valley averaged 4.73 digs per set.

Sasha Thomas

Sasha Thomas finished her Aggie career in 2017 and is now playing Professional Volleyball in France for club Rennes

Diabetes type 1

Here’s the story on my friend! Her name is Alex DePriest and she had type 1 diabetes and passed away April 3rd 2018, at the age of 17. She was very well known in the volleyball community in Arizona and interacted with so many people and touched the lives of many. We wear pink in honor of her because that’s her favorite color. She truly was a happy, energetic and one of a kind person that made such a huge impact on peoples lives, and it was heartbreaking when she passed. Seeing everyone on social media post about Alex and post their pictures in pink just shows how many people she impacted.

Keith_Rubio's NCAA Tournament 18 slideshow on Photobucket

Keith_Rubio's NCAA Tournament 18 slideshow on Photobucket

2018 NCAA Tournament Highlights

The New Mexico State volleyball team took on the Oregon Ducks in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament First Round at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018.

Posted by NM State Volleyball on Friday, November 30, 2018

Seniors Last practice

Our two Seniors, Briana Ainsworth and Tatyana Battle, decided that it's a good idea to have the senior staff member join them dressing up for their final regular season practice.  Needless to say, I decided to grant them their final wish and this is something you can't unsee...

DENVER – New Mexico State volleyball's Julianna Salanoa was named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. This is the sophomore's first WAC honor this season and the first of her career as an Aggie.
Salanoa led the WAC with 2.67 blocks per set, almost one block per set more than any other player, when NM State swept a pair of road matches last week. Against Kansas City, she tallied a career-best nine blocks and was one shy of posting her first career double-double as she also had 10 kills in the match. At Chicago State, the middle blocker finished with a match-high seven blocks. Salanoa also recorded a pair of digs on the weekend.
The Aggies are back in action when the team travels to Edinburg, Texas, for a conference clash against UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, Oct. 13. First serve from the contest is set for 6 p.m. MT.

NM State Selected by WAC Coaches to Win 2018 Volleyball Title

  https://www.wacsports.com/sports/wvball/2018-19/releases/20180814fhgd23

Kaylee Neal has been named a Third Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America - CoSIDA. Congratulations Kaylee!

Posted by bleedCrimson.net on Monday, December 11, 2017

Western Athletic Conference Official Site - NM State's Neal Named Academic All-District

Western Athletic Conference Official Site - NM State's Neal Named Academic All-District: NM State volleyball player Kaylee Neal earned College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) first team Academic All-District VII honors on Thursday.

Western Athletic Conference Official Site - WAC Volleyball Postseason Award Winners Announced

Western Athletic Conference Official Site - WAC Volleyball Postseason Award Winners Announced: The 2017 WAC volleyball award winners, as selected by the league’s eight head coaches, were announced tonight at the WAC Tournament banquet. NM State senior outside hitter Kassandra Tohm was named WAC Player of the Year, while teammate Ariadnne Sierra was named Libero of the Year. Meanwhile Seattle U’s Shae Harris was named Setter of the Year and Grand Canyon’s Claire Kovensky was named WAC Freshman of the Year. NM State’s Mike Jordan was named WAC Coach of the Year.

2017 UCLA NM STATE VB Highlights

New Mexico State University makes an appearance in this week's #NCAATop10!

Posted by NCAA Volleyball on Tuesday, October 17, 2017

UCLA vs New Mexico State Volleyball 2017

Coaches Show Coach Jordan

http://www.wacsports.com/news/2017/8/15/nm-state-favored-by-coaches-to-win-2017-wac-volleyball-title.aspx

Ari Sierra

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(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

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LAS CRUCES — Ariadnne Sierra's mother spent the afternoons selling bottled water and homemade pozole during club volleyball tournaments in El Paso. 

After playing her first two years at New Mexico State as a walk on, paying tuition hasn't been an issue for Sierra's family the past two years. Sierra earned a scholarship prior to last season and proved worth the investment with an All Conference caliber season at libero for New Mexico State. 

"She worked hard to get that scholarship," said Centennial volleyball coach Al Rosen, who coached Sierra's club team, the El Paso Diggers. "I knew about her but when she played for me, I would bring coaches to take a look at her because she is a dynamic athlete. Club volleyball is expensive and she had to find ways to do it and it paid off for her. I took a real interest in her and it's really nice to see her succeeding."

NMSU head coach Mike Jordan said Sierra is among the best liberos he's coach, putting her in the same sentence as former Mayfield High star Krystal Torres. That's high praise for the 5-foot-2 senior from El Paso Americas. 

New Mexico State volleyball picked to win WAC

"It was really important because we always struggled with money," Sierra said. "We would clean the facility for the club team. It was my way of re-paying my family."

Sierra was named the best libero in the Western Athletic Conference last season, leading the team with 548 digs, averaging 4.68 digs per set and a team high 43 service aces.

Sierra was one of five Aggies named to the 2017 All-WAC preseason team as NMSU opens the regular season on Aug. 25 against Rhode Island in the Notre Dame tournament. 

"She has a go get it mentality that you want in that position," Jordan said. "She's willing to play anywhere so we can move her in the backcourt to get the ball and keep the ball off our setter more in years past. 

Buy PhotoNMSU senior libero Ariadnne Sierra and the Aggies open the season next weekend. (Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

"When I watch other teams and even the great teams, which you know are going to have a great libero out there, I would put her against anybody."

Rosen pushed Sierra to walk on at New Mexico State. Hannah Walker was a redshirt senior libero in 2014 so Sierra was competing against freshman Kaylee Neal for playing time and Walker's spot the following season. 

"I'm a family oriented girl so I tried," Sierra said. "I have always liked giving it my all and last year it got me to the Libero of the Year. It was unexpected but it's great that it happened."

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.