Sunday, October 8
Lynchburg, Va.
12:00 PM ET
Liberty University
8-10,1-5CUSA
1
vs
3
New Mexico State
13-6,6-2CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
New Mexico St.
25
24
25
25
3
Liberty
20
26
20
23
1
Aggies Rally Past Lady Flames 3-1
10/8/2023 3:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LYNCHBURG, Va. - New Mexico State broke a 1-1 tie by winning sets three and four, clinching a 3-1 (25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 25-23) victory over Liberty, Sunday at Liberty Arena.
With the win, NMSU salvaged a split of this weekend's matches at Liberty, improving to 13-6 overall and 6-2 in Conference USA matches. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames fell to 8-10, 1-5 in CUSA play.
Notable Numbers
Liberty next plays at former ASUN rival and fellow CUSA newcomer Jacksonville State, Friday and Saturday.
With the win, NMSU salvaged a split of this weekend's matches at Liberty, improving to 13-6 overall and 6-2 in Conference USA matches. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames fell to 8-10, 1-5 in CUSA play.
Notable Numbers
- For the match, NMSU outhit Liberty .252-.222. The Aggies also led in kills (62-53), assists (55-48), aces (11-3) and digs (71-65) while both teams posted 11 blocks.
- The Aggies' Kacia Brown hit .484 with 17 kills to go along with five aces, seven digs and nine blocks. Brown led all players in kills, aces and blocks. Mari Sharp contributed 13 kills and eight digs, while Ashley Herman registered 11 kills and seven blocks. Darian Markham served up four aces and collected a Liberty Arena-record 30 digs, while Rilen Garcia dished out 29 assists.
- Madison Blane scored 14 kills at a .406 pace, adding a season-high-tying eight blocks. Kamryn Bacus recorded 14 kills, eight digs and four blocks, while Kate Phillips tallied a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs. Delaney Dilfer dished out a match-high 43 assists, while Lily Wagner contributed six kills, one ace, a career-high 18 digs and two blocks. Zoi Sherolli collected 11 digs.
- Liberty battled back for a majority of the match. Trailing 1-0 in the match and 16-10 in set two, the Lady Flames rallied to win that set 26-24 to tie the match at 1-1.
- After NMSU took the third set, the Aggies overcame a 12-8 deficit in the fourth, roaring to a 24-21 lead. The Lady Flames fought off two match points, getting kills from Wagner and Taylor Bates. However, Brown sealed the match with her 17th kill.
- New Mexico State now holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time volleyball series against Liberty after each team picked up a four-set win this weekend. The only previous match in the series with a 3-0 NMSU sweep of the Lady Flames, Sept. 20, 2003 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
- Sherolli, making her third consecutive start at libero, reached double-digits in digs for the fourth match in a row and seventh time in her career.
- Liberty posted 10 or more blocks for the second match in a row and sixth time this year.
- Liberty is now 8-7 in sets decided by two points and 5-2 in extended sets so far this season.
- Phillips reached double figures in kills for the seventh match in a row. Meanwhile, Bacus and Phillips are now tied for the team lead with 11 double-digit kill matches apiece this year. Blane posted her fourth straight double-digit kill match and fourth eight-block contest of the campaign.
- Wagner's 18 digs were the most by a Liberty freshman since Lindsey Hardesty collected 22 digs against Stetson, Nov. 7, 2021.
- Phillips has posted four double-doubles this season and 22 for her career after recording back-to-back double-doubles this weekend.
- Liberty has now faced three out of the top four teams in Conference USA in terms of RPI, in Western Kentucky (19), New Mexico State (81) and Middle Tennessee (105). UTEP (60), Liberty's final opponent of the regular season, is the only other remaining CUSA team with a higher RPI than Liberty's 106.
Liberty next plays at former ASUN rival and fellow CUSA newcomer Jacksonville State, Friday and Saturday.
Team Stats
NMSU
Lib
Kills
62
53
Errors
23
19
Attempts
155
153
Hitting %
.252
.222
Points
84.0
67.5
Assists
55
48
Aces
11
3
Blocks
11
11.5
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
8
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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