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FRESNO, Calif. \u2013\u00a0NM State Volleyball continued\u00a0action from\u00a0the Bulldog Invitational on Friday night, taking down host Fresno State in four sets.\u00a0With the win, NM State improved\u00a0to 4-2 on the year, notching back-to-back victories in Fresno\u00a0following\u00a0a\u00a0five-set thriller against UC Irvine on Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After splitting the opening two sets, NM State seized control in the third before surviving a late Fresno State rally in the fourth to secure its second victory of the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Set-by-set: NM State def. Fresno State 3-1 (25-23, 15-25, 25-16, 26-24)\u00a0<\/p>\n
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FIRST SET\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the home crowd cheering on the\u00a0Bulldogs of Fresno State,\u00a0the Aggies\u00a0could not\u00a0separate\u00a0in the early goings of a\u00a0first frame that saw\u00a0nine ties and six lead changes. Trailing 18-17, the Aggies used a 5-0 run fueled by kills from Jaelynn Kohli<\/a>, Maggie Lightheart<\/a> and Tess Fuqua<\/a> to move in front for\u00a0the duration of the set.\u00a0Fifth-year\u00a0Ashley Herman<\/a> later delivered the set-winning kill to cap an 18-kill opening frame\u00a0for the Crimson & White\u00a0and give NM State a 25-23 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n SECOND SET\u00a0<\/p>\n Fresno State responded in the second set, hitting an impressive .545 as a team.\u00a0Bakersfield,\u00a0Calif., native\u00a0Ashley Herman<\/a> continued to power the Aggie offense with five kills in the frame, but the Bulldogs evened\u00a0the match with a 25-15\u00a0set two\u00a0win.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n THIRD SET\u00a0<\/p>\n After\u00a0relinquishing the\u00a0match\u00a0advantage,\u00a0the Aggies returned to the court with\u00a0renewed energy.\u00a0Behind service aces from Tess Fuqua<\/a>, Lilli Saldivar<\/a> and Maggie Lightheart<\/a>, NM State built a double-digit advantage and held Fresno State to a negative hitting percentage in the\u00a0frame.\u00a0The\u00a0Aggies rolled\u00a0into set four\u00a0ahead two games to one,\u00a0following\u00a0a\u00a025-16 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n FOURTH SET\u00a0<\/p>\n NM State raced out to an 8-1 advantage behind three consecutive service aces from Makayla Martinez<\/a> and never trailed throughout\u00a0the set. Fresno State battled back to\u00a0tie\u00a0the score at 24-24, but the Aggies remained composed. A kill from\u00a0Tess Fuqua<\/a>\u00a0put the\u00a0Aggies\u00a0at match point\u00a0before\u00a0Ashley Herman<\/a> delivered the final kill of the night to secure the 26-24 victory and the match.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n NUMBERS OF NOTE\u00a0<\/p>\n
NM State improved to 4-2 on the season and moved to 2-0 at the Bulldog Invitational, closing out the weekend with a\u00a0match against Southern Utah on Saturday, Sept. 5.\u00a0This marks the first\u00a0time the Aggies have won back-to-back games\u00a0this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ashley Herman<\/a> led all Aggies with 14 kills, setting a new career high while hitting an impressive .571, which also marked a season best. The double-digit kill performance was her first since Oct. 19, 2024.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tess Fuqua<\/a> added 11 kills, 13 digs and a service ace to record her second consecutive\u00a0double-double. After posting just three\u00a0such instances\u00a0in\u00a017 matches during the 2025 season, Fuqua has\u00a0posted\u00a0two\u00a0through NM State’s first six matches of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia Fox<\/a> recorded five kills on six swings for a team-best .833 hitting percentage,\u00a0while adding four total blocks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Katrina Catalan<\/a>\u00a0finished with 27 assists\u00a0\u2013 her third straight game with 20+,\u00a0helping the Aggies hit .259 as a team, a new season high.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Makayla Martinez<\/a> finished with 13 digs and a team-high three service aces.\u00a0The junior\u00a0libero\u00a0has\u00a0tallied\u00a0double-digit digs in all six NM State contests this season,\u00a0with 13 or more in all but one match.\u00a0<\/p>\n
QUOTABLES\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Head Coach Mike Jordan<\/a>,\u00a0following\u00a0back-to-back\u00a0wins:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “I’m\u00a0proud of the group. We\u00a0made plays when we needed to and managed to go on some good scoring runs.\u00a0\u00a0Our middle\u00a0[blockers]\u00a0did a good\u00a0job\u00a0and we got another road win,\u00a0which is great. The challenge now will be playing on short\u00a0rest\u00a0tomorrow with very few people in the building.\u00a0We’ll\u00a0have to count on our bench to step up.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Setter Katrina Catalan<\/a>, on\u00a0winning back-to-back\u00a0games in\u00a0her\u00a0home state\u00a0of\u00a0California:\u00a0<\/p>\n “It feels great. Getting the opportunity to come back home and compete is really\u00a0special, and\u00a0being able to\u00a0represent\u00a0the state of\u00a0New Mexico while taking back-to-back wins makes it even more meaningful.\u00a0It’s\u00a0been fun getting to show my home state what New Mexico is all about.”\u00a0<\/p>\n UP NEXT\u00a0<\/p>\n NM State will conclude play at the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5, when it takes on Southern Utah inside the North Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. MT as the Aggies look to finish the tournament unbeaten.\u00a0<\/p>\n For complete coverage of NM State Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateVBall<\/a>), Instagram (@NMStateVBall<\/a>) and like us on Facebook (NM State Volleyball<\/a>). You can also follow along with Aggie Volleyball via NMStateSports.com.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n ##NM State##\u00a0<\/p>\n
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