LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Southern Utah University volleyball team lost a competitive game against New Mexico State today, falling in four sets.

The Aggies came out swinging to begin the first set, building an early 14-1 lead over the Thunderbirds. Southern Utah never quite recovered, as New Mexico State took the first set with a commanding 25-12 victory.

The second set was a different story, although the beginning saw the Aggies start off strong again, building an 8-4 advantage. This is when the Thunderbirds woke up. SUU stormed back to take the lead with a ferocious 6-0 run to take the lead (10-8). After this, no team could seem to hold a lead for long, and the two squads found themselves tied 23-23. The match was ripe for the taking, and the T-Birds took full advantage. It was Molly McDermott who assisted on the final two Thunderbird points, first finding Makenzie Templeton to create set point, and then getting the ball to Macy Short, who delivered the winning kill to narrowly win the second set 25-23.

Similarly to the first two sets, the Aggies jumped out to an early lead, scoring six of the first seven points. N.M. State stayed on top, and they saw themselves up 13-7 midway through the set. This is when the Thunderbirds would once again rally back to make it a close game with a 6-1 run, highlighted by two Carissa Richie kills, to trim the Aggie lead to just one (14-13). The set continued to be a close one. N.M. State held a three point edge over Southern Utah (18-15) and looked to be in the driver's seat. The Thunderbirds wouldn't go away without a fight, however, going on a 5-1 run to take the lead 20-19 late in the set. This was when the Aggies proved that they are one of the best teams in the WAC, orchestrating a 6-0 run to seize the third set 25-20.

The Thunderbirds didn't let the Aggies build a significant lead to start the fourth set, matching them blow for blow to tie things up 4-4. In fact, this time it was Southern Utah who pressed the early advantage, as they ran ahead with six unanswered points, headlined by a huge kill from Makenzie Templeton. The set remained a competitive one, as N.M. State roared back to take the lead 15-14. The momentum seemed to be in the Aggies favor, as they continued to extend their lead. Southern Utah refused to give up though, and a huge kill from Raegen Beeson tied things up at 18-18. The Aggies responded, scoring six of the next eight points to set up a 24-20 lead, creating set point. This set was truly a nailbiter, as the Thunderbirds clawed back. Three consecutive kills chipped the Aggie lead to just one, 24-23. The comeback ultimately came up short, as New Mexico State went on to win a competitive set 25-23, and the match 3-1.

Despite a slow first set, the Thunderbirds played well against a talented team, proving that they can hang with anyone. Makenzie Templeton was great on the offensive end, tallying 10 kills, a team-high. Molly McDermott also played a great game, adding eight kills of her own. Leading the team in the assist column was Macy Short, who poured in 30 assists to go along with 11 digs. Sarah Gasper was huge for the Thunderbirds defense, totaling a team-high 19 digs.

With the loss, the Thunderbirds drop to 2-10 overall, and 1-2 in conference play. 

Up Next

The Thunderbirds will continue this road trip with a match against UTRGV on Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. MT.

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