The New Mexico State volleyball team tallied its first Conference USA victory of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Sam Houston in five sets inside Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Maggie Lightheart paced the team with a season-best 17 kills, helping the Aggies capture the opening set and dominating the deciding fifth set to secure the hard-fought road win.
After splitting the first four sets, NMSU saved its best volleyball for the deciding frame. The Aggies opened on a 7-2 run behind kills from Tess Fuqua, Ashley Herman, and Lightheart and continually applied pressure from the service line. Herman and Lightheart teamed up for a pair of key blocks, while Lilli Saldivar added a late kill as NM State cruised to a 15-8 victory to secure the match.
Playing in their fourth match of Conference USA action, Saturday's victory marked the Aggies’ first CUSA win of the 2026 season.
Fuqua added 13 kills and a season-high four service aces. Makayla Martinez anchored the back row with 19 digs, reaching double figures in digs for the 16th time this season. Paige Nelson dished out a match-high 26 assists, her fourth game with at least 26 helpers in a single contest for the true freshman.
First-year Aggie setter Katrina Catalan contributed 22 assists, nine digs and three service aces. The Aggies recorded a season-best 13 service aces in the five-set victory.
The win came on the heels of a straight-set loss to the Bearkats Friday night.
“I’m not happy with our play this weekend,” said head coach Mike Jordan. “We made far too many mistakes. Physical errors are one thing, but mental mistakes are another. Players have the right to fail occasionally on their own, but they do not have the right to fail their teammates. We were more prepared to play today than yesterday, and we managed to win but that doesn’t mean we were successful.”
Kate Sinclair led NM State with a season-high six kills in the Friday contest, while hitting an impressive .600. Herman shared the team lead with six kills.
Sinclair recorded the 100th block of her collegiate career. Her milestone total ranks third among active Aggies, trailing only Mia Fox (135) and Herman (129).
paced the Aggie defense with 16 digs, making this her 15th match to hit double-digit digs this season.
NMSU will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia next weekend to continue Conference USA play against Liberty. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT on Friday, Oct. 9, inside Liberty Arena as the Aggies look to build on their first conference victory of the season. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
