NM State Falls at No. 14 BYU in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament
PROVO, Utah – The NM State volleyball team fell in straight sets (25-7, 25-23, 25-19) to No. 14 BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies concluded their 2019 season with a 27-4 record.
The Cougars outperformed the Aggies in kills (41-32), assists (38-31) and blocks (7-5) in the sweep. Brigham Young also finished the match with a .386 hitting percentage, including hitting .520 in the first set.
Redshirt sophomore Savannah Davison shined in the loss as she finished the match with 12 kills, five digs and a .348 hitting percentage. In her final collegiate match, Megan Hart tallied three kills, two digs and three blocks. Analyssa Acosta chipped in with 11 digs while Ashley Anselmo added six kills on .357 hitting.
NM State fought hard early as it found itself tied 5-5 after the first 10 points. The Cougars would eventually show dominance as they went on a 20-2 run to take the set by a score of 25-7. The Aggies were held to -0.125 hitting in the opening set.
The WAC Champions seemed to wake up in the second set as they competed and nearly took the set. They were down only one point at the media break and battled to even the score at 21-21 before BYU collected the 25-23 win.
In the third and final set, the Aggies jumped out to a 12-9 lead thanks to four combined kills from Davison and Cat Kelly. However, the Cougars would even the score up at 12-12 after a three-point run. BYU took the lead after a 9-1 run and would eventually take the third set by a score of 25-19.