BOISE, Idaho – Freshman Lydia Blaha did all she could to keep the Boise State volleyball team afloat on Saturday night, but it wasn’t enough to hold off New Mexico State who is ranked No. 2 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Aggies were able to leave Bronco Gym with a 25-23, 25-11, 25-9 victory over the Broncos bumping their record to 7-7 (11-1 WAC) while the Broncos fall to 7-16 (3-9 WAC).

Blaha led the orange and blue with six kills and a season high hitting percentage of .455 thanks to numerous overpasses by the Aggies which she turned into vicious kills. The freshman also led the team in blocks with three (one solo) and totaled 8.0 points in the match.

In the first set, Blaha was already leading the team with three of the eight total kills by the Broncos. As a team, Boise State was able to hit .030, slightly under NMSU’s set one percentage of .079. However, the Aggies were able to bank on four service aces and 13 kills to sneak past the Broncos by two points.

Set two was more favorable to New Mexico State with the Aggies tallying 14 kills and a .391 percentage as well as three team blocks and three ace serves. Boise State was unable to hang on, recording only four kills and a -.148 hitting percentage. On a high note, senior Jeanette Jenkins recorded two aces while Blaha and sophomore Sadie Maughan each had two kills hitting .500 and .200 in the set, respectively.

With two sets under their belts, the Aggies were able to capture an uncomplicated set three win to clinch the match. NMSU hit .306 and totaled 15 kills with Lindsey Yon leading the way with five kills and seven digs. The Broncos were only able to tally four kills and a -0.81 hitting percentage in the set.

Overall New Mexico State produced 42 kills and a .237 hitting percentage on the night while acquiring 10 team blocks, 54 digs and eight ace serves. Boise State tallied 16 kills and a -.062 hitting percentage while tallying five team blocks, 33 digs and two aces.

Senior Jeanene Rose led the team’s backcourt defense with seven digs, while Jenkins, sophomore Lauren Hamm and senior Mandy Klein each added six digs. Klein recorded three block assists while also producing eight assists on the night. Maughan had four kills and two block assists, helping the Broncos at the net.

For the Aggies, Yon led the way with 10 kills and 12 digs for the only double-double of the match. Amber Simpson led the team in hitting percentage with .375 and nine kills while tying Erin Birmingham for a match high of five block assists. Sharing duties at setter, Alyssa Gintant tallied 17 assists while Jennah DeVries added 15, while each also added a team high of two service aces.

Boise State will continue their season and Western Athletic Conference play on Thurs., Nov. 6 when the host WAC leader and NCAA No. 8 ranked Hawai’i. The Broncos will also host Louisiana Tech on Sat., Nov. 8, with both matches beginning at 7 p.m. at Bronco Gym.