NMSU enters WAC Volleyball Tournament as one of four favorites to win

By Zack Ponce

The final Western Athletic Conference regular season volleyball matches will be played on Thursday before the 2012 WAC Volleyball Tournament kicks off on Monday. 

New Mexico State will be one of four favorites along with Utah State, UTSA, and Idaho to win the WAC Championship and earn an auto-bid into the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

The 2012 volleyball season has been filled with parody and had seen many upsets along the way, including: Utah State being swept by sixth-place San Jose State; and New Mexico State losing to seventh-place Texas State. 

In summary, there is no clear favorite to win the tournament and the Aggies have as good of a shot as anyone to win the title.

“Confidence is going to be key for us. The post-season is like a new season in itself so anyone can win on any given day,” outside hitter Bradley Nash said.  “We’ve been punched in the face a few times this season so we have to go in with a good outlook and be ready to play.  That’s the key: looking forward and not back.”

NMSU head volleyball coach Mike Jordan echoed Nash’s sentiments.

“It’s just a matter of us playing well when it counts.  We know we are capable of doing it and I think everybody else knows we are capable of doing it,” he said.  “Everybody in this conference knows that every match is going to be a barn-burner.”

The New Mexico State Aggies could enter the 2012 WAC Volleyball Tournament as high as a No. 2 seed and as low as a No. 4 seed, depending on the outcomes of Thursdays’ final regular season matches throughout the WAC.

The Aggies (19-9, 12-5 WAC) host Idaho (14-13, 12-5) Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m.  The Vandals sit directly behind NMSU in fourth place in the WAC.  An Aggie loss would drop them to the No. 4 seed entering the conference tournament.

However an Aggie win coupled with a UTSA loss at San Jose State would mean NMSU could slide into the No. 2 spot.  Utah State (19-8, 14-3) has already clinched the No. 1 seed.

“I’m not concerned whether we get the No. 2 seed or the four seed, it doesn’t matter to me,” Jordan said.  “I really don’t care about the matchups at all.  Who we play and what order it doesn’t matter.  We’re going to have to beat good teams to win it.”

Jordan said he will have the teams’ top-killer Meredith Hays sit out of NMSU’s final regular season match against Idaho in order to rest and be at full strength heading into the conference tournament.

“She needs to get that body fresh and jump a little higher; hit a little harder; and she’ll be fine,” Jordan explained.