LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Although it wasn't the result the Aggie faithful were looking for in the home opener, it was clear to those in attendance that the Aggies have the talent and the fight to put together yet another successful season.
NM State (5-2, 0-0 WAC) fell in four sets to the visiting Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara (2-5, 0-0 Big West) in the Friday early afternoon bout.
The opening two sets were both tightly contested but fell in favor of UCSB by the exact same 25-23 score. The Aggies then responded in a big way with a 25-16 dismantling of the Gauchos in the fourth set before the opposition secured a 25-21 come-from-behind victory in the fourth set to earn the match victory.