LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Utah Valley won the first set.
NM State, however, won the match.
Keeping pace with Grand Canyon atop the WAC's West Division standings, NM State received 12 or more kills from four individuals - a match-best 19 of which were hammered home by Katie Birtcil - in order to dispatch Utah Valley by a 3-1 tally Saturday afternoon inside the Pan American Center.
The win - NM State's third in a row - helped the Aggies remain tied with Grand Canyon for the top spot in the league's West Division standings with one regular season WAC match remaining.