Mike Jordan earns 600th career win as NM State rallies past UC Irvine
NM State volleyball coach Mike Jordan earned his 600th career victory Thursday as the Aggies rallied past UC Irvine in five sets at the Bulldog Invitational.
The Aggies opened the Bulldog Invitational with a five-set victory, giving Jordan his 600th win as a collegiate head coach
Organ Mountain News report
FRESNO, Calif. - NM State volleyball coach Mike Jordan earned his 600th career victory Thursday as the Aggies rallied past UC Irvine in five sets to open the Bulldog Invitational.
NM State won 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 16-25, 15-13, improving to 2-1 on the young season and giving Jordan another milestone in a career that ranks among the winningest active coaching tenures in college volleyball.
Jordan is the 13th-winningest active collegiate coach and ranks third among active Conference USA coaches, according to NM State.
“Grateful to have had the people in my life that I’ve had in my life, all the former players, thankful for all of them, and my staff, throughout the years,” Jordan said after the match.
He said the milestone may carry more weight after retirement, but he was pleased that win No. 600 came in a difficult match.
“I’m just happy we got the win,” Jordan said. “It was kind of a back and forth, up and down match. We were great at times, and we were bad at times, but they weathered the storm, and I’m glad 600 came in kind of a gut-check win.”
Aggies rally in decisive fifth set
NM State trailed 8-4 in the fifth set before rallying.
Maggie Lightheart had four kills in the deciding frame, while Jacqueline Corcoran delivered back-to-back kills during a run that turned a 9-8 deficit into a 12-9 Aggies lead.
Lightheart later added a service ace, and freshman outside hitter Lilli Saldivar delivered the match-winning kill.
Tess Fuqua led NM State with 13 kills and added 10 digs for the Aggies’ first double-double of the season.
Ashley Herman finished with a season-high 12 kills and hit .550, while Saldivar added 11 kills. Jaelynn Kohli had 10 kills and hit .348.
Lightheart contributed nine kills, nine digs, three blocks and an ace.
Makayla Martinez led the defensive effort with 15 digs, while Katrina Catalan and Paige Nelson combined for 42 assists and 28 digs.
NM State finished with eight service aces and eight total blocks.
Players celebrate Jordan’s milestone
Lightheart said being on the floor for Jordan’s 600th win was meaningful.
“It feels pretty spectacular, honestly,” she said. “When I first got here, I knew it was such a winning program, so it was pretty amazing to be a part of that winning.”
Herman said Jordan was a major reason she returned for a fifth season.
“Coming back for my fifth year was an easy choice because of MJ as a coach,” she said. “Being able to be here for such an exciting event like this is awesome.”
NM State continues play at the Bulldog Invitational on Friday against host Fresno State. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
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