Confessions of a NMSU Volleyball Addict

(Blogger - you try my patience every time I try to log in!!)

Well, it's the end of spring volleyball. Tonight saw the team take on UT-El Paso. It was great to get into the Pan Am and get a volleyball fix. Trust me, I needed it. Now I just have to wait about 4 months for more.

The team looked pretty solid. It was nice to see some height at the net and it paid off. Saw some nice action from the back line as well. Service was good in games 1 and 3. I think my friend Joanne jinxed it after game 1 by saying, "Wow - only 2 service errors." We saw the net a bit in game 2.

It was a little hard to keep up with the new members - we didn't get a team info sheet (or at least I didn't see any) so I wasn't able to figure out who was who with the new faces. Suffice to say, I was happy with what I saw AND Coach didn't turn red or even yell tonight - I think I saw him smiling during the first game.

Now - a note for you Aggie fans who haven't been to a lot of games or really gotten serious about checking out volleyball: You are hereby requested to sign up for the SideOut Club. C'mon - $75 for a single membership, $125 for a couple and $200 for a family membership (family of 4). Here's what ya do: Make out your check to AAF - Sideout Club, send it in to:
NMSU/Sideout Club, PO Box 30001, MSC 3145, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001. Trust me, you'll enjoy yourself, get to hang out with the players and coaches at the Sideout Events, enjoy some great food from places like Roberto's, Lorenzo's and other community partners and more.
If you have any questions, email me and I'll try to help you out. I don't have a contact phone number right now but I'll see if I can find one.


To answer your email questions:
The schedule should be out soon. With in a week or two I believe. We already know 2 dates - the Nebraska tourny is in early September and it looks like Hawaii will be around Oct. 26th...according to a team mom who already bought her plane ticket. According to Coach, it doesn't look like we'll have as many home games as we did last year. Schedules are reciprocal so we'll be making a few visits out of town. I'll post about the schedule once it hits the web, etc.

I don't know when the roster will be released. I know a lot of you are anxious to see the new names - I am, too.

The Italy trip - what happened. Basically, they could have gone but it would have been around $70,000. Coach didn't want to drain the entire Sideout account. Plus, they wouldn't have had the trip they wanted. This gives them a year to make a lot of money and get the trip the want/deserve.

Tailgates - yes, anyone can join in the fun. We tailgated today. The only thing you need to do is bring your own food and a chair. It's fun. I was surprised but we had at least 20 folks show up.

Aggie All Access Pass - yes, there will be one but its called something like AggieLand Pass. Yes, you'll be able to buy football/basketball season tickets and get the pass so you can get into volleyball, etc. for free. There are a couple of other options as well.

Volleyball tickets - you need to wait until the schedule is released. Last year they had to re-do a couple of things late in the summer so tickets had to be reprinted, if I remember correctly. I'd wait a little bit before getting your tickets just in case the schedule needs to change.

What's up next - Probably the Volleyball Dinner which should be in August. If you're a member of the Sideout Club, you'll get the information in your email box and in your snailmail box. *Hint Hint*

I'll let you know what other news hits the pipeline but for now, post a comment and let me know you're reading along. Don't be shy!

posted by Melanie Brooks @ 8:52 PM 7 comments

Jordan Inks Johnson-Kennedy
http://www.nmstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=9552&SPID=584&DB_OEM_ID=1900&ATCLID=860061


LAS CRUCES, N.M.-New Mexico State volleyball head coach Mike Jordan has signed Sarah Johnson-Kennedy to a National Letter of Intent Wednesday, April 11. The Chandler, Ariz., native is a 6-2 middle blocker.

As a senior at Hamilton High School, Johnson-Kennedy led the team to the quarterfinals of the Arizona 5A State Tournament. She had 2.96 kills and 1.1 blocks per game while tallying a .258 hitting percentage in her final season as a Husky.

Jordan said he is thrilled with the addition of Johnson-Kennedy to the middle that includes Kim Oguh and Amber Simpson.

“We’re excited about Sarah,” he said. “She is an exceptional blocker for her age. She’s going to provide us with some much needed depth at that position. I think she’ll develop into a very good Division I middle blocker.

“She has the opportunity to compete and learn from two All-American honorable mentions, which will only help her development. I’m excited about her joining our team.”

In 2006, Johnson-Kennedy was a First Team Fiesta All-Region, Second Team East Valley Tribune and Arizona Republic All-Star honorable mention selection. She was also named to several all-tournament teams including the Tournament of Champions, Chandler Invitational and the Highland Invitational in her senior campaign.

Johnson-Kennedy said she is looking forward to her arrival on campus and choose NMSU so that she could play for Jordan and with the Aggies.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I can’t wait. I know what he (Jordan) has done for the program and they have a great staff.

“The girls were awesome. You had a family atmosphere. It’s been one of my big dreams and now all my hard-work has paid off.”

As a junior, Johnson-Kennedy guided Hamilton to its first-ever appearance in the state championship match. She also earned Chandler Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. Johnson-Kennedy also played for Club Red, which exposed her to a high-level of competition.

The Aggies set the school record for the most wins in a season with 33 in 2006, which included snapping Hawai’i’s 114-conference win streak. NMSU also earned its first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and was No. 23 in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll.

posted by Melanie Brooks @ 3:29 PM 0 comments

Well, if you're looking for something to do on April 18, head on down to the Pan Am Center for a little volleyball action vs. UTEP at 7pm.

Remember, things are a little different in spring so don't expect to see what you normally see in the fall. This is going to be a great opportunity to see some of the new players as well as see how the team is coming together.

If you're a member of the Sideout Club, there will be a get together after the game. Check your snail mail boxes for a letter from Debbie Baker.

On another note - the team will not be going to Italy this year. They're going to wait until next year. Seems prices have gone up quite a bit and, even though they could go, they want to wait and raise a little more money. I don't blame them.

That's it for now - see ya on the 18th! Hmmmm....wonder if it'll be tailgate weather?

posted by Melanie Brooks @ 9:03 PM 0 comments