LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball dominated in every phase of the game en route to a 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-12) sweep of Nevada on Tuesday night at the Wayne Estes Center. The Aggies hit .500 (40-5-70) for the match, the team’s first time hitting .500 or better since hitting a program-record .550 against VCU in 1997.
Head coach Rob Neilson
“That’s as complete of a match as maybe we’ve ever played in my five years here and we’ve had some really good teams that have accomplished really good things. We hit great. We defended them great. We blocked great. We served great. We passed great. I’m just really impressed by how our team is growing. It’s fun to see against a really good, aggressive and competitive Nevada team. I’m really proud of our group and how we got after it.”
Set One
USU dominated from the opening serve, hitting .700 in the first set and recording three aces. The Aggies used an early 4-0 to open up a quick lead before taking firm control with a 9-3 stretch midway through. Utah State left no room for a comeback, closing the set on a 5-0 run to win, 25-12. The Aggies completely avoided attack errors as a team in the opening frame, registering 14 kills on 20 attempts.
Set Two
In the second set, the Aggies again jumped out in front early as the team gradually built a 9-5 lead in the early stages. As they did in the opening set, Utah State wrestled momentum away from the Wolf Pack with a 6-0 run featuring two aces from sophomore libero Kendel Thompson. Junior middle blocker Tierney Barlow also recorded two blocks during the run, partnering with senior opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic and freshman outside hitter Andrea Simovski on back-to-back rallies as USU went up 19-8. The Wolf Pack fought to close the distance with a pair of 3-0 bursts before Utah State finished out the set with a 4-1 run to take a 25-18 win.
Set Three
Utah State dominated from the service line in the final set, recording five service aces as a team en route to clinching the match. The two sides battled to a 4-4 tie before USU claimed 14 of the following 17 rallies to take an 18-7 lead. The dominant stretch saw aces from Simovski and Barlow plus a pair of aces from freshman setter Kaylie Kofe. The Aggies again left no possibility for a Wolf Pack comeback, ending the match on a 6-1 run to win the final set, 25-12. USU also hit .591 in the final frame and recorded 13 digs while holding Nevada to only a .107 hitting percentage.
Quick Notes
- USU’s pair of 25-12 set victories stand as the team’s most dominant set wins this season.
- Utah State has hit over .300 in three consecutive matches, tying for their longest such streak since joining the Mountain West in 2013. The Aggies previously achieved the feat in 2023 and spanning the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
- The Aggies recorded 10 service aces as a team, their third time this season hitting double figures. Thompson led the team with a career-high four aces.
- As a team, Utah State finished with only five attack errors on the night, the lowest by the team since also finishing with five attack errors against VCU in 1997. Both Barlow and Simovski finished with zero attack errors as the pair finished with lines of 6-0-10 and 9-0-15, respectively.
- Freshman Mara Štiglic led USU with 11 kills, finishing with a career-high .381 hitting percentage. Štiglic also tied for the team lead with graduate senior middle blocker Kelsey Watson with five blocks apiece.
- Kofe posted 25 assists, finishing with a career-high .556 set percentage on 45 set attempts.
- Thompson led the Aggies with eight digs while both Simovski and Kofe finished close behind with seven digs each.
- With the win, Utah State moves to 10-11 overall with a 7-4 mark during conference play. The Aggies currently move into sole possession of fourth place in the Mountain West standings, one half-game ahead of both San Diego State and Boise State at 6-4. The top six teams in the conference will advance to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.
Up Next
The Aggies remain home to host Boise State on Halloween night at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
