Oct. 14, 2000

Box Score

LOGAN, Utah - Senior middle blocker Denae Mohlman (Shoreline, Wash.) tied a school record for block assists in a three-game match with 11 versus Boise State in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum tonight as Utah State overwhelmed the Broncos by scores of 15-5, 15-5, 15-1 to improve to 14-5 on the year and 5-2 in the Big West Conference. BSU dropped to 5-10 and 1-6 in league play with the loss.

Mohlman, who holds Utah State's all-time record for block assists (368) and total blocks (433) spearheaded an Aggie blocking scheme that held Boise State to a negative .038 hitting percentage for the match as USU posted 16.5 team blocks with two solo blocks and 29 block assists. Mohlman is now 31 block assists away from entering the all-time Big West block assists top-10 list.

"We've been blocking very well as a team lately so that is good to see," commented Mohlman. "The entire team has been doing a great job with not only blocking, but digging and passing and that is nice to see. In the past, when we have played teams that we were expected to beat we seemed to put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but we haven't been doing that lately."

The pressure in tonight's match was put on Boise State early and often as Utah State raced out to an 8-1 lead in game one. The Aggies extended that lead to 14-3 and eventually won the opening game 15-5 as USU held BSU to a .097 hitting percentage, which would be the best game of the match for Boise State offensively. Game two saw the Broncos open a 5-3 advantage over USU before the Aggies rattled off 12 straight points to take a commanding two games to none lead. In the third stanza, Utah State pounced on the Broncos for a quick 11-0 lead before allowing a point. The Aggies then closed the match with four straight points to mark the third straight time that the Aggies have defeated Boise State.

"We played a very good match tonight, maybe the best overall match of the year," commented Utah State head coach Tom Peterson. "We did a great job of digging and blocking tonight and our blocking scheme worked very well against them."

Individually for Utah State, Mohlman had a team-high 11 kills and a .556 hitting percentage. Junior setter Chelsi Neves (Otto, Wyo.) continued to show why she is regarded as one of the best setters in the Big West Conference as she posted three kills, six digs and five blocks to go along with 38 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Rochelle Currier (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) had another solid match for the Aggies with eight kills, eight digs and four block assists, while senior outside hitter Amy Crosbie (Visalia, Calif.) had a team-high nine digs. Utah State hit .259 as a team, while holding its second opponent of the season to a negative hitting percentage. USU also limited UC Santa Barbara to a negative percentage on Sept. 30.

With 11 matches remaining to the 2000 season, Utah State has already tied its win total from last year with 14. USU's most wins in a single-season since the glory years was 18 set by the 1997 team.

Utah State will continue its six-match homestand this Tuesday, Oct. 17 when the Aggies host Idaho State at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at 7 p.m.