Oct. 5, 2008

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - OCTOBER 5, 2008

CROSS COUNTRY
Contact: Jackie Banda - (435) 797-8584

Up Next
Sat., Oct. 18 --- at Pre-Nationals, Terre Haute, Ind., 9 a.m.

• Utah State's men's and women's cross country teams will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 18 when it travels to Terre Haute, Ind., to compete in the Pre-Nationals meet.

Last Week
Men, 16th/25 --- at Notre Dame Invitational
Women, 21st/23 --- at Notre Dame Invitational

• Utah State senior Ben Kessen finished 40th to lead the Aggie men to a 16th-place team finish at the Notre Dame Invitational last weekend. Kessen, who has now been USU's top male finisher in each of its four meets this fall, ran the 8K course in 24:30. USU's next three runners placed 84th, 85th and 86th, respectively, as juniors Jason Holt and Steve Strickland, and freshman Brian McKenna all posted times of 24:58. Other Aggie men to compete were freshman Daniel Howell who came in 131st (25:25), sophomore Nick Bolinder who finished 187th (26:22), and junior Nate Lloyd who placed 188th (26:30). Senior Caroline Berry was Utah State's top female runner as she came in 108th to help the Aggie women finish 21st out of 23 teams. Berry completed the 5K course in 18:11. Sophomore Alicia Holt was USU's next finisher as she placed 110th with a time of 18:13, while fellow sophomore Kim Quinn finished 117th (18:15). Other Aggie women to compete were junior Erin Stratton who placed 124th (18:18), freshmen Ruth Hilton and Jessie Chugg who placed 142nd (18:30) and 148th (18:36), respectively, senior Alison Taylor who placed 155th (18:40), and junior Vanessa Gledhill who placed 163rd (18:52).

VOLLEYBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714

This Week
Thur., Oct. 9--- at Idaho, 8 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 11 --- at Boise State, 7 p.m.

• Utah State (5-11, 3-2) will hit the road for a pair of WAC matches this week as it plays at Idaho (10-6, 3-2) on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. (MT) and at Boise State (5-10, 2-3) on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. USU is 15-14 all-time against the Vandals and 11-16 all-time against the Broncos.

Last Week
W, 3-0 --- LOUISIANA TECH
L, 0-3 --- NEW MEXICO STATE

• Utah State posted a 1-1 home record last week with a three-set win against Louisiana Tech (25-18, 25-20, 25-11) and a three-set loss to New Mexico State (25-19, 25-21, 25-22). Against the Lady Techsters, senior outside hitter Kris Hymas came off the bench to record 10 kills and four digs, while fellow senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh had nine kills, seven digs and a career-high five service aces. USU out-hit LTU .188 to .025 in the match. Against NMSU, Osterloh had a team-high 10 kills, while senior setter/defensive specialist Heather Hillier added 10 digs. The Southern Aggies out-hit Utah State .220 to .082 in the match. As a team, Utah State is hitting .171 on the season as compared to a .228 hitting percentage for its opponents.

FOOTBALL
Contact: Zach Fisher - (435) 797-2066

This Week
Sat., Oct. 11 --- at San Jose State, 5:30 p.m.

• Utah State (1-4, 1-0) returns to Western Athletic Conference action this weekend as it plays at San Jose State (3-2, 1-0) on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. (MT), and will be televised live on ESPNU. USU is 10-19-1 all-time against the Spartans, which includes a 3-10-1 road record.

Last Week
L, 34-14--- #8 BRIGHAM YOUNG

• Utah State outscored No. 8 Brigham Young 14-10 in the second half, but couldn't recover from a 24-0 first quarter deficit and lost to the Cougars, 34-14, at home. Redshirt freshman running back Robert Turbin led USU for the second game in a row on the ground with 74 yards on eight carries. Sophomore quarterback Diondre Borel added 40 yards rushing to go with 10-of-15 passing for 114 yards and one TD, a five-yard strike to redshirt freshman tight end Tarren Lloyd for his first career TD catch. Senior wide receiver Otis Nelson had 72 yards on six receptions. Defensively, the senior tandem of linebacker Jake Hutton and linebacker/safety De'von Hall led USU with a game-high 10 tackles each, while junior cornerback Kejon Murphy and fellow cornerback senior Roy Hurst had an interception each. After BYU scored on its first offensive series of the game, the Aggies then coughed up three costly turnovers in the first-quarter. USU's two fumbles and one interception were converted into 17 more points by BYU for a 24-0 first quarter lead. Neither team scored in the second quarter and the Cougars tacked on 10 points in the third quarter before the Aggies rallied with 14 fourth-quarter points. Turbin scored on a 40-yard run to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive with 13:47 left in the game. After the Aggie defense held the Cougars to a three-and-out, Borel led USU's march down the field and capped the drive by hitting Lloyd in the back of the end zone. Utah State attempted an on-side kick following the score but could not recover. At the end of BYU's ensuing drive, redshirt freshman defensive end Junior Keiaho burst through the line and blocked the field goal attempt. The Aggies drove to the BYU 7-yard line, but could not get the ball in the end zone before the game ended.

SOCCER
Contact: Kara Irving - (435) 797-1361

This Week
Fri., Oct. 10 --- IDAHO, 3 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 12 --- at Boise State, 1 p.m.

• Utah State's women's soccer team (5-7-1) will begin Western Athletic Conference play this week with a pair of matches as it hosts Idaho (1-9-1, 0-0-0) on Friday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. and then plays at Boise State (7-3-1, 0-0-0) on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. USU is 8-1 all-time against the Vandals and 6-2 all-time against the Broncos.

Last Week
L, 0-2 --- BRIGHAM YOUNG

• Utah State lost its only match of the week at home to in-state rival Brigham Young, 2-0. The Cougars got on the board in the 18th minute on a header from Kassidy Christensen off a corner kick assist from Lauren Anderson. That goal would stand up for the remainder of the half, as BYU had a 1-0 intermission lead. USU was out-shot in the first half, 10-3, but had a 6-3 shots advantage in the second. Senior goalkeeper Ali Griffin made a season-high seven saves in the match.

MEN'S GOLF
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714

Up Next
Mon.-Tues., Oct. 20-21 --- at Southern Utah, All Day

• Utah State's men's golf team will return to action on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 20-21 when it travels to Cedar City, Utah to face Southern Utah in its annual Ryder Cup style duel.

Last Week
9th/12 --- at Oral Roberts Shootout

• Utah State's men's golf team finished in ninth place out of 12 teams at the Oral Roberts Shootout with a team score of 926 (312-311-303). Senior Toph Peterson was the Aggies top individual finisher as he placed 23rd with a 13-over par 229 (76-81-72). Senior Tyler Labrum was Utah State's second-best finisher as he placed 33rd with a 17-over 233 (79-77-77). Sophomore Benjamin Schilleman finished with an 18-over 234 (80-75-79) to finish tied for 34th, while senior Devin Daniels tied for 40th with a 20-over 236 (77-84-75). Junior Thad Truman also competed for USU and carded scores of 78 and 79 in his final two rounds after withdrawing during his first 18 holes.

MEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Jackie Banda - (435) 797-8584

This Week
Fri.-Sat., Oct. 10-11 --- UTAH STATE INVITATIONAL, All Day

• Utah State's men's tennis team will return to action on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11 when it hosts the Utah State Invitational at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club in Logan.

Last Competition
NTS --- at Utah Intercollegiate Tournament

• Junior Amit Maharaj and sophomore Bryan Marchant were Utah State's top performers at the Utah Intercollegiate Tournament in Salt Lake City as both players advanced to the semifinals in the consolation bracket. Other Aggies to compete in the tournament included seniors Mike Banks and Matt Braithwaite, junior Alex Thatcher, sophomore Jakob Asplund, and freshmen Jordan Barlow and Brandon Nelson.

WOMEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Jackie Banda - (435) 797-8584

This Week
Fri.-Sat., Oct. 10-11 --- UTAH STATE INVITATIONAL, All Day

• Utah State's women's tennis team will return to action on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11 when it hosts the Utah State Invitational at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club in Logan.

Last Competition
NTS --- at Brigham Young Invitational

• Utah State's women's tennis team began its 2008 fall schedule at the BYU Invitational. Sophomore Hailey Swenson led USU as she advanced to the quarterfinals of the consolation round before losing in straight sets. Other Aggies to compete during the weekend included senior Bridgette Strickland, juniors Cady Andelin and Marie Livingston, sophomores Jennifer Johnson and Taylor Perry, and freshman Monica Abella Calleja.