Sept. 30, 2010
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
LOGAN, Utah - Sophomore opposite side hitter Shay Sorensen recorded a match-high 12 kills to lead Utah State to a convincing three-set win (25-19, 25-17, 25-14) against Fresno State in its Western Athletic Conference home opener here Thursday.
Utah State improves to 13-2 overall and 1-1 in WAC play with the win, while Fresno State falls to 6-8 on the season and 1-2 in league play with the loss.
Sorensen (North Ogden, Utah) added three block assists for Utah State and hit a career-high .526 (12-2-19) in the match, while junior outside hitter Liz McArthur (St. George, Utah) added 10 kills. Senior setter Chelsea Fowles (Hollister, Calif.) had five kills and tied her career-high with a .833 (5-0-6) hitting percentage, and senior middle blocker Shantell Durrant (American Fork, Utah) had six kills and hit .667 (6-0-9).
Fellow senior middle blocker Katie Astle (Sandy, Utah) also played well for USU as she had three kills, three assists and five blocks, and hit .333 (3-1-6).
Brianna Clarke had eight kills and hit .800 (8-0-10) to lead Fresno State.
Utah State broke open a close first set with a 4-0 run to lead 16-11 and later led 24-16 before posting the six-point win. USU hit .171 (11-5-35) in the opening set and FSU hit .027 (9-8-37).
Utah State took control of the match in the second set as it used an 8-2 run to turn an 11-11 tie into a 19-13 lead. Fresno State scored four of the next five points to get within three at 20-17, but USU finished the set on a 5-0 run. The Aggies hit .357 (15-5-28) here and the Bulldogs hit .097 (8-5-31).
In the third and final set, Utah State scored nine straight points to take a 15-6 lead and led by as many as 13 at 23-10 before posting the 11-point win. Sorensen led USU with six kills on seven swings during the set as the Aggies hit .583 (15-1-24) and held the Bulldogs to a .107 (10-7-28) hitting percentage.
Utah State finished the match by hitting .345 (41-11-87) and Fresno State hit .073 (27-20-96). USU also had 11 more digs (42-31), four more service aces (7-3) and three more team blocks (8-5) in the match, while FSU had three fewer service errors (8-5).
Utah State will remain home and host San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
