Oct. 6, 2011
LOGAN, Utah - Utah State's volleyball team continues Western Athletic Conference play this week with a match at Idaho on Friday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. (MT).
Utah State is 7-10 on the season and 2-2 in Western Athletic Conference play after defeating Louisiana Tech (3-1) and losing to New Mexico State (3-0) on the road last weekend. The Aggies are led by senior All-American outside hitter Liz McArthur who is hitting .148 and averaging 3.75 kills, 2.47 digs, 0.44 blocks and 0.14 service aces per set. Junior outside hitter Josselyn White is hitting .180 and averaging 2.94 kills, 2.64 digs, 1.14 blocks and 0.20 service aces per set, and junior opposite side hitter Shay Sorensen is hitting .157 and averaging 2.37 kills, 0.88 blocks and 0.49 digs per set. As a team, Utah State is hitting .161 on the year as compared to a .167 hitting percentage for its opponents.
Idaho is 8-9 on the season and 2-2 in WAC play following a non-conference win at Eastern Washington (3-0) in its last match. The Vandals, who are 1-1 at home this year, are led by redshirt freshman middle blocker Alyssa Schultz who is hitting .293 and averaging 1.60 kills and 1.42 blocks per set. As a team, Idaho is hitting .202 on the season as compared to a .187 hitting percentage for its opponents. The Vandals return six starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's team that went 14-15 and finished in a tie for fourth-place in the WAC with an 8-8 league record. Debbie Buchanan is in her 12th season as the head coach of Idaho and has an overall record of 171-171.
Utah State is 17-18 all-time against Idaho, which includes a 7-9 road record. The two teams split its season series in 2010 as USU won in Moscow in four sets snapping a four-match losing to streak to UI on the road, while the Vandals won in Logan in five sets.
Utah State is 54-46 (.540) all-time in WAC play including a 21-29 (.420) record on the road. Overall, USU has won five of its last six WAC matches on the road dating back to last season.
In road matches, Utah State is 63-87 (.420) during the last 12 years, which includes a 42-60 (.412) record in conference matches. This season, USU is 3-4 on the road and 4-7 in all matches away from home.
