Oct. 10, 2014 LOGAN, Utah - Utah State University women's volleyball will continue its Homecoming week homestand when the Aggies host the University of Nevada at Kirby Court at the Wayne Estes on Saturday at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to make volleyball part of their football tailgate and can get into the match free, pending seat availability, with a valid football ticket to the Air Force game.
USU will enter the match coming off a 3-1 victory over San José State on Thursday night where
Kaitlyn VanHoff and
Rachel Orr surpassed career benchmarks with 500 blocks and more than 1,000 kills, respectively. The Aggies rolled in the first set, hitting a blazing .444 (15-3-27) and used the start to tinker with rotations as 11 different players saw action during the match.
Nevada lost its match on Thursday night at Boise State, 3-0, one of 10 losses in its last 11 contests. Overall, the Wolfpack are 4-10 on the year with a 1-3 mark in Mountain West action. Nevada is led by senior middle blocker Tessa Lea'ea who leads the team in points per set (3.93), kills per set (3.14), blocks per set (1.22), and hitting percentage with .280 (154-46-386). Among the Mountain West, she ranks fourth in points per set, 10th in kills per set, sixth in blocks per set, and 15th in hitting percentage. Sophomore right side hitter Madison Morell is second on the team and 17th in the MW with 2.68 kills per set. Junior right side hitter Sam Willoughby ranks 15th in the MW with 3.45 points per set and first in the MW with 0.45 service aces per set. Sophomore setter Lyndsey Anderson averages 8.47 assists per set, while junior libero Kara Kasser collects 3.33 digs per set. Ruth Lawanson is in her seventh season as a head coach and has a 32-148 record. Lawanson is 17-83 in four seasons at the helm of the Wolfpack.
The two teams will meet for the second consecutive season and have a long history after having competed together in the Western Athletic Conference for seven years. Nevada later joined the Mountain West in 2012, with Utah State making the move in 2013. USU won both matches last season in a pair of 3-0 sweeps and are currently on a six-match winning streak against the Wolfpack.
Utah State volleyball season and single-match tickets are available by contacting the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum during its office hours 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305. Season tickets can also be purchased online at www.UtahStateAggies.com, the official website of USU Athletics and clicking on the "Ticket Office" tab.
Fans can also follow the Aggie volleyball program on twitter @USUVolleyball, on facebook at USUVolleyball or on instagram at @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at @USUAthletics, on facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on instagram at @USUAthletics.
