Box Score

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State volleyball hit a season-low .009 (24-23-114) en route to a 3-0 loss to New Mexico on Kirby Court at the Wayne Estes Center on Thursday night.

"That was as bad a performance as you could put out there. It was bad," head coach Grayson DuBose said. "We did not perform or execute anything close to what we have traditionally done."

Senior outside Rachel Gale-Hammond led the Aggies with eight kills and was followed by freshman middle Lauren O'Brien with six kills, hitting a team-best .400 (6-2-10). O'Brien also finished second on the team with three blocks, trailing freshman middle Bailey Downing with six. Junior libero Tasia Taylor led the Aggies' back row with 16 digs.

"We're capable of doing much better," DuBose said. "We haven't executed in the last couple of matches and we've been kind of struggling; we have to figure it out. There's not much time left to figure it out, seven matches left to figure some stuff out.

"I like this group of players, and they work really hard in practice," he continued. "If you guys could see what we do in practice every day, you'd be surprised at that effort out there, because it just wasn't good enough."

Utah State countered back-to-back points by the Lobos to open the first set with a five-point run, taking a 5-2 lead behind kills by Gale-Hammond and senior outside Lauren Anderson. The advantage stayed with the Aggies through 8-5, but New Mexico put together a seven-point run to take a 12-8 lead and never trailed again. Utah State fought off the Lobos' first set point at 24-18 with a block by Downing and senior opposite Kayla DeCoursey, but a final kill by New Mexico put the finishing touches on the 25-19 win.

UNM opened the second set with a 5-1 run, but freshman outside Gabbi Shumway came off of the bench and provided a spark for the Aggies, recording a block with O'Brien and adding two kills to pull USU within two, 7-5. The two-point margin was as close as the home side came during the frame as New Mexico was able to fend off Utah State runs and ultimately capture its first set point at 24-19. A kill by Gale-Hammond and attacking error by the Lobos extended the set, but a final kill punctuated the set, 25-21, for New Mexico.

New Mexico jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the third set and Utah State was unable to get any closer than three during the frame. The Aggies came to within four, 15-11, behind a kill by O'Brien, but UNM finished the frame on a 10-2 run for the 25-13 win.

New Mexico sophomore outside Lauren Twitty led all attackers with 11 kills and added 18 digs for a double-double. Senior libero Ashley Kelsey led all players on the back row with a match-high 21 digs. Overall, UNM only hit .185 (43-21-119), marking just the second time this season that Utah State has lost when holding its opponent to less than a .200 hitting percentage.

USU will look to return to the win column on Saturday when the Aggies host UNLV at noon. Utah State picked up a 3-1 victory over the Rebels in Las Vegas in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this year.

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.

-USU-