CP-LMU box | USU-UTRGV box | CP-UTRGV box | USU-LMU box

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State volleyball lost both of its opening matches of the USU Invitational on Friday with three-set losses to both UTRGV and Loyola Marymount.

"We need to kill the ball better," Utah State head coach Grayson DuBose said at the end of the day. "We need to get more kills. We need to find a way to do that. I didn't think we did that very well today, killing the ball. Those are things we need to take care of so we can be where we want to be at the end of the season."

Utah State totaled 39 kills to UTRGV's 47 in the first match of the day, losing 23-25, 19-25 and 20-25 to the Vaqueros. Junior right side Izzie Hinton-Belnap led the Aggie attack with 10 kills, her second straight match in double figures, also leading Utah State's outsides with a .476 hitting percentage (10-0-21). Overall, USU hit .168 (39-19-119) to UTRGV's .302 (47-12-116) during the match.

Senior setter Kassidy Johnson led all players on the floor with a match-high 35 assists, while senior libero Tasia Taylor finished with a team-high 16 digs. Freshman middle Corinne Larsen paced the Aggie block for the fourth consecutive game, collecting three putbacks at the net.

Utah State had a late lead against UTRGV in the opening set, carrying a 23-21 advantage, but the Vaqueros closed the frame on a four-point run to take it, 25-23. The visitors broke a 6-6 tie in the second set with back-to-back points and then held off Aggie counters to take a two-set lead with the 25-19 victory.

The third set featured 10 ties and three lead changes as Utah State held a 15-12 lead, only to fall behind a point at 16-15, following a UTRGV four-point swing. USU came back to tie the set at 16-16, 17-17 and 18-18, but another late surge by the Vaqueros gave the away team the 25-20 win.

In the second match of the day for the Aggies, Utah State logged 28 kills to Loyola Marymount's 50, en route to the 22-25, 24-26, 21-25 loss. Sophomore outside Bailey Downing led the home side with 10 kills, while senior middle Lauren O'Brien proved to be the most efficient, hitting .667 (7-1-9). Utah State's block kept the Aggies close in the match with 12.0 to the Lions' 9.0. In addition to leading the team with 24 assists, Johnson also led the Utah State block with a career-high seven, followed closely by O'Brien with six and Larsen with five.

The Aggies also saw some highlights behind the service line with Shumway recording a career-high three service aces, half of Utah State's total of six.

LMU started the match with an 8-2 run that was countered by a five-point swing by the Aggies, pulling Utah State to within one, 8-7. The Lions answered with three straight and then held off Aggie runs as Utah State came to within one several times down the stretch. USU fought off an LMU set point at 24-21 behind a kill by Hinton-Belnap, but the Lions were able to wrap up the set, 25-22, on the next rally behind a kill of their own.

The second set extended into extra points as the teams played through 17 ties and six lead changes, including five deadlocks past the 20-point mark. Loyola Marymount broke the final 24-24 tie with back-to-back kills to take the set, 26-24. LMU finished out the match in a similar fashion by scoring five straight in the third set to break a 9-9 tie and take a 14-9 lead. The Lions then rode the momentum to a 25-21 victory.

In other matches during the day, Loyola Marymount took Cal Poly to five sets after dropping the opening two, but lost to the Mustangs in the decisive set, 15-12. CP only totaled 56 kills to LMU's 77, but made the most of 33 attacking errors and 18 service errors by the Lions, to seal the victory.

The Mustangs remained undefeated on the day with a three-set sweep of UTRGV in their afternoon match, hitting .323 (42-12-93) to the Vaqueros' .179 (35-16-106). Cal Poly was without a double-digit hitter, but had four attackers all hit above .300 during the match, including Torrey Van Winden (.389, 9-2-18), Adlee Van Winden (.364, 9-1-22), Nikki Jackson (.304, 9-2-23) and Madilyn Mercer (.636, 8-1-11).

The USU Invitational continues on Saturday, Sept. 1, with UTRGV set to face Loyola Marymount at noon, while Utah State will close out the tournament against Cal Poly at 2 p.m.

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-