LOGAN, Utah - Utah State lost a four-set decision to UNLV on Saturday afternoon in the Mountain West home opener for the Aggies. With the loss, USU is now 2-11 on the year and 0-2 in league play, while the Rebels moved to 11-3 and 2-0 in the Mountain West.
Senior setter Kassidy Johnson recorded her sixth double-double of the year with 34 assists and 16 digs. Senior libero Tasia Taylor led all players with a match-high 17 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Downing led the Utah State attack for the fourth consecutive match with a team-best 13 kills, and was followed by senior middle Lauren O'Brien with 11, hitting a team-best .375 (11-2-24).
Utah State was slow out of the gates as UNLV built a 6-0 lead in the opening set. Sophomore outside Gabbi Shumway ended the visitor's run with a kill, but the Aggies continued to trail later in the set with UNLV holding a 16-11 lead. Utah State then made a push, stringing together five-straight points behind kills by O'Brien, Downing and junior right side Izzie Hinton-Belnap to tie the match at 16-16, prompting a UNLV timeout.
The Rebels came out of the break with back-to-back points, but Utah State countered and tied the match at 19-19, marking the first of five ties down the stretch. The set was tied at 23-23, following a USU service error, but a kill by Hinton-Belnap and a service ace by Shumway gave the Aggies the opening set, 25-23.
The teams battled through nine ties in the early goings of the second, culminating in an 11-11 deadlock that was broken by back-to-back points by the Rebels. Shumway logged a kill on the next rally, but the one-point difference was as close as the Aggies came the rest of the way with UNLV evening the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 victory.
Utah State opened the third set with a 4-1 run, but the Rebels came back to tie the set at 10-10 before using a four-point run to take a 14-10 lead. UNLV used a second four-point run to take an 18-11 lead and never looked back in the 25-17 victory.
Utah State trailed for most of the fourth set, but were able to close on the Rebels late with a three-point run made up of kills by Downing and freshman middle Corinne Larsen, and a block by Larsen and Hinton-Belnap to tie the set at 22-22. However, UNLV scored back-to-back points to take match point at 24-22, before committing a service ace to move the Aggies to within one, 24-23. The Rebels wrapped up the match when the service error was echoed by Utah State, punctuating the match for UNLV, 25-23.
UNLV's attack was led by sophomore outside Mariena Hayden with 26 kills, hitting .314 (26-10-51). She also finished the match with a double-double after recording 13 digs. UNLV rounded out the attack with two more hitters with double-digit kills in sophomore right side Erin Davis and sophomore Jillian Berg with 12 kills apiece. Senior middle Elsa Descamps led the Rebels with a team-high 16 digs.
Utah State will be back in action next week with a pair of Mountain West road matches at San José State on Thursday, Sept. 27, and then at Nevada on Saturday, Sept. 29.
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.
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