RENO, Nev. - Utah State volleyball split the first four sets at Nevada on Saturday, but never settled in an offensive groove in the fifth, losing in five sets against the Wolf Pack. The loss drops the Aggies to 3-12 overall and 1-3 in league play, while Nevada picked up its first conference win, moving to 8-7 and 1-3 in the Mountain West.
The match was highlighted by a pair of Utah State double-doubles as senior setter
Kassidy Johnson logged her second straight with 44 assists and 14 digs, while sophomore outside
Gabbi Shumway recorded her third of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs.
Shumway was joined in double figure kills by sophomore
Bailey Downing with a team- and career-high 19 kills, followed by junior right side
Izzie Hinton-Belnap and senior middle
Lauren O'Brien with 10 kills apiece. Senior libero
Tasia Taylor was one of four Aggies with double-digit digs, leading the way with 20 and followed by Johnson and Shumway, along with redshirt junior outside
Ally Packard with 10.
Nevada took an early lead in the opening set after scoring each of the first two points of the frame. However, Utah State battled back to tie the match at 12-12 as the teams then battled through four ties, including a 16-16 deadlock following a Wolf Pack service error. Nevada bounced back and scored three straight, but the Aggies answered with three of their own, including a kill by Shumway and block by Hinton-Belnap and freshman middle
Corinne Larsen. The teams then played through ties at 20-20, 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23, before Nevada put together back-to-back points to take the opening set, 25-23.
Utah State scored three straight early in the second set to overcome a 3-1 deficit and turn it into a 4-3 lead. The Aggies then used a six-point run to break a 5-5 tie and build an 11-5 advantage and never looked back. The Wolf Pack fought off a pair of Utah State set points, but a final kill by Downing punctuated the set 25-23 in the Aggies' favor.
The teams played through eight ties and five lead changes in the third set as neither side was able to gain an advantage more than three points. The final stretch of the frame included a deadlock at 22-22, but Nevada broke the tie with back-to-back points, taking set point 24-22. Utah State came to within one on the next rally, following a Downing kill, but an answering kill by Nevada wrapped up the frame for the Wolf Pack, 25-23.
Utah State came out firing on all cylinders in the fourth set, hitting a match-high .457 with 17 kills on 35 attempts with only one error. The Aggies used the surge to cruise to the 25-19 victory and force a decisive fifth set.
The offense from the fourth set didn't carry over for the Aggies in the fifth as USU hit -.056 (3-4-18) in the frame. Despite the offensive lull, Utah State held an early 5-3 lead in the set before a four-point Wolf Pack run reversed the momentum. The run was part of a 10-5 closing push by the Wolf Pack as Nevada took the set 15-10.
Nevada was led offensively by four players with double-digit kills in Jamila Minor with 20, Camryn Rocha with 16, Hailey Maniglia with 11 and Kayla Afoa with 10. Afoa and Minor also finished with double-doubles after recording 16 and 10 digs, respectively. Mo Maluotoga led all players on the back row with a match-high 22 digs.
Utah State will be back in action next week, hosting a pair of home matches in Fresno State on Thursday, Oct. 4, and San Diego State on Saturday, Oct. 6. Fans can purchase tickets for the matches online at www.utahstateaggies.com.
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.
