LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball is set to open the 2019 season this weekend as it hosts the annual Utah State Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31.
The Aggies welcome Eastern Michigan, Southern Utah and Xavier to Logan, as each team starts its 2019 campaign. The Musketeers and Thunderbirds will open the tournament in a 10 a.m. match, while the Aggies will take on the Eagles at noon. After a short break, action will continue as Southern Utah and Eastern Michigan play at 4:30 p.m., and USU and Xavier meet at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Xavier and Eastern Michigan will open the day in a noon contest, while the Aggies and Thunderbirds will wrap things up at 2 p.m.
All six of this weekend's matches will be broadcast as a USU Athletics Production on the Mountain West Network. All video feeds will be available live and in archive form at utahstateaggies.com/watch. Live stats will also be provided by SIDEARM. Links to each option will be available online prior to every game. Limited in-game updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets.
Eastern Michigan returns five starters and 11 total letterwinners to the court this season. The Eagles are coming off a MAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago, posting a 21-14 overall record. In addition, the team added six members to its roster this season. The Eagles are led by first-year head coach Darcy Dorton. This will mark the first-ever meeting between Utah State and Eastern Michigan.
Southern Utah returns three starters and its libero after going 6-24 a year ago. The Thunderbirds also welcome eight newcomers to the floor. Pete Hoyer is in his second season as the head coach at SUU. Utah State leads the all-time series against Southern Utah, 3-2, with the teams last meeting in 2017.
Another first-time opponent for the Aggies, Xavier brings back three starters from a team that went 10-19 in 2018. The Musketeers also added five new players to the roster. Christy Pfeffenberger is in her fifth season as the head coach at Xavier, where she has an overall record of 61-63.
The Aggies return four starters and seven total letterwinners to the court this season after going 5-24 overall and 3-15 in Mountain West play a year ago. Utah State looks to replace some key pieces of its rotation after graduating three seniors in 2018. However, the Aggies return their top blocker in sophomore Corinne Larsen, as she averaged 1.18 blocks per set. Joining her as returning starters are junior outside hitters Bailey Downing and Gabbi Shumway, who led the team with 2.56 and 2.50 kills per set, respectively, last season.
Utah State also welcomes seven newcomers to the squad with four freshmen and three transfers. Under the direction of 14th-year head coach Grayson DuBose and veteran assistant coach Taubi Palmer, the Aggies have also added two new staff members to the bench in assistant coach Craig Choate and volunteer assistant Mike Wilton.
Season tickets for the 2019 volleyball season are now on sale. General admission season ticket packages are available for $27, while all Utah State faculty and staff can buy a season ticket for $22. Single-match tickets for the season will be $6 for adults and $3 for youth. Tickets can be purchased through the USU Ticket Office in person, online, or over the phone at 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305.
Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
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