LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball (11-5, 3-1 MW) stunned San José State (9-5, 3-1 MW) in a three-set sweep Saturday, handing the Spartans their first loss of Mountain West play.
The match started out tight, with the Aggies pulling off a 26-24 win in the first set. The Aggies then posted a 25-21 victory in the second before dominating the third to win, 25-14.
The Aggie offense was split evenly across the court Saturday, as every player recorded a positive hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Kylee Stokes led the team with 10 kills, while senior middle Corinne Larsen hit a team-high .600 (9-0-15). Freshman setter Beatriz Rodrigues led the Aggies with 15 assists, while sophomore libero Abby Peterson had a team-high nine digs. Junior middle Kennedi Boyd led USU with four blocks.
Utah State hit .350 (45-9-103) in the match, hitting above .300 for the third time this season. The Aggie defense held the San José State attack to .184 (37-18-103).
San José State jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the match, but Utah State fought back. The Spartans led until late in the set, when Larsen tied the score at 21. After a timeout, USU scored three-straight points to take the 24-23 lead. After trading the next points, a Spartan attack error gave the Aggies the extra-point victory. A 5-0 run early in the second gave Utah State the quick lead, which they kept for the remainder of the set. Things were close in the early minutes of the third set, with the score tied at seven-all. With senior outside hitter Kristy Frank behind the service line, however, the Aggies quickly took control with an 11-0 run. Some late San José State subbing gave the Spartans another few points, but a kill from sophomore outside Katie Langford sealed the set and the match.
Utah State returns to the road for a pair of conference matches next week. The Aggies will play at New Mexico on Thursday, Oct. 7, in a 6:30 match, then travel to play at Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m.
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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