BACK IN ACTION
Utah State volleyball (22-8, 12-4 MW) looks to capture the program's first Mountain West tournament title this week at the MW tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aggies enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed alongside a field of Colorado State, San Jose State, UNLV, New Mexico and Boise State.
FOLLOW ALONG
All of the Mountain West tournament will be streamed live and for free via the Mountain West Network. Live stats will also be provided for both contests. Links to all options will be posted on the team's social media pages, and are all listed on the Utah State Athletics website.
AGGIES VERSUS THE FIELD
Utah State will receive a bye through the first round into the semifinal round. In the semifinals, the Aggies will face the winner between San Jose State (19-9, 13-5 MW) and Boise State (21-10, 10-8 MW). USU is 6-6 all-time in conference tournament play with their most recent appearance and most recent conference tournament victory coming in the 2012 WAC tournament. Utah State's lone conference tournament championship in program history came in the 2010 WAC tournament.
MOUNTAIN PEAK
With wins over Colorado State and Wyoming to close the regular season, the Aggies clinched a share of the Mountain West regular season title for the first time in program history. USU has now won seven regular season conference titles in program history, including the WAC in 2012 and five consecutive titles in the Intermountain Athletic Conference from 1977 through 1981.
LOFTY HEIGHTS
Utah State's 22 overall wins and 14 conference wins this season are the most in a season since 2010 and 2012, respectively. USU's 12 home wins are second most in program history behind only the 1979 season when the Aggies went 18-0 at home. Nine road wins is tied with the 2010 season for the third-most road victories in school history. Additionally, USU's seven sweeps this season are the most in a season since recording 10 sweeps in 2013.
INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
With 133 total blocks this season, senior Corinne Larsen now has 439 blocks in her career, placing her third all-time at Utah State. Larsen would need another 38 blocks to tie Denae Mohlman (477) for second place. Larsen's 133 blocks this season are the second-most in the Mountain West and are tied for the 27th-most nationally.
DESIGNATED HITTERS
Utah State hit .356 (57-9-135) in the Sept. 15 win at Southern Utah, setting the program record for hitting percentage in a four-set match. The new best surpasses the previous record of .347 (60-17-124) set in a match at Idaho on Oct. 6, 2010.
On the season, the Aggies are hitting .238 as a team (1,557-606-4,003), which would tie the 2016 season (1,465-562-3,797) for the best hitting percentage in program history.
NATIONAL TREASURE
As of games through Nov. 22, Utah State currently ranks in the top 50 in the nation of several team statistics. The Aggies rank 19 in total assists (1,428), 15th in total kills (1,557), T-24th in total service aces (185) and tied for eighth in total blocks (290.5). USU also ranks 44th in overall winning percentage (.733).
AGGIES VS SPARTANS
This year versus the Spartans, the Aggies have gone 1-1 with each side winning at home. Utah State won, 3-0, in Logan before San Jose State exacted revenge with a 3-1 victory in California. USU leads the all-time series versus SJSU, 24-23-1.
AGGIES VS BRONCOS
Against the Broncos, Utah State has gone 1-0 this season. The Aggies won the lone meeting between the two sides, 3-2, in Boise on Oct. 19, 2021. The win snapped a six-game losing skid to BSU. Boise State leads the all-time series, 28-19.
AGGIES VS RAMS
All-time, Utah State is 15-33 versus Colorado State, including a 5-13 mark on the home. The Aggies' 3-1 victory over the Rams on Nov. 18, 2021, was USU's first win over CSU since 1982, snapping a 32-game losing streak versus the Rams.
AGGIES VS REBELS
Utah State split the season series versus UNLV this season as both teams won at home. The Aggies survived a five-set battle versus the Rebels in Logan but came up short in a 3-1 defeat in Vegas. UNLV leads the all-time series, 13-5.
AGGIES VS LOBOS
The Aggies went 1-1 against the Lobos this season. USU came up just short in the first meeting, losing in five sets in Albuquerque. The Aggies exacted revenge with a 3-0 sweep of the Lobos in Logan. New Mexico leads the all-time series versus the Aggies, 22-14.
BUCKING THE TRENDS
Utah State has snapped lengthy losing skids versus numerous opponents this season. The Aggies broke losing streaks this season versus Colorado State (32 games), Saint Mary's (eight games), Boise State (six games), and Wyoming (six games).
GOING FIVE
Utah State has played nine matches that have gone to five sets this season. The Aggies are 6-4 in five-set matches. The 10 are the most since 2018, when USU went 3-7 in five-set contests.
LAST WEEK'S CAREER HIGHS
Several Aggies set new career-bests in Utah State's victories over Colorado State and Wyoming last week. Senior Kristy Frank set new high-water marks with 22 kills and a solo block versus the Rams, also tying her career-high of two assists in the same contest. Sophomore Tatum Stall set a new personal-best of four assists against Colorado State and tied her previous career-high of one solo block versus Wyoming. Sophomore Inka Mehtola matched five various career-highs with five kills and 10 total attacks versus the Cowgirls and one assists, one solo block and eight total blocks versus the Rams. Junior Kylee Stokes also tied her career-best with one assist and one solo block against the Rams. Freshman Beatriz Rodrigues also tied her career-high with 29 assists versus Wyoming.
AGGIE ACES
Utah State senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen tied the single-match service ace record in a four-set match with six in the Oct. 9 match at Air Force. She tied the record previously set by Amanda Nielson, who tallied six aces against Eastern Washington on Aug. 25, 2007. Larsen's six aces are the most by an Aggie since Hannah Gleason had seven in a match on Sept. 8, 2016, the most in a three-set match in school history.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Junior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd became the second Utah State player to set a program hitting record this season. In the Oct. 9 match at Air Force, Boyd hit .813, recording 13 kills with no errors on 16 attempts. The .813 hitting percentage matches the program record for 15-19 attempts set by Josselyn White on Oct. 27, 2012, against Louisiana Tech.
Boyd joins redshirt sophomore outside hitter Hailey Cuff in the record book, as Cuff hit a fiery .846 in the Aug. 28 win over Seton Hall. With her 11 kills on 13 attempts, Cuff set a program record for the best hitting percentage in a single match with 10-14 attempts.
CORINNE FROM THE BLOCK
With her five solo blocks at San Francisco (Sept. 10), senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen set a program record for solo blocks in a three-set match. Her five individual blocks are the most by a Utah State player since Marie Motil recorded six in a contest at UC Irvine on Sept. 21, 1993.
RECORD-BREAKING (DELAYED) DEBUT
Though in his second season, USU head coach Rob Neilson coached his first non-conference slate this year. The 8-4 (.667) non-conference ledger this season marks the best record by a Utah State head coach in their debut season. Prior to this season, the best non-conference record by a first-year head coach came in 1976, the first year of the Utah State program, when co-head coaches Marilyn McReavy and Mary Jo Peppler went 9-6 (.600).
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