MORAGA, Calif. – Utah State volleyball (6-3) closed its final preseason tournament on a high note Saturday, defeating Saint Mary's, 3-1, in the last match of the Bay Area Invitational. 

The match was the ninth all-time meeting between the Aggies and the Gaels, but the first-ever win for USU. 

Utah State started down, dropping the first set, 25-13. The team responded well, however, bouncing back to win the next three sets, 26-24, 25-21 and 25-23. 

The Gaels scored eight of the first 10 points, setting the tone early. The Aggies tried to chip away at the deficit, but an attack error secured the win for Saint Mary's. The feel of the match flipped quickly in the remaining sets. The teams kept the score tight in the second, as neither led by more than three points throughout. USU called a timeout down one, then returned to the court to score four points in a row off kills from sophomore outside hitter Tatum Stall and sophomore libero Abby Peterson to claim the set. 

The third set started off back-and-forth, but the Aggies made a late push to go up 20-16. The Gaels responded to force an exciting finish, with USU senior outside hitter Kristy Frank recording the final kill. Saint Mary's came out strong in the fourth set, leading by as many as five. The Aggies were again able to take advantage a timeout, coming out of the break to score four straight points. Utah State closed the match out on a 7-2 run, as junior middle blocker Kylee Stokes recorded the match-winning kill off a Saint Mary's block attempt. 

Stokes led the Aggies with a career-high 16 kills, while Stall added 13. Junior setter Kalena Vaivai recorded a double-double in the win, tallying 63 assists and 10 digs. Peterson had a team-high 20 digs, while junior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd led the Aggies with five blocks. As a team, USU hit .236 (59-24-148), while Saint Mary's hit .250 (52-15-148). 

Utah State will wrap-up the non-conference portion of its season this week with a trio of regional matches. The Aggies will play at Utah Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 14, followed by a match at Southern Utah on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Both contests will begin at 6 p.m. USU then returns home to host Idaho State on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.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.