BACK IN ACTION
Utah State volleyball (6-3, 0-0 MW) wraps up the non-conference portion of its season this week with a trio of regional matches. The Aggies will play at Utah Valley (3-5) on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m., followed by a match at Southern Utah (3-6) on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. USU then returns home to host Idaho State (4-6) on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
The matches at Utah Valley and Southern Utah will be streamed live through ESPN+ with a subscription required. The home contest against Idaho State will be streamed for free via the Mountain West Network. Live stats will be provided for all three matches. Links to all options will be posted on the team's social media pages, and are all listed on the Utah State Athletics website.
A STRONG START
At 6-3, the Aggies are off to their best start to a season since 2010. That year, Utah State won each of its first nine matches.
CORINNE FROM THE BLOCK
With her five block solos at San Francisco (Sept. 10), senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen set a program record for block solos in a three-set match. Her five blocks are the most by a Utah State player since Marie Motil recorded six in a contest at UC Irvine on Sept. 21, 1993.
BLOCK PARTY
Utah State recorded a season-high 16 total blocks in the Sept. 10 five-set loss to CSU Bakersfield. The 16 are the most by an Aggie team since a four-set match against San Diego State on Nov. 21, 2019, when the team tallied 21. USU's six solo blocks in the win at San Francisco (Sept. 10) are also the most since that match against the Aztecs.
ACE IN THE HOLE
Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Stall leads the Aggie squad with 18 service aces on the season, double the next highest player's total. In nine matches, she has equaled her season total from her freshman campaign in 2020. Stall recorded a career-high four aces in the season opener against North Dakota, and has had at least one in every match this season. She is fourth in the Mountain West in assists per set (0.50), but second in total aces.
As a team, the Aggies recorded 12 service aces in the win over the Dons. Senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen led the team with four, while five other players had at least one. The 12 are the most by a USU team in a single match since recording 13 in a four-set victory at Nevada on Nov. 6, 2014.
BEEHIVE BATTLES
Utah State will see its last of three in-state opponents in 2021 this weekend. The Aggies played a home match against Weber State during opening weekend, falling to the Wildcats in five. All-time, Utah State is 92-121 against teams from Utah.
MAKING HER DEBUT
Aggie freshman setter Kalia Thunstrom made her collegiate debut last weekend at the Bay Area Invitational. She played in all three matches, averaging 4.01 assists per set, including 20 in the four-set victory at Saint Mary's. She also finished the weekend with 16 digs, one kill and one service ace.
AGGIES VS. WOLVERINES
Utah State is 11-9 all-time against Utah Valley, including a 4-4 record in matches played in Orem. The Wolverines have won the last three matches, including a 3-0 victory in 2019. The conference-only spring 2021 season snapped a 14-year streak of the two teams playing every year.
AGGIES VS. THUNDERBIRDS
The all-time series between Utah State and Southern Utah is tied at 3-3. The teams have alternated wins in the six meetings since 1988. USU and SUU last met in Logan in 2019, resulting in a five-set win for the Thunderbirds.
AGGIES VS. BENGALS
The fifth-longest-running series for Utah State, the Aggies are 23-29 all-time against Idaho State dating back to 1978. USU has seen success against the Bengals at home, going 15-9. Saturday will mark the first meeting between Utah State and Idaho State since 2015, when the Bengals won a 3-0 match at the USC Classic.
A RETURN TO LOGAN
Idaho State head coach Sammi Stuart is no stranger to the Utah State program. Stuart spent four seasons (2015-18) as an assistant coach at USU. Additionally, she played women's basketball for the Aggies, graduating in 2005. Furthermore, Stuart's mother, Cindy Stuart, was the head coach of the Utah State women's basketball program from 1978-82.
FRIEND OR FOE?
On the flip side, Utah State assistant coach Chloe Hirst will see her alma mater on the other side of the court for the first time. Hirst played at Idaho State from 2013-17. She earned all-Big Sky honors as a junior and senior, and was on the all-academic team each year of her career. An outside hitter, Hirst finished her career with 1,110 kills, which ranks 11th all-time at ISU.
CATCHING FIRE
Utah State hit .366 (49-15-93) as a team against Seton Hall, marking the first time an Aggie team has hit .300 or higher since the 2016 season. Additionally, USU has hit above .210 in eight of nine matches this season. The Aggies have not hit that well in that many contests since the 2017 campaign. Overall, Utah State is hitting .250 (494-190-1217) on the year.
HOT-HITTING HAILEY
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Hailey 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.
UP NEXT
Utah State opens Mountain West play next week with a pair of road matches. The Aggies will play at Wyoming on Thursday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. contest at Colorado State on Saturday, Sept. 25.
