BACK IN ACTION
Utah State volleyball (8-4, 0-0 MW) opens the Mountain West portion of its season this week in a pair of road matches. The Aggies will play at Wyoming (8-4, 0-0 MW) on Thursday, Sept. 23, at 6:30 p.m., followed by a match at Colorado State (4-5, 0-0 MW) on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both of this week's matches 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.
A STRONG START
At 8-4, the Aggies are off to their best start to a season since 2010. That year, Utah State went 11-1 in its first 12 matches. Utah State's 8-4 non-conference record is the best in five seasons, matching the non-conference ledger of the 2017 squad.
RECORD-BREAKING (DELAYED) DEBUT
Though in his second season, USU head coach Rob Neilson is coaching his first non-conference slate. 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).
ONTO LEAGUE PLAY
Utah State opens its ninth season in the Mountain West this week. Overall, the Aggies are 20-24 in their first conference matches, including an 8-12 record in road contests and a 3-5 record since joining the MW. Utah State and Wyoming also played each other in the first league contests of the 2020 condensed season, a five-set win for the Cowgirls.
In fact, the Aggies and Cowgirls have met in their conference openers four times previously and during opening weekend another three times. Utah State and Wyoming have played together in three different conferences.
HITTING INTO THE RECORD BOOK
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.
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.
HEADING HOME
Utah State junior Grace DuBay makes the return to her home state this weekend. The Aggie libero/defensive specialist is a native of Casper, Wyoming, located approximately 150 miles northwest of Laramie.
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. Larsen is ranked fifth all-time in Utah State history with 366 total blocks and sixth in block assists with 335. Currently, Larsen ranks second in the Mountain West and 10th nationally in total blocks.
AGGIES VS. COWGIRLS
Utah State is 17-25 all-time against Wyoming in a series that dates back to 1976. The Cowgirls have won the last six contests, including a pair of matches in Logan during the conference-only 2020 season. USU's last win over Wyoming came in 2017 in Laramie.
AGGIES VS. RAMS
Colorado State holds a 32-14 lead in the series over Utah State. The Rams have been a dominant force in the Mountain West for years, and have won the last 31 contests against the Aggies. Last season, USU and CSU played two matches in Fort Collins, where the Aggies won their first set over the Rams since 2014 in a four-set loss.
ACE IN THE HOLE
Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Stall leads the Aggie squad with 23 service aces on the season, nearly double the next highest player's total and surpassing her 2020 season total. 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 sixth in the Mountain West in aces per set (0.49), but second in total aces.
As a team, the Aggies recorded 12 service aces in the win over San Francisco. 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.
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 10 of 12 matches this season. The Aggies have not hit that well in that many contests since the 2017 campaign. Overall, Utah State is hitting .247 (627-239-1570) on the year.
UP NEXT
Utah State will play its first Mountain West home matches of 2021 next week. The Aggies host Nevada on Thursday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., then San José State on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m.
