LARAMIE, Wyo. – Utah State volleyball (9-4, 1-0 MW) opened the Mountain West portion of its season Thursday, taking Wyoming (8-5, 0-1 MW) down in a five-set thriller.

Thursday's match was the ultimate battle with ups and downs for both teams. The contest was tight from the beginning with Wyoming taking the first set, 25-23. The second followed suit, but went on much longer before Utah State won, 33-31. The Aggies then took a dominant third set, 25-14, but the Cowgirls answered and held off a USU rally to win the fourth, 25-22. Utah State then got the momentum back to take the match with a 15-11 win in the fifth. 

The third set was the highest-scoring set by a Utah State team since a 33-31 set win at Idaho on Nov. 5, 2007. At that point, however, NCAA volleyball sets were played to 30, with the sport moving to 25-point sets in 2008. USU's win over Wyoming snaps a six-match losing skid against the Cowgirls, the first since Nov. 4, 2017.

Utah State had a very balanced attack Thursday, as three players recorded double-digit kills. Senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen led all players with a career-best 18 kills, hitting .405 on the night. Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Stall was just behind Larsen with a season-high 17 kills, and junior middle Kennedi Boyd added 15 while hitting a team-best .444. As a team, Utah State hit .204 (62-25-181), while holding Wyoming to a .107 (61-39-205) attack, its second-lowest hitting percentage of the season.

The defense had a solid night as well. Four Aggies put up double-digit dig numbers, where sophomore libero Abby Peterson led with a season-high 25. Three USU players posted double-double performances. Freshman setter Kalia Thunstrom tallied 23 assists and 18 digs, while junior setter Kalena Vaivai had 23 assists and 15 digs. Stall added 11 digs to her kill total for her third double-double of the season. Utah State finished the match with 13 team blocks, led by Boyd and Larsen with seven and six, respectively. 

Utah State will continue its weekend on the road, playing at Colorado State on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1 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.