BOZEMAN, Mont. – Utah State volleyball opened play at the Bobcat Classic Friday, seeing a pair of opposite results with a 3-0 win over Portland and a 3-2 loss to Arkansas. 

MATCH ONE
The tournament opened on a high note, as the Aggies swept Portland with scores of 25-19, 27-25 and 25-18. 

All three sets started out close, with the two teams trading leads, but the Aggies started to pull away in the middle of each set. Utah State led by as much as 10 in the third set before the Pilots climbed back within reach. 

Utah State continued its trend of hitting well, finishing the match at .294 (39-14-85) and holding Portland to a .118 (35-23-102) hitting percentage. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Hailey Cuff led the Aggies with 13 kills, hitting .409 in the win. Junior libero Grace DuBay had a team-high 10 digs, while junior setter Kalena Vaivai led the team with 15 assists. 

MATCH TWO
The second match of the day was competitive from the start, but ultimately the Aggies suffered a five-set loss. 

Utah State took the early lead against Arkansas, winning the first set, 25-21. The Razorbacks then evened things up with a 25-16 win in the second before the Aggies bounced back to claim the third, 25-23. 

Down five in the fourth, USU rallied, scoring six consecutive points out of a timeout to find their first lead of the set. The teams traded points from there, with Arkansas clinching the extra-point win, 28-26. The Razorbacks controlled the fifth set early on. The Aggies were able to climb back, but a service error secured the 15-13 win for Arkansas. 

Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Stall led the Utah State attack with 15 kills, while three other Aggies recorded double-digit kills. Stall and senior outside Kristy Frank both recorded double-doubles in the loss. Stall added 10 digs to her line, while Frank tallied 12 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore libero Abby Peterson had a team-high 16 digs, while freshman setter Beatriz Rodrigues led the team with 28 assists. 

Overall, the Aggies hit .244 (65-24-168), giving them a hitting percentage above .200 for the fifth match in a row. Arkansas hit .301 (71-21-166) in the match, behind 33 kills from Jillian Gillen.

Action from the Bobcat classic concludes on Saturday, Sept. 4, when the Aggies take on host-Montana State 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.