BOISE, Idaho – After losing set one, Utah State volleyball (15-7, 7-4 Mountain West) bounced right back to win the next three as USU defeated Boise State (14-8, 6-5 MW) 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Three Aggies finished the match with double-digit kills as sophomore opposite side hitter
Adna Mehmedovic had 13, senior opposite
Kylee Stokes had 11 and junior outside hitter
Tatum Stall had 10. Freshman setter
Leah Wilton-LaBoy led Utah State with 25 assists, while sophomore setter
Beatriz Rodrigues added 19.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore libero
Jordi Holdaway had a match-best 16 digs, while graduate middle blocker
Myrthe Maring had a match-high seven blocks.
After winning set one 25-12, the Broncos took an early 10-5 lead in set two. The Aggies chipped away at the margin until back-to-back Stokes and Mehmedovic kills tied it at 17-apiece. Boise State took its final lead of the set before Utah State went off on an 8-2 run to close out the set for the 25-20 victory.
The Broncos scored the first point of set three, but the Aggies countered with a 4-0 spurt, capped by a Maring and Stokes block, for the three-point edge. USU maintained the distance until another 4-0 run, highlighted by a Stokes kill and blocks by Stokes and Boyd, extended the advantage to 15-7. The teams went back and forth until USU closed out the set with a kill from Stokes, service ace from junior defensive specialist
Abby Peterson and a Bronco attacking error for the 25-14 win.
Boise State took a 7-5 lead in set one, but a quick 3-0 Utah State spurt put the Aggies on top 8-7. The teams traded points until another 3-0 USU run, featuring kills from Mehmedovic and Holdaway, gave the Aggies a three-point cushion at 12-9. The back and forth continued until another 3-0 Aggie spurt, this time featuring a pair of kills from senior outside
Shelby Capllonch and a Capllonch and Maring block, extended the margin to five at 18-13. The Broncos trimmed the advantage to 20-18, but the Aggies closed out the set with a 5-1 run as a Stall hammer clinched the 25-19 victory.
Overall, USU hit .336 (50-14-107), its best road hitting percentage of the season, while holding Boise State to a .137 (42-26-117) mark.
Utah State next hosts UNLV (18-3, 9-1 MW) inside the Wayne Estes Center on Saturday, Oct. 29, 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.
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