WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - NOVEMBER 7, 2022
Weekly Aggie Update
FOOTBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714
This Week
Sat., Nov. 12--- at Hawai'i, 9 p.m. (MT) (Spectrum PPV)
• Utah State football (4-5, 3-2 MW) continues Mountain West play this weekend with a road game at Hawai'i (2-8, 1-4 MW) on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 9 p.m. (MT). USU is 11-6 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors, including a 5-4 road record. The game will be televised on Spectrum Sports Pay-per-View and available to view for free on your mobile device via the Team1 Sports app.
Last Week
W, 27-10 --- NEW MEXICO
• Utah State successfully orchestrated both a fake punt and fake field, the latter resulting in the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, as the Aggies scored the final 20 points in a 27-10 Mountain West win against New Mexico. UNM was leading USU 10-7 with 10:51 remaining in the third quarter when graduate senior placekicker Connor Coles ran untouched into the end zone on a fake field goal from six yards out, putting the Aggies on top 14-10. Coles also booted a pair of field goals from 49 and 27 yards out, respectively, and made good on all three of his extra points as he tied his career-high with 15 points scored. USU finished the game converting all four of its fourth down attempts. Utah State's defense also found the end zone as graduate senior safety Hunter Reynolds returned a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown, giving the hosts a 27-10 lead with 3:00 left in the game. Reynolds finished with a game-high 10 tackles as the Aggies limited the Lobos to just 258 yards of total offense – a season low for a USU opponent, which included just 42 passing yards. Junior cornerback Jamie Nance recovered his second fumble in as many games on a muffed punt in the third quarter that led to Coles' 49-yard field goal to extend USU's lead to 17-10. The Aggies' lone offensive touchdown came on their opening possession courtesy of a 38-yard pass from junior quarterback Cooper Legas to junior wide receiver Terrell Vaughn, making it 7-0. Legas was 13-of-27 passing for 149 yards and the one touchdown as USU totaled 280 yards of total offense.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Ashley Springer - (435) 797-5547
Mon., Nov. 7 --- UTAH VALLEY, 7 p.m. (MWN)
Fri., Nov. 11 --- BRADLEY, 7 p.m. (MWN)
• Utah State's men's basketball (0-0, 0-0 MW) begins the 2022-23 season with a pair of home games this week as it hosts Utah Valley (0-0) on Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., and Bradley (0-0) on Friday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. All-time, the Aggies are 13-0 against the Wolverines and 1-2 against the Braves. Both games will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and available at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Preseason Notes
• Utah State returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season's team that went 18-16 overall, including an 8-10 mark in the Mountain West, and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament. It's three returning starters include fifth-year senior guard RJ Eytle-Rock, senior guard Sean Bairstow and senior guard Rylan Jones. USU also welcomes four newcomers, including three transfers in sixth-year forward Dan Akin (UMBC/Cal Baptist), graduate forward Taylor Funk (Saint Joseph's) and sophomore center Isaac Johnson (Oregon). USU also brings in freshman Mason Falslev, a native of Benson, Utah, and Sky View High School.
VOLLEYBALL
Contact: Ashley Springer - (435) 797-5547
This Week
Thur., Nov. 10 --- SAN JOSÉ STATE, 7 p.m. (MWN)
Sat., Nov. 12 --- NEVADA, 1 p.m. (MWN)
• Utah State volleyball (17-8, 9-5 MW) continues Mountain West action this week as it hosts San José State (18-6, 12-2 MW) on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m., and Nevada (12-13, 6-8 MW) on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m., in its final two home matches of the season. All-time the Aggies are 24-24-1 against the Spartans and 27-25 against the Wolf Pack. Both matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and available at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Week
W, 3-0 --- at Fresno State
W, 3-1 --- at San Diego State
• Utah State went undefeated on the road last week with a 3-0 win at Fresno State and a 3-1 victory at San Diego State. Against the Bulldogs, USU hit .271 (44-18-96), while FSU hit .188 (33-14-101). Sophomore opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic led the Aggies with a match-high-tying 11 kills, while freshman setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy led USU with a match-best 16 assists. Sophomore setter Beatriz Rodrigues added 14 assists, while leading the team with a career-high six service aces. Defensively, redshirt sophomore libero Jordi Holdaway led the team with 10 digs, while senior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd led with four blocks. Overall against the Aztecs, USU hit .371 (53-14-105), the best mark in a four-set match in program history, while SDSU hit .132 (40-25-114). The Aggies also tied the program record with 14 service aces in a four-set match. Junior outside hitter Tatum Stall led the way for USU with a career-best five aces. Three Aggies logged double digit kills as Stall had 12, Mehmedovic had 11 and senior outside Shelby Capllonch had 10. Capllonch finished the match with a double-double after posting a match-best 10 digs. USU's setters both recorded more than 20 assists as Wilton-LaBoy had 23 and Rodrigues had 21. Both USU middle blockers had at least five blocks as redshirt freshman Bella Wooden had seven and Boyd had five.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Ajay Salvesen - (435) 797-2066
This Week
Mon., Nov. 7 --- COLLEGE OF IDAHO, 3 p.m. (MWN)
Fri., Nov. 11 --- SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA, 3 p.m. (MWN)
• Utah State's women's basketball (0-0, 0-0 MW) begins the 2022-23 season with a pair of home games this week as it hosts College of Idaho (0-0) on Monday, Nov. 7, at 3 p.m., and Southeastern Louisiana (0-0) on Friday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and available at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Competition
W, 74-45 --- FORT LEWIS COLLEGE (Ex.)
• Junior guard Tamiah Robinson scored 19 points and graduate forward Abby Wahl pulled down 15 rebounds as Utah State won its exhibition against Fort Lewis, 74-45, two weekends ago. USU shot 37.0 percent (30-of-81), including 23.3 percent from 3-point range (7-of-30) and 58.3 percent at the free throw line (7-of-12). Fort Lewis shot 30.2 percent overall (16-of-53), including 20.0 percent from behind the arc (3-of-15) and 71.4 percent at the free throw line (10-of-14).
CROSS COUNTRY
Contact: Wade Denniston - (435) 797-1361
This Week
Fri., Nov. 11 --- at NCAA Regionals, Albuquerque, N.M., 11 a.m.
• Utah State's cross country teams continue their postseason at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Friday, Nov. 11, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Last Competition
M: 3rd/9; W: 3rd/11 --- at MW Championships, Laramie, Wyoming
• Utah State's men's and women's cross country teams both placed third at the Mountain West Championships, held two weeks ago in Laramie, Wyoming. Sophomore Ana Weaver earned second-team all-conference honors on the women's side, while graduate senior Darren Harman and senior Camren Todd garnered second-team all-league accolades on the men's side. Weaver completed the six-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 24.1 seconds to place 13th and help the Aggies, who were predicted to finish fourth, record 99 points. Senior Mica Rivera nearly gave USU a pair of second-team all-league honorees as she placed 15th with a time of 20:27.2. No. 2 New Mexico captured the team title with 24 points and No. 20 Colorado State placed second with 61 points. Senior Abby Jensen was the third Aggie to cross the line as she placed 20th with a time of 20:34.2, while sophomores Emma Thornley (20:38.8) and Kaybree Christensen (20:51.3) finished 24th and 32nd, respectively, to round out Utah State's five scoring runners. In the men's 8K race, No. 24 Utah State scored 74 points to place third. No. 5 Air Force captured the team title with 20 points and Colorado State finished second with 47 points. Todd placed ninth with a time of 23:58.4 to lead the Aggie men. Harman finished 10th with a time of 24:00.2 and graduate senior Mark Crandall crossed the line in 16th place with a time of 24:07.8. Rounding out the five USU scoring runners was junior Yonas Mogos in 18th (24:17.9) and junior Max Wehrli in 21st (24:20.4).
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Ashley Springer - (435) 797-5547
This Week
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 11-13 --- at CS Northridge Invite, All Day
• Utah State's women's tennis concludes its fall schedule at the CS Northridge Invitational from Friday through Sunday, Nov. 11-13.
Last Competition
NTS --- at ITA Regionals, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Utah State competed at the ITA Regionals three weeks ago in Las Vegas, Nevada. Junior Lisa Küng led the Aggies with a 4-2 mark, including a 3-1 record and a quarterfinals appearance in doubles action along with graduate Monique Burton. Sophomore Indya Nespor advanced to the quarterfinals in Flight 2 singles, finishing the week with a team-best 3-1 mark in singles action.
MEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Daniel Hansen - (435) 797-8584
Last Week
NTS --- at ITA National Fall Champs., San Diego, California
• Utah State concluded its fall tournament season last week at the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego, California. The Aggies were represented by senior David Cierny, who qualified for the singles tournament after a second-place finish at the ITA Mountain Regionals. Cierny lost in his first-round matchup versus the tournament's seventh overall seed, Florida State's Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc, 6-2, 6-1. Cornut-Chauvinc was ranked 105th in the nation in the preseason ITA rankings.
