OGDEN, Utah – Utah State volleyball ended its non-conference schedule in the win column after defeating in-state rival Weber State 3-2 in Ogden, Utah, on Saturday.
Three Aggies recorded double-digit kills, led by junior outside hitter
Tatum Stall with a career-high 21. Stall is the first USU player to break the 20-kill plateau this season. Senior opposite side hitter
Kylee Stokes posted a career-high-tying 16 kills, while senior outside hitter
Shelby Capllonch added on 15.
Freshman setter
Leah Wilton-LaBoy recorded a team-best 35 assists, while sophomore setter
Beatriz Rodrigues followed suit with 24. Senior middle blocker
Kennedi Boyd led the Aggies with four blocks.
Redshirt sophomore libero
Jordi Holdaway led USU defensively with a career-best 26 digs. Capllonch, Wilton-LaBoy and Stall all finished the match with double-doubles as the trio had 15, 15 and 10 digs, respectively.
Utah State finished the match with 10 service aces, with Capllonch, Rodrigues, Stall and Stokes each recording a pair.
A kill from graduate opposite side hitter
Emilee Turner gave Utah State (8-3) the 6-4 lead in set one. After Weber State (6-5) took a one-point lead, a 5-1 Aggie run, capped by a Stokes kill, put the Aggies on top 13-10.
The teams tied five more times until the Wildcats reached set point 24-23. A Boyd and Turner block tied it back up before a Boyd kill and block from Stall and junior middle blocker
Inka Mehtola gave the Aggies set point 27-26. Back-to-back Weber State kills put things back in the Wildcats' favor before Stokes put an end to the set.
Stokes tied it at 28-apiece with a kill before taking her first trip behind the service line this season. There, the senior from Phoenix, Arizona, served back-to-back aces to give Utah State the 30-28 set one victory.
The Aggies came out hot in set two as back-to-back Rodrigues aces and a Turner kill gave USU the 8-2 edge. Weber State fought back to tie at 9-apiece before a 7-1 Utah State run put the Aggies on top 16-10. The Wildcats trimmed the lead to two three times, but a Weber State error, Boyd kill, and Boyd and Stokes block to end the set gave USU the 25-20 win.
Weber State was not ready to go down without a fight as the Wildcats led the entirety of set three for the 25-19 win.
After trading points to open set four, a 7-1 Aggie spurt gave Utah State the 12-8 edge. The Wildcats responded with a 13-3 run of their own to hold a 21-15 lead before going on to win the set 25-19.
A Mehtola kill, Mehtola and Stall block and Weber State error gave Utah State the 5-4 advantage early in the final set. A 3-0 Wildcat run was quickly countered by the Aggies with a pair of kills from redshirt freshman outside
Kaylie Ray and a service ace from Stall to put USU ahead 8-7.
Weber State would tie it one final time before back-to-back kills from Stokes and Stall gave Utah State the 13-11 edge. A Boyd kill put the Aggies at match point before a Stall tip over the hands of the Wildcat blockers clinched the 15-13 set victory as USU won the match 3-2.
Overall, USU hit .224 (71-28-192), while Weber State hit .265 (59-15-166).
Utah State opens Mountain West action inside the Wayne Estes Center on Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Aggies host Air Force (8-4) at 7 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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