LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball (12-5, 5-1 Mountain West) earned its second-straight sweep inside the Wayne Estes Center as the Aggies defeated Fresno State (8-9, 2-4 MW) 3-0 on Saturday.
 
"We love being here and playing for our fans," head coach Rob Neilson said. "It was a complete match for our team. They competed really hard. We saw them scrapping and flying around the gym and bringing all sorts of balls back into play, which we love. That's a hallmark of our group. We played really well in almost every phase of the game."
 
Both USU outside hitters logged double digit kills as graduate senior Shelby Capllonch had 11 and senior Tatum Stall had 10. Sophomore setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy led Utah State with 21 assists, while junior setter Beatriz Rodrigues had 13.
 
Defensively, graduate senior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd led the Aggies with a match-best seven blocks, while freshman libero Kambree Rodriguez had a team-high 11 digs.
 
"It was amazing," Stall said. "These two teams are really good. They're really competitive and really good defensively. We battled back and we made some really aggressive swings. I was really proud of us."
 
After a 5-all tie in set one, a couple Bulldog errors, kills from Capllonch and Rodrigues, and a Stall service ace put the Aggies on top 10-5. A 4-0 USU spurt, bookended by kills from sophomore opposite side hitter Kaylie Ray and senior middle blocker Kelsey Watson, later extended the USU advantage to 20-12. After some back and forth, a hammer from Boyd followed by back-to-back Wilton-LaBoy aces clinched the 25-16 victory.
 
Fresno State held an early 7-4 lead in set two, but a Bulldog attack error, Ray kill, Ray block and Stall ace put Utah State ahead 8-7. After a 10-all lock, a 7-1 USU spurt, capped by a Stall hammer, gave the Aggies a 17-11 edge. The Bulldogs fought back to take a 21-20 lead before a Capllonch kill tied it again. Fresno State took the lead once more before two-straight Utah State points gave USU the 23-22 advantage. A Bulldog kill tied the score once again before a block by Boyd and junior opposite Adna Mehmedovic, followed by a Mehmedovic hammer, gave Utah State the 25-23 win.
 
The Bulldogs score five unanswered points to start things off in the third set, but a 4-0 Aggie run, highlighted by Boyd and Mehmedovic kills, along with a Boyd block, trimmed the margin to 5-4. Following an 11-9 Fresno State lead, Utah State went on a 6-1 run to take a 15-12 edge. The teams continued to go back and forth until back-to-back kills from Boyd and Capllonch, followed by a block from the duo, gave USU the 23-17 advantage. Fresno State scored once more before a Boyd hammer put Utah State at match point and a block by Boyd and Stall secured the 25-18 victory and match sweep.
 
Overall, USU hit .330 (45-11-103), while Fresno State hit .173 (35-18-98).
 
Utah State next takes on Boise State (9-7, 5-1 MW) as part of the Mountain West Tuesday Night Block Party on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m., in Boise, Idaho. The match will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
 
Season tickets for the 2023 Utah State volleyball season are on sale now.
 
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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