BACK IN ACTION
Utah State volleyball (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West) opens its 2023 season on the road this weekend as it faces No. 5 Nebraska (0-0) on Friday, August 25, at 5 p.m. (MT), in a match broadcast on Big Ten +. The Aggies then have a pair of neutral site matches, facing SMU (0-0) on Saturday, August 26, at 1 p.m., and Lipscomb (0-0) on Sunday, August 27, at 10 a.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The Utah State at Nebraska match will be broadcast on Big Ten +. Live stats will also be provided via StatBroadcast for all three matches. Links to all options will be posted on the team's social media pages and listed on the Utah State Athletics website.
 
AT THE PEAK
Utah State was picked tied for first in the annual Mountain West preseason coaches poll, while seniors outside hitter Tatum Stall and libero Jordi Holdaway earned a spot on the all-MW Preseason Team.
 
Rob Neilson enters his fourth season at the helm of the program after leading the Aggies to back-to-back Mountain West championship titles. In 2022, USU won its first-ever Mountain West Tournament Championship and made its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010, and just the program's fifth-ever appearance. The Aggies finished the campaign with a 22-11 overall record which was the first time USU has recorded at least 22 wins in back-to-back seasons since 1982.
 
AGGIES VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Utah State defeated No. 12 UCLA at the 2022 season-opening Utah State Invitational as the Aggies earned a 3-1 home victory on Aug. 26, 2022. Prior to the win over the Bruins, USU's last win over a ranked opponent was a 3-0 victory over No. 3 Hawai'i to win the WAC Tournament Championship on Nov. 24, 2010 
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Utah State returns nine letterwinners, including five starters and its starting libero. The Aggie returning starters include graduate middle blocker Kennedi Boyd, graduate outside hitter Shelby Capllonch, senior outside Tatum Stall, senior libero Jordi Holdaway, sophomore middle Bella Wooden and sophomore setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy.
 
The Aggies also return senior middle Inka Mehtola, junior outside Adna Mehmedovic, junior setter Beatriz Rodrigues, junior opposite side hitter Katie Swensen and sophomore outside Kaylie Ray from its 2022 roster.
 
WELCOME TO THE FAM
Utah State welcomes six newcomers to the 2023 squad, including graduate outside Jill Schneggenburger, a Colorado transfer, senior middle Kelsey Watson, a Loyola Chicago transfer, and four freshmen in setter Kaylin Scott and liberos/defensive specialists Kendel Hone, Rachel Reed and Kambree Rodriguez.
 
MOUNTAIN PEAK 
Utah State dropped just one set in its run at the 2022 Mountain West Volleyball Championships as USU won its first conference tournament since winning the 2010 WAC Championship. The fourth-seeded Aggies swept both No. 5 New Mexico and No. 1 UNLV before defeating No. 2 San Josè State 3-1 in the championship match. Four Aggies were named to the all-tournament team in outside hitter Shelby Capllonch (MVP), senior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd, outside Tatum Stall and opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic. Prior to the championship run, Boyd and Stall were each named all-Mountain West. 
 
MOUNTAIN PEAK - PART II
With wins over Colorado State and Wyoming to close the 2021 regular season, the Aggies clinched a share of the Mountain West regular season title for the first time in program history. USU has won seven regular season conference titles in program history, including the WAC in 2012 and five consecutive titles in the Intermountain Athletic Conference from 1977 through 1981. 
 
CAPLLONCH NAMED MVP
Outside hitter Shelby Capllonch was named the Mountain West Tournament MVP after leading the Aggies to their first MW Tournament title with wins against fifth-seeded New Mexico (3-0) in the quarterfinals, top-seeded UNLV (3-0) in the semifinals and second-seeded San José State (3-1) in the championship match. Against the Lobos, the native of Honolulu, Hawaii,  hit .424 (18-4-33) with 18 kills, while adding eight digs, three service aces and one block. Against the Rebels, she hit .423 (13-2-26) with 13 kills, while adding five digs, one service ace and one assist. And against the Spartans, she had eight kills and eight digs, while adding one assist. For the week, Capllonch hit .303 (39-12-89) and averaged 3.90 kills per set. She also recorded 21 digs, four service aces, two assists and one block, and averaged 4.35 points per set.
 
BACK-TO-BACK 20 WIN SEASONS
Utah State logged 22 wins in both its 2022 and 2021 campaigns, marking USU's first back-to-back 20-win seasons since the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. Furthermore, the 22 wins last season mark the 14th time in program history the Aggies have crossed the 20-win plateau.
 
EXTRA, EXTRA
Utah State was 12-6 last season in matches that go past three sets, posting 3-1 victories over No. 12 UCLA (Aug. 26), Cal Poly (Aug. 26), Portland State (Sept. 9), Fresno State (Oct. 8), Wyoming (Oct. 20), Boise State (Oct. 25), San Diego State (Nov. 5) and against San José State in the MW Championship (Nov. 25), and 3-2 wins against Utah Valley (Sept. 13), Weber State (Sept. 17), Air Force (Sept. 22), Boise State (Oct. 11) and San José State (Nov. 10).
 
STAYING NEUTRAL
Utah State was 6-2 last season in neutral-site matches and has won each of its last six contests on a neutral court. USU first lost to then-No. 10 Pittsburgh 3-0, before defeating Cincinnati (3-0), Portland State (3-1), Portland (3-0), New Mexico (3-0), UNLV (3-0) and San José State (3-1). Furthermore, in its six neutral-site victories, the Aggies dropped just one set, going 18-2 in the stretch. 
 
ACES HIGH

• Utah State ranked second in the Mountain West and 46th nationally in service aces last season, averaging 1.72 per set.
• In total, USU served 215 aces last season to lead the MW and rank 14th nationally. 
• Setter Beatriz Rodrigues led the Aggies and the conference with 42 service aces to tie for sixth on the single-season program record list.
• The Aggies were phenomenal behind the service line in the 3-1 victory at SDSU (Nov. 5, 2023) as USU tied the program record with 14 service aces in a four-set match. It marked the third time in program history Utah State had 14 service aces in a four-set match and the first time accomplishing the feat since doing so at Wyoming on Sept. 14, 2000. Outside hitter Tatum Stall led the way for Utah State with a career-best five aces.
• Four Utah State student-athletes served four-or-more aces in a match last season. Middle blocker Kennedi Boyd served a career-best five aces against Portland State (Sept. 9), setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy had four against Cincinnati (Sept. 3), Stall had a then-career-high-tying four against Portland (Sept. 10) before logging a career-best five at San Diego State (Nov. 5),outside Shelby Capllonch had four against Fresno State (Oct. 8) and Rodrigues had a career-best six at Fresno State (Nov. 3). 

 
LENDING A HELPING HAND
Utah State totaled 1,565 assists last season to lead the MW and rank 25th in the nation. Overall, USU assisted on 93.8 percent of its kills, with setters Leah Wilton-LaBoy and Beatriz Rodrigues accounting for 85.0 percent of those helpers.
 
ON THE ATTACK 
Utah State set a program record for hitting percentage in a four-set match as USU hit .471 (53-14-105) in its 3-1 victory at San Diego State on Nov. 5, 2022.
 
COLLECTING THE AWARDS

• Two Aggies were named all-Mountain West in 2022 in middle blocker Kennedi Boyd and outside hitter Tatum Stall. 
• Four Aggies were named to the 2022 all-MW tournament team in outside hitter Shelby Capllonch (MVP), Boyd, Stall and opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic.
• Five Utah State student-athletes earned 2022 Mountain West weekly honors in opposite side hitter Kylee Stokes (Offensive Player of the Week, Aug. 29), setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy (Freshman of the Week, Aug. 29 and Oct. 31), Stall (Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 10), middle blocker Bella Wooden (Freshman of the Week, Oct. 10; Nov. 7) and libero Jordi Holdaway (Defensive Player of the Week, Oct. 11).
• Two Aggies were named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week in 2022 in Stokes (Aug. 29) and Capllonch (Sept. 12; Nov. 28).
• The Aggies had a trio named to the all-tournament team at the 2022 Oregon State-hosted Asics Invitational in Capllonch (MVP), Boyd and Stall. 

 
WELCOME TO CLUB ESTES

• Utah State has won 19 of its last 22 matches at home and is 23-4 in the last 27 matches played in Logan.
• The Aggies drew 1,000-plus fans in six matches last season with 1,180 fans in the 3-1 victory over No. 12-UCLA (Aug. 26), a sold-out crowd of 1,398 in the 3-2 win over Utah Valley (Sept. 13), 1,084 fans in the sweep against San Diego State (Oct. 6), 1,157 fans in the 3-2 victory against Boise State (Oct. 11), 1,097 fans in the 3-2 victory against San José State (Nov. 10) and 1,046 in the 3-0 sweep against Nevada (Nov. 12). The Aggies hosted Colorado State for Spectrum Magic Night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Oct. 22, in front of 1,716 fans.
• The CSU match was the highest attended home USU volleyball match since the Aggies sold out the Estes against Utah on Sept. 1, 2015. 

 
INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION
Utah State has two international players on its 2023 roster in senior middle blocker Inka Mehtola (Raahe, Finland) and junior setter Beatriz Rodrigues (Lisbon, Portugal).
 
WEDDING BELLS WILL BE RINGING 
Junior opposite side hitter Katie Swensen married her husband, Preston, in December, 2022.  Senior outside hitter Tatum Stall is engaged to current USU quarterback Levi Williams.
 
ALL IN THE FAMILY 
Sophomore setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy is the granddaughter of USU volunteer assistant coach Mike Wilton. Her mother, Melissa, played volleyball for the Aggies in 2001, while her uncle, Travis, was a member of the USU football team. However, Wilton-LaBoy isn't the only Aggie with familial connections to USU. Senior outside hitter Tatum Stall's brother, Klay, played on the men's basketball team from 2017-20, and sophomore outside hitter Kaylie Ray's father, Brennan, was on the men's basketball roster from 1999-2002.
 
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