LINCOLN, Neb. – Utah State volleyball (0-1) battled but ultimately fell short in its season opener at No. 5 Nebraska (1-0) on Friday.
The Aggies were led by graduate outside hitter
Shelby Capllonch with nine kills. Sophomore setter
Leah Wilton-LaBoy had a team-best 13 assists, followed closely by junior setter
Beatriz Rodrigues with 12.
Defensively, both USU middle blockers logged a team-high three blocks in graduate
Kennedi Boyd and sophomore
Bella Wooden. Senior libero
Jordi Holdaway led Utah State with eight digs.
The teams went back and forth to open the first set as a kill from sophomore opposite side hitter
Kaylie Ray tied it at 6-apiece. The Huskers responded with a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 lead. A kill from junior opposite
Adna Mehmedovic followed by an ace from Capllonch trimmed the advantage to three at 14-11, but that would be as close USU would get as Nebraska won the first 25-20.
The Huskers took an early lead in the second set, but a 4-0 Aggie run, capped by a Ray and Wooden block, gave Utah State a 7-6 edge. Nebraska reclaimed the lead and a 4-0 run of its own later in the set gave the Huskers a 19-12 advantage. A Capllonch kill and a service ace from freshman defensive specialist
Kendel Hone ended the Nebraska run, but the Aggies were unable to close the gap as the Huskers won 25-17.
A Ray kill followed by a Ray and Boyd block gave USU an early 6-5 edge in the third. The Huskers reclaimed the lead with a 3-0 run and held the advantage for the remainder of the set. A late 3-0 run that featured a pair of Capllonch kills would trim the edge to 19-16, but, following a Husker timeout, Nebraska closed out the set with a 6-1 run for the 25-17 win.
Overall, USU hit .061 (30-24-99), while Nebraska hit .286 (36-12-84).
Utah State continues its road trip by taking on SMU (1-0) on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 1 p.m. (MT).
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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