LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball (4-1) extended its winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over in-state rival Weber State (2-2) on Thursday night.
 
"It felt like a grind," head coach Rob Neilson said. "It wasn't as smooth as we wanted. We made a lot of errors. But, credit to that Weber State team. They are a really well-coached team and really disciplined in a lot of ways. To be in this environment and to have the fans carry us through and see our team compete like crazy and get the win is great."
 
Two Aggies finished the night with double-digit kills in junior opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic with a match-best 15 and senior outside hitter Tatum Stall with 10. Stall finished the night with her 19th career double-double after recording 10 digs. Sophomore setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy logged a team-high 25 assists, while junior setter Beatriz Rodrigues added 18 helpers. Rodrigues also led the squad with a match-best four service aces.
 
It was a defensive battle on both sides as Weber State finished with 20.0 total blocks, while Utah State recorded 17.0 blocks. Graduate middle blocker Kennedi Boyd led the Aggie effort with eight blocks, while Mehmedovic followed suit with six. Freshman libero Kambree Rodriguez finished the night with a match-best 23 digs.
 
"It felt great," Mehmedovic said. "That's a great Weber State team. We knew they were going to challenge us defensively, and we played our game and took it to them. We made them hit some shots they weren't super comfortable with and just played our game."
 
The first set was a series of runs as the teams swapped losing and reclaiming leads. Weber State reached set point at 24-22, but a block from sophomore middle Bella Wooden and a Mehmedovic kill tied it. However, the Wildcats scored the next two points for the 26-24 win.
 
After Weber State took a 2-0 lead in set two, a 4-0 Aggie run gave USU the two-point edge. After some back and forth, the Wildcats eventually took a 14-11 advantage. Utah State responded with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Mehmedovic kill along with a Mehmedovic and Wooden block, to take a 15-14 edge. The set continued to stay close until a 5-0 Aggie run, capped by a Rodrigues service ace, put Utah State on top 22-17. The Wildcats chipped away at the lead to tie it at 24-apiece, but back-to-back hammers from sophomore opposite Kaylie Ray and Mehmedovic gave USU the 26-24 win.
 
The score stayed tight in set three as neither team scored three consecutive points until a 3-0 Utah State run gave USU a 19-17 lead. The Wildcats came back to tie it twice before a 4-0 Aggie run, capped by another Ray kill, put Utah State at set point 24-20. Weber State scored twice more before the final hammer from Ray secured the 25-22 win.
 
A block from Boyd and graduate outside hitter Jill Schneggenburger gave Utah State the early 6-3 lead in the fourth set. The Aggies maintained their distance as back-to-back Mehmedovic and Schneggenburger kills later gave USU a 20-16 edge. Ray put Utah State at match point with another kill before Boyd ended the night with a hammer as USU won the set 25-19.
 
Overall, USU hit .111 (55-36-153), while Weber State hit .095 (41-28-137).
 
Utah State concludes its three-match homestand hosting LMU (1-2) on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m.
 
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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