LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball (7-4) battled but fell short in three sets against No. 12 BYU (11-1) on Saturday night.
The Aggies played in front of their second sold-out Wayne Estes Center crowd of the season, bringing in 1,488 fans. It is the fourth sell-out since the Estes was built in 2014 and is the first time the Estes has been sold out multiple times in a season.
USU was led by graduate outside side hitter Shelby Capllonch with 11 kills, followed by junior opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic with 10. Both Aggie setters logged double-digit assists as sophomore Leah Wilton-LaBoy had 18 and junior Beatriz Rodrigues had 12.
Defensively, senior middle blocker Kelsey Watson led Utah State with two blocks, while freshman libero Kambree Rodriguez had a match-best seven digs.
After trading the opening points of the first set, a 4-0 Aggie run that featured back-to-back kills and a block by sophomore opposite Kaylie Ray gave USU an 8-4 advantage. A pair of kills from Watson and senior outside Tatum Stall would later give the Aggies a 12-9 edge. BYU responded with a 4-0 run to take a 13-12 lead. The set stayed tied until a kill from Wilton-LaBoy tied it at 19-apiece. BYU then closed out the set with a 6-1 run for the 25-20 win.
Utah State jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in set two following a block from Watson and Mehmedovic, a Capllonch kill and service ace, and a Stall hammer. After being knotted at 8-each, a 3-0 Aggie run, capped by an ace from graduate middle blocker Kennedi Boyd, gave USU an 11-8 edge. The Cougars tied it three times before a 7-1 run gave BYU a 20-16 advantage. A 3-0 Aggie spurt would cut the lead to one, but the Cougars scored the final two points for the 25-22 win.
After BYU took a 5-2 lead in set three, a 6-0 USU run, capped by a Capllonch kill, gave Utah State an 8-5 edge. The teams traded points until back-to-back kills from Boyd and Stall put the Aggies on top 21-17. However, BYU closed out the set with an 8-2 run to secure its match victory with the 25-23 win.
Overall, USU hit .228 (44-23-92), while BYU hit .303 (33-10-76).
Utah State opens Mountain West play by hosting Wyoming (11-0) on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7 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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