LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball (9-4, 2-0 Mountain West) recorded a 3-1 victory over Colorado State (6-7, 0-2 MW) on Saturday.
"We talked about as a group we just felt like we got better and better throughout that match," head coach
Rob Neilson said. "That's a really good Colorado State team. We defended them tough and served them really tough which it really important. You have a physical team. You have to push them off the net a little bit, and we did a great job of that."
The Aggies were led by their outside hitters as graduate senior
Shelby Capllonch had 18 kills and senior
Tatum Stall had 10. Junior setter
Beatriz Rodrigues led USU with 23 assists, followed by sophomore setter
Leah Wilton-LaBoy with 17.
Defensively, Utah State as led by graduate senior middle blocker
Kennedi Boyd with four blocks and freshman libero
Kambree Rodriguez with 11 digs.
After the Rams took an 8-5 lead in the first set, a 10-2 Aggie run, highlighted by a Stall service ace and kills from sophomore opposite side hitter
Kaylie Ray, Capllonch, senior middle blocker
Kelsey Watson and Boyd, put USU on top 15-10. Another Ray hammer would later give Utah State a 22-14 advantage, but a 5-0 Colorado State run trimmed the margin to three. Back-to-back kills from Ray and Capllonch put USU at set point before a Ray hammer secured the 25-20 victory.
Utah State led 9-6 early in set two, but a 5-0 Colorado State spurt put the Rams on top 11-9. The Rams later extended their lead to 20-14 before a 4-1 Aggie run, capped by a Capllonch kill, trimmed the deficit to 21-18. Another 3-0 USU run would later trim the lead to two, but CSU scored the final two points of the set for the 25-21 win.
The Aggies held a 4-1 lead in set three before a 7-1 Ram run gave Colorado State an 8-5 edge. Utah State tied it up at 8-apiece with back-to-back Stall and Capllonch kills, followed by a block from Watson. The teams continued to trade the lead until CSU held its final advantage at 16-15. A pair of Ram errors gave the Aggies a 17-16 edge and USU never trailed again. Colorado State tied it three more times, including at 20-each, but Utah State closed out the set with a 5-1 run for the 25-21 victory.
After CSU took an early lead in set four, USU slowly chipped away at the margin before a 3-0 run, capped by a Ray and Boyd block, tied it at 7-apiece. The teams continued to go back and forth until a dominant 7-0 Aggie run, featuring a pair a Rodrigues aces, kills from Stall and Watson, and a Watson block, gave USU the 18-11 edge. Colorado State scored twice more before Utah State closed out the set with a 7-0 run for the 25-13 victory and match win. The run featured kills from Stall, Capllonch and Ray, while a block from Watson and Capllonch gave USU match point and Stall clinched the victory with an ace.
"It felt great out there," Watson said. "In the fourth set, things really started to come together. Something we talked about in the locker room is we just continually got better both offensively and defensively. I was really proud to be out there and a part of that."
Overall, USU hit .285 (59-24-123), while CSU hit .175 (36-18-103).
Utah State next faces New Mexico (9-3, 1-0 MW) in Albuquerque on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 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.
-USU-
