COLORAD SPRINGS, Colo. – Utah State volleyball (10-5, 3-1 Mountain West) lost a five-set battle to Air Force (11-4, 3-1 MW) on Saturday afternoon.
Utah State was led by its outside hitters as senior
Tatum Stall had a match-high-tying 16 kills, while graduate senior
Shelby Capllonch had 13. Capllonch led USU with 13 digs, marking her fourth double-double of the season and 42nd of her career. Junior setter
Beatriz Rodrigues led USU with 24 assists, followed closely by sophomore setter
Leah Wilton-LaBoy with 23.
Defensively, three Aggies logged four blocks apiece in Stall, graduate senior middle blocker
Kennedi Boyd and senior middle blocker
Kelsey Watson. Freshman libero
Kambree Rodriguez rounded out the USU leaders with 11 digs.
Air Force won set one 25-18.
The score stayed tight in set two until back-to-back kills from Capllonch and Stall gave the Aggies a 12-9 edge. A 6-1 USU run, featuring kills from Stall, Capllonch and sophomore opposite side hitter
Kaylie Ray, along with a Stall and Watson block, later gave Utah State the 19-12 advantage. Air Force trimmed the lead to five before a 3-0 USU run, highlighted by Capllonch and Stall kills, put Utah State at set point 24-16. The Falcons scored once more, but a setter dump from Wilton-LaBoy secured the 25-17 victory.
After Air Force took a 5-2 lead in set three, a 5-1 Utah State spurt, capped by a Watson and Ray block, gave Utah State the 7-6 edge. The teams traded points until a 5-0 Aggie run, highlighted by a Watson and Stall block, gave USU the 15-11 advantage. A 5-1 Utah State run, capped by a Wilton-LaBoy ace, later extended the Aggie lead to 22-15. A kill from Boyd and an Air Force attack error gave USU set point 24-16. The Falcons scored twice more before a Stall hammer clinched the 25-18 win.
Air Force forced a fifth set with a 25-18 win in set four.
Back-to-back Stall kills gave USU the 6-4 lead in the final set. However, Air Force responded with a 6-1 run to take a 10-7 edge. A pair of Capllonch hammers trimmed the margin to one, but a 3-1 Air Force spurt extended the lead to 13-10. The Aggies trimmed the deficit to one twice more, but the Falcons would win it 15-13.
Overall, USU hit .258 (58-24-132), while Air Force hit .240 (61-26-146).
Utah State next hosts Nevada (4-11, 0-4 MW) on Thursday, Oct. 5, 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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