LOGAN, Utah – After breezing through the second set on their way to a 2-0 lead, Utah State volleyball faced another tough test for a young team. After New Mexico prevailed in a marathon third set, the Lobos led by seven points late in the fourth, poised to push yet another match to five sets for USU.
 
Finding a poise beyond their years, and leaning on several veterans of the program, the Aggies fought off the Lobos with an 11-2 run, scoring the final seven points of the match to win, 3-1 (26-24, 25-15, 29-31, 25-23), on Thursday night at the Wayne Estes Center.
 
Head coach Rob Neilson
"I thought we were going five but we dug it out there at the end, so hats off to them. We were out of it. We got quiet, got a little nervous, got a little internal. But that's the battle for young players - how do you stay consistent and trust yourself and your teammates and just compete? It's fun to go through that and come out on the other side. That's really big. There's so much for us to learn and we're learning."
 
Set One
The two sides traded 4-1 runs en route to an 8-8 tie to begin the first set. The Lobos then jumped in front, 12-8, before the Aggies responded with a 12-5 stretch to wrestle back control. A late 3-0 burst from New Mexico tied the set at 22 apiece. After the teams alternated the next four points, a kill from freshman Mara Štiglic put USU at match point before a bad UNM set clinched the opening set for USU at 26-24.
 
Set Two
After the two sides played evenly to open the second frame, a 3-0 run from the Lobos put the visitors on tp, 10-9. It proved to be New Mexico's only lead of the set, however, as the Aggies went on an immediate 7-0 run with freshman Delaney Lawson at the service line. The run featured a pair of kills from both graduate senior Kelsey Watson and freshman Andrea Simovski as the Aggies took complete control of the set. A later 4-0 run from the Aggies pushed the lead to double-digits before USU closed out the set for a 25-15 win.
 
Set Three
The Lobos took the first initiative in the third set, using a 4-0 to take a 10-7 lead. After UNM's lead stretched as large as five points, the Aggies fought back 7-2 burst to tie the set at 19-19. From there, neither side led by more than a single point until the Lobos strung together three straight points to extend the match with a 31-29 win in the set.
 
Set Four
The Aggies seemed destined for yet another five-set match as the Lobos took an early 9-5 lead in the fourth set. The teams alternated the ensuing 16 points as USU was unable to eat into the Lobo advantage. After a 5-1 stretch extended New Mexico's lead to as large as 21-14, Utah State subbed in redshirt junior Kaylie Ray and the Aggie comeback sparked to life. USU reeled off four straight points to trim the lead to three before UNM responded with a pair of plays to go up 23-18. A kill from freshman Loryn Helgesen halted the Lobos' momentum before an ace from freshman Jagoda Bialek firmly swung it back to USU's side. Freshman Kaylie Kofe and junior Tierney Barlow combined for a pair of blocks during the Aggie run, while Ray recorded two kills, including the clinching point, as Utah State reeled off the final seven points of the match to take a 25-23 victory.
 
Quick Notes

• Utah State has now won three consecutive matches, their first winning streak of 2024. The Aggies defeated San Diego State (3-2) and UNLV (3-0) on the road last week.
• USU's 25-15 victory in the second set is the team's largest margin of victory in a set so far this season. 
• Kofe finished with a career-high 52 assists, the most assists by an Aggie in a single match since Kassidy Johnson recorded 56 assists against Air Force in 2017. Kofe's 52 assists are also the most in the Mountain West this season for a match going fewer than five sets.
• Štiglic set new career-best marks with 16 kills on a .273 hitting percentage, also adding four blocks.
• Simovski recorded a double-double for the third straight game, finishing with 10 kills and 10 digs. Kofe also recorded a double-double with 10 digs, marking the third time this season multiple Aggies have recorded double-doubles in the same match.
• Redshirt sophomore Kendel Thompson led the Aggies with 14 digs, her sixth time with double-digit digs in the last seven matches.
• Lawson led the Aggies from the service line with three aces on the night.
• Barlow posted a team-high six blocks, also adding two aces, while Watson finished close behind with five blocks.
• Utah State hit .210 for the match (62-32-143), their fourth-consecutive match hitting at least .200 or better. The Aggies also held the Lobos to a .157 hitting percentage (46-25-134), the second-lowest hitting percentage allowed by USU this season.
• With the win, USU is now 3-3 in Mountain West play and is 6-10 overall.

Up Next
Utah State remains home to host Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 12, at noon. The Falcons fell at Nevada, 3-0, in their first MW match this week.
 
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 -