LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball maintained its upward trajectory in the Mountain West standings, sweeping Fresno State, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 27-25), on Saturday at the Wayne Estes Center. The Bulldogs entered the match tied for first place in the MW alongside Colorado State.
 
Head coach Rob Neilson
"We put in a lot of great runs and got up big. For (Fresno State) to creep back obviously shows what a good team they are: an experienced and really mentally tough team. For us to dig ourselves out of that– we said at the beginning of the match, 'this is a really good team and we're going to have a bunch of tight, tense moments.' I don't mind that we got to learn a little bit at the end in a tough, tense moment. I love that our team executed and came out with it."
 
Set One
After Fresno State jumped out to an early 6-3 lead, the Aggies burst out with the first of many runs during the match, jumping out in front with a 5-0 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Bulldogs clawed back on several occasions, including tying the match at 12-12, before USU responded with runs of 3-0 and 4-0 to take a commanding lead late. Showcasing an experienced roster, the Bulldogs again creeped back into the set, coming as close as 23-22 before a block from graduate senior Kelsey Watson and freshman Andrea Simovski set up senior Adna Mehmedovic to lay down a kill for the set point, 25-22.
 
Set Two
The Bulldogs again made the first move in the second set, using a 6-2 stretch to take a four-point lead at 13-9. From there, however, the Aggies took over. A 7-1 run swiftly erased the Bulldog lead and delivered momentum back to USU. In a one-point contest late in the set, USU pieced together a 6-0 blitz with freshman Kaylie Kofe at the service line, capped by a pair of Mehmedovic kills to put Utah State up 24-19. On the next sideout, freshman Mara Štiglic produced the clinching kill to take set two, 25-20.
 
Set Three
This time, Utah State jumped out of the gates with an immediate 6-1 run. As they had on multiple occasions during the match, the Bulldogs responded with a run of their own to tie the set at 6-6. The Aggies again matched their mettle, however, going on a 9-2 run to seemingly close the door on the visitors. Fresno State matched the 9-2 run, however, to ultimately tie the set at 23 apiece. In the closing stages, it was USU's defense who stepped up to clinch the match. Mehmedovic first combined with Watson for the block to put Utah State back at set point, before joining with junior Tierney Barlow for another block to claim the match at 27-25.
 
Quick Notes

• One match after setting a new program record for hitting percentage in a five-set match, the Aggie offense remained in a groove, hitting .310 against the Bulldogs.
• Mehmedovic and Štiglic each recorded 16 kills to lead USU. Mehmedovic recorded a career-high .640 hitting percentage, narrowly missing the program record (for hitting percentage on 20-plus attempts) of .682 held by Denae Mohlman and Michelle Matheson.
• Mehmedovic also tied for the team lead in blocks alongside Watson as each player finished with six blocks in the match. 
• Kofe led USU with 41 assists, tied for the most by any MW player in a three-set match this season, and the most in a three-set match during conference play. Kofe now owns the top single-match assist totals in the MW for both a three-set and four-set match.
• Sophomore Kendel Thompson was the lone Aggie to reach double-digit digs, finishing with 12. Štiglic fell just short of a double-double with eight digs, while Kofe and freshman Jagoda Bialek each recorded six digs. 
• With the win, Utah State moves to 9-11 overall with a 6-4 mark during conference play. The Aggies are currently tied for fourth place alongside San Diego State. The top six teams will advance to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.

 
Up Next
Utah State again takes part in the Mountain West Tuesday Night Block Party on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. this time hosting Nevada in the team's first repeat matchup of the conference season. The Aggies will then host Boise State on Halloween night at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
 
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 -