LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball continued its recent string of dominance with a 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22) win over Boise State on Thursday night at the Wayne Estes Center. 
 
Head coach Rob Neilson
"Again, it's steps forward for a young group. You saw us really go into a lull in that second set, but then dug our way out of it in that second set. That really changed the momentum and we had a chance– we almost were able to tie it up there at the end after coming back from 23-16. Steps forward. You see them rebounding. You see them coming out of lulls. You see them playing with more confidence. You see players coming off the bench and playing well in places where we need a sub. There are so many great things going on in the gym and we're getting better."
 
Set One
Coming off a pair of sweeps heading into the match, Utah State carried over momentum with an immediate 3-0 burst to begin the match. The Aggies would never relinquish the lead in the set, routinely thwarting any Bronco comebacks. USU recorded another three 3-0 runs on the way to a 25-22 win in the opening set. The Aggies hit .414 in the opening frame with a line of 15-3-29, led by freshman outside hitter Andrea Simovski with seven kills.
 
Set Two
The second set would go down as USU's first set loss since dropping the fourth set in the team's match at Boise State, snapping an eight-set winning streak. Neither team was able to generate a run, battling their way to a 10-10 tie before then alternating 3-0 runs. The Broncos then took control of the set, winning 10 of the next 13 points to build a 23-16 advantage. Utah State battled back, however, going on a 7-1 run to close the gap to a single point. In a lengthy rally, Boise State managed to find the clinching kill at last to win, 25-23, and tie the match at one set apiece.
 
Set Three
Building off the momentum from the team's near-comeback in set two, the Aggies bolted out in set three, using a 6-1 run to build an early four-point lead. After leading by as many as five, this time the Broncos managed to rally with a 5-0 run to retake the lead. From there, Utah State took over, going on a 10-2 to finish the set, including scoring the final seven points to claim a 25-18 victory. The victory featured contributions from throughout the roster. Simovski recorded three kills while senior opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic had two kills during the pivotal run. Graduate senior middle blocker Kelsey Watson and junior middle blocker Tierney Barlow each also killed a ball during the takeover, and freshman defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek had one ace, part of her team-high two aces on the night. Freshman setter Kaylie Kofe delivered the final point to give USU firm command of the match.
 
Set Four
With a chance to close out the match, the Aggies retained their intensity and used a 4-0 burst to take the driver's seat in the fourth set. USU further pushed its advantage out with a 5-1 stretch, ultimately leading by as many as five points before Boise State rallied. A 6-2 stretch from the Broncos closed the gap to a single point. A trio of kills from Simovski preserved Utah State's advantage. After another kill from Barlow, the Aggie defense proved unrelenting, digging out numerous Bronco attacks and ultimately forcing a pair of attack errors from Boise State to clinch the set, 25-22.
 
Quick Notes

• Simovski led Utah State with 20 kills, her fifth time leading the team in kills and her third match with 20 or more kills. Simovski joins former Aggies Tatum Stall and Lauren Anderson as the only players with three matches of 20 or more kills in the same season since USU joined the Mountain West in 2013.
• USU hit .292, narrowly missing what would have been their fourth-consecutive match over .300 as a team. Barlow led the Aggies with a season-high .667 hitting percentage.
• Barlow also ranked second on the team with 13 kills, one ahead of Mehmedovic with 12. 
• Watson led USU with six blocks on the night, while Barlow finished right behind with five total blocks, including USU's only two solo blocks of the match. 
• Utah State finished with 55 digs, their most this season in a four-set match. Sophomore libero Kendel Thompson posted a team-high 18 digs while Kofe finished with 10 digs. 
• Kofe also added 49 assists to record her seventh double-double this season, including her third in the last five matches.
• With the win, Utah State moves to 11-11 overall with a 8-4 mark during conference play. The Aggies retained sole possession of fourth place in the Mountain West standings, one half-game ahead of San Diego State. The top six teams in the conference will advance to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.

 
Up Next
The Aggies head back on the road to take on Air Force on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m., before concluding the week at New Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m.
 
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 -