LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball returns to Cache Valley for its final two home matches of the 2024 season. The Aggies will host UNLV on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., before celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
All Mountain West matches will be streamed via the Mountain West Network. Links for live stats will be available through UtahStateAggies.com.
 
AGGIES VS. EVERYONE
Utah State and San Diego State will square off for the 33rd time on Thursday, with the Aztecs currently holding a 17-14-1 advantage in the series. The Aggies won in San Diego earlier this season, 3-2. USU is 6-4 against SDSU at home, including wins in each of the last three in Logan. The Aggies have won the past six matches overall. Head coach Rob Neilson is 7-1 all-time against the Aztecs
 
The Aggies and Rebels will play for the 24th time in program history, with 21 of the 24 meetings coming since 2013 as conference opponents. UNLV leads the series, 15-8, although Utah State has won each of the previous three meetings, including a 3-0 win in Las Vegas earlier this season. Utah State is 3-7 at home versus the Rebels. The two sides met in the 2022 MW semifinals, resulting in a 3-0 Aggie victory en route to a conference tournament title. Neilson holds a 4-4 record as head coach versus the Rebels.
 
SENIOR CELEBRATION
The Aggies will be honoring the careers of Kelsey Watson, Adna Mehmedovic and Kaylie Ray on Saturday prior to the match against the Aztecs.
 
POSTSEASON ON THE HORIZON
With one more victory, the Aggies would clinch a berth in the Mountain West Tournament. The top six teams in the MW standings qualify. USU currently is tied for third with San Diego State and Fresno State, and is three-and-a-half games ahead of seventh-place Wyoming. It would be Utah State's fourth-consecutive season qualifying for the MW Tournament.
 
SWEEP OF THE WEEK
Utah State swept the weekly awards from the Mountain West after the team's pair of wins over Nevada and Boise State. Junior Tierney Barlow was named Offensive Player of the Week after hitting .643 with 19 kills on the week, plus two aces, eight blocks and three digs. Barlow hit over .600 in both matches last week. Graduate senior Kelsey Watson was named the Defensive Player of the Week after she led the team with 11 total blocks, helping the team hold Nevada and Boise State to hitting percentages of .143 and .151, respectively. Andrea Simovski earned Freshman of the Week honors after posting a .368 hitting percentage with 29 kills, averaging 4.14 kills and 4.50 points per set for the week. Against the Wolf Pack, Simovski hit .600 with zero attack errors. Against the Broncos, Simovski finished with 20 kills against the Broncos while hitting .286 on 42 attempts, also adding four digs and two blocks. 
 
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
Both Barlow and Watson rank in the top four of the Mountain West for hitting percentage during conference play. Watson ranks second in the league with a .433 hitting percentage while Barlow sits in fourth with a mark of .420. The pair also rank highly in blocks per set, with Barlow and Watson sitting sixth and seventh in the conference, respectively, with 1.15 and 1.13 blocks per set during MW play.
 
KILLER PERFORMANCES
Simovski recorded 20 kills against the Broncos, her third match this season with 20 or more kills. Simovski is only the third Aggie in the MW era (since 2013) with three matches of 20+ kills in the same season, joining Tatum Stall (2022) and Lauren Anderson (2017). Simovski also came through in the clutch in the match, recording three kills across four rallies late in the fourth set to preserve a one-point USU lead en route to the 25-22 win. Simovski also came through in the clutch in the final set of Utah State's earlier 3-2 win at Boise State. The freshman from Belgrade, Serbia, recorded six of USU's 15 points in the fifth set, going 6-0-7 for an .857 hitting percentage to help the Aggies close the door for the road victory.
 
DE-FENSE
The Aggie defense was rolling in recent wins against Boise State and Nevada. The Aggies held the Wolf Pack to a .143 hitting percentage and followed up the defensive showing by holding the Broncos to a .151 hitting percentage, their fourth-lowest mark this season. The two opponent hitting percentages are among the four lowest that USU has allowed this season. The only two-game stretch this season in which Utah State has allowed a lower hitting percentage was in USU's first two games against New Mexico and Air Force.
 
NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN
Both Simovski and Barlow entirely avoided attack errors in Utah State's win against the Wolf Pack. Barlow recorded zero attack errors across 10 attempts, finishing with six kills on a .600 hitting percentage with one ace and three blocks. Simovski avoided any attack errors on her 15 attempts, finishing with nine kills on a .600 hitting percentage.
 
HITTER'S PARADISE
Utah State hit an even .500 at home against Nevada, finishing with 40 kills and only five attack errors on 70 attempts. It is USU's first time hitting at least .500 since recording the program record of .550 against VCU in 1997. The Aggies' five attack errors were also the fewest by the team since that same match. It was also USU's third consecutive match hitting over .300, tying for their longest such streak since joining the Mountain West in 2013. The Aggies previously achieved the feat in 2023 and spanning the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
 
SHATTERED RECORDS
In Utah State's first match against the Broncos, the Aggies set a new program record for hitting percentage in a five-set match. USU hit .371 in the 3-2 win against the Broncos, breaking the previous record of .361 against Alaska-Fairbanks in 1997 and ranking third in the nation this season for hitting percentage in a five-set match. Utah State was led by Simovski, who finished with a 28 kills on a .510 hitting percentage. Simovski's 28 kills are tied for the fourth-most by a freshman in the nation this season and are tied for the third-most by anyone in the MW this season. Freshman Mara Stiglic also finished with career-highs of 20 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. This is the first time that multiple Aggies have finished with 20 or more kills in the same match since joining the MW.
 
DOUBLE DOWN
Freshmen Kaylie Kofe has recorded a team-best nine double-doubles this season and has logged a double-double now in three consecutive matches. Simovski ranks second on the team with six double-doubles this season, last recording one at Air force. The Aggies have recorded multiple double-doubles in the same game six times this season. Kofe and Simovski have done so five times, including when USU recorded three double-doubles in the season opener against Green Bay as freshman Olivia Tukuafu recorded her first double-double alongside Kofe and Simovski. Kofe and Štiglić also posted double-doubles together versus Weber State. All told, the Aggies have recorded 17 double-doubles this season.
 
HITTING THEIR STRIDE
After a difficult nonconference schedule featuring six opponents ranked in the top-50 of the KPI rankings, the Aggies have hit their stride in conference play, winning eight of their past nine matches played. During MW play, Utah State ranks second in the assists per set (12.89), kills per set (14.20) and hitting percentage (.269). In addition to Barlow and Watson ranking among the league's best in hitting percentage and blocks per set, Kofe ranks third in assists per set (9.91). Mehmedovic and Štiglić also ranks ninth and 10th, respectively, in points per set during league play.
 
THE HARDEST ROAD
Utah State challenged itself in nonconference play, facing off against three AVCA-ranked teams and six teams which rank in the top-50 of the KPI. Deep into conference play, USU's schedule still ranks as the 65th-toughest in the nation by opponent winning percentage, and the third-toughest among Mountain West teams.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Aggies played seven consecutive matches which went a full five sets, beginning with the team's win over Ohio and ending with USU's comeback win at San Diego State. According to available sources and research, this is the longest known streak of five-set matches in women's volleyball history at the Division-I level. USU has now played in 11 five-set matches this season, going 5-6 in those contests.
 
UNSTOPPABLE FORCES
In USU's 3-0 sweep of Fresno State, Mehmedovic recorded a new career-high hitting percentage of .640, avoiding any attack errors to record a line of 16-0-25. Mehmedovic's percentage is the highest of any Aggie this season while recording 10 or more kills. Freshman Loryn Helgesen led the Aggie attack agaoinst No. 8 Purdue with 12 kills on only 19 attempts, finishing with a .526 hitting percentage. Barlow also topped the .500-plateau against Nevada, hitting .583 to record 15 kills. Simovski joined the .500+ club with a mark of .600 against Fresno State.
 
DO YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE?
Against New Mexico, 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. Kofe tied her own career-high mark with 52 assists in USU's five-set loss at Nevada. Kofe leads the Aggies this season with 554 total assists and a 7.19 assist-per-set average, an average which has risen to 9.58 during conference play. Kofe owns the top assist totals for both a three-set and four-set match among MW players this season.
 
WELL TRAVELED
Utah State boasts four international players on its roster, all freshmen, in Andrea Simovski (Belgrade, Serbia), Jagoda Bialek (Opole, Poland), Kate Lijić (Split, Croatia) and Mara Štiglić (Rijeka, Croatia).
 
CAN I DIG IT?
Redshirt sophomore Kendel Thompson accrued a career-high 23 digs in Utah State's match versus Wyoming. Thompson's 23 digs were the most by a Utah State player in a single match since former Aggie Jordi Holdaway recorded 25 digs against Air Force in 2022. During MW play, Thompson ranks sixth in the conference with 3.45 digs per set.  Additionally, Simovski ranks second in the MW this season for digs in a three-set match after recording 17 digs in USU's 3-0 sweep at UNLV.
 
TOP COMPETITION
Utah State welcomed No. 8 Purdue to the Wayne Estes Center on Sept. 7 but fell in a 3-0 sweep. It was the first the Aggies have faced a team ranked in the top-10 of the AVCA rankings since 2014 when the team hosted then-No. 7 Colorado State.
 
TAKING TURNS
Five different Aggie hitters have led the team in kills in this season. Senior Adna Mehmedovic has led the Aggies in kills a team-high 10 times. Simovski and Helgesen have each led the team in kills five times. Barlow tied for the team lead in kills alongside Simovski in the team's match against Air Force, which was Barlow's first time leading the team in kills. Štiglić has led the team thrice this season after leading the Aggies against Nevada. Lawson and junior Kaylie Ray have each led USU in kills once this season, accomplishing the feat against Utah and Weber State, respectively.
 
ACES WILD
Freshman Andrea Simovski recorded five service aces in USU's 3-2 win over Ohio. The five aces are tied for the most by a Utah State player since former Aggie Beatriz Rodrigues recorded six aces against Fresno State on Nov. 3, 2022. As a team, the Aggies recorded 12 service aces against Weber State, their second match with 10 or more aces this season. The 12 aces were the most by USU in a match since recording 13 at New Mexico last season. 
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Utah State boasts the third-youngest roster by age in the nation. The Aggies' average age of 19.6 is only bested by Stephen F. Austin (18.5) and Army (19.0). USU has a total of 11 true freshmen on the team in 2024, plus one redshirt freshman (Rachel Reed). In total, the Aggies bring in 13 newcomers to the 2024 roster and return only four letterwinners in Kelsey Watson, Mehmedovic, Kaylie Ray and Kendel Thompson. 
 
TAKING STOCK OF THE CONFERENCE
The Aggies were picked to finish second in the Mountain West this season as voted in the MW preseason coaches poll. Utah State received a total of 84 points and two first-place votes in the poll, finishing behind Colorado State's 98 points and eight first-place votes. Boise State, Fresno State and UNLV rounded out the top-five of the poll, with UNLV also receiving the final first-place vote.
 
WELCOME TO CLUB ESTES
Utah State has won 33 of its last 41 matches at home and is 37-9 in the last 46 matches played in Logan. The Aggies played in front of three sold-out crowds of 1,488 fans last season, first doing so against Utah on Aug. 30, 2023, to register the program's first sellout since 2015. USU then reached capacity against then-No. 12 BYU (Sept. 16) and San José State (Nov.9). Last year was the first season in which USU sold out the Estes on multiple occasions. In the team's Spectrum Magic Night against Utah Valley, held in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, the Aggies set a program record with 2,559 fans in attendance.
 
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
In 2023, Utah State won its third-straight Mountain West title as the Aggies became the outright MW regular season champions after finishing league play 17-1, the most conference wins in program history. USU earned its first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking its second-straight and sixth-ever appearance at the Tournament.
 
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN
Utah State won the outright Mountain West regular season title in 2023, making it three-straight MW championships under head coach Rob Neilson. The Aggies also shared the MW regular season title in 2021 before winning the MW tournament in 2022. USU has won eight regular season conference titles in program history, including the WAC in 2012 and five consecutive titles in the Intermountain Athletic Conference from 1977 through 1981.
 
FROM MANAGER TO UNIFORM
Utah State freshman defensive specialist Kendel Thompson was part of the 2022 Utah State volleyball team as a manager before officially joining the roster before the 2023 season.
 
BRING ON THE ACCOLADES
Utah State was represented by a pair of athletes on the all-MW preseason team. Mehmedovic and incoming juinor transfer Tierney Barlow each earned the honor after both were named to the all-MW team in 2023.  Mehmedovic was named to the all-MW team in 2023 after totaling 295 kills, averaging 2.68 per set, while adding 103 blocks, 69 digs and 10 assists. She was named the MW Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 30 after posting back-to-back totals of 14 kills in wins over Colorado State and Wyoming, hitting .444 (28-4-54) during the two matches. Barlow was named all-Mountain West in 2023 while playing at Wyoming, recording 324 kills, averaging 2.97 per set, and added 124 total blocks, averaging 1.14 per set. She also had 77 digs, 31 service aces and six assists during the season. Barlow was also named the MW Freshman of the Year in 2022, also earning honorable mention all-MW the same season. Head coach Rob Neilson was also named the MW Coach of the Year in 2023, his second time receiving the honor after also earning the award in 2021.
 
KILLER QUEEN KELSEY
Graduate senior middle blocker Kelsey Watson is the only Aggie to ever hit 100 percent while logging at least 10 kills, doing so in last year's regular season finale at Nevada (Nov. 18, 2023). She now holds the school hitting percentage record for between 10-14 attempts as she was a perfect 10-for-10 against the Wolf Pack. 
 
UP NEXT
Utah State concludes its regular season with a pair of road matches at Wyoming on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m., before taking on league-leading Colorado State on Saturday, Nov. 23, at noon.
 
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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