LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball clinched its spot in the Mountain West Tournament, outlasting UNLV in an intense five-set match for the win, 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-8), on Thursday night at the Wayne Estes Center.
 
Head coach Rob Neilson
"Hats off to UNLV. They played exceptionally in that match. That was as good of a match as I think they've played all season. They pressured us in a ton of different ways and stretched us in a lot of ways, especially being aggressive and fearless from the service line. But I am so proud of how our group responded, and Andrea (Simovski) and Kaylie Ray were just absolutely phenomenal. I'm really proud of the group but especially those two. They carry a big load as outside hitters and they were great."
 
Set One
Kicking off their final homestand of the season, the Aggies jumped out to a lead with a 6-1 run early in the match. The Rebels responded, however, foreshadowing the tight match to come. UNLV used a 7-2 stretch to retake the lead at 13-12. From there, the two teams seesawed back-and-forth with neither side leading by more than a point before the Rebels created separation with a 4-0 run to take a 23-20 lead. The Aggies stormed back as freshman Andrea Simovski rattled off a pair of kills to begin the rally. After fending off a set point opportunity from UNLV, junior Tierney Barlow returned the ball to USU with a kill before teaming with senior Kaylie Ray to then give the Aggies a chance at set point. Simovski finished off the set with an ace for the 26-24 win. 
 
Set Two
Utah State again took an early lead in set two, holding an early 7-3 advantage before the Rebels erased the deficit with a 6-1 burst to jump in front. Both teams traded 3-0 spurts before UNLV used a 5-1 to take control of the set. The Rebels led by as many as six before USU attempted another late-stage comeback as Ray scored three-consecutive kills to bring the Aggies within three. Time ran out on the comeback, however, as UNLV evened the match with a 25-20 win.
 
Set Three
USU built another multi-point lead to begin set three. After leading 7-3, the Aggies initially thwarted UNLV's attempts to eat away at the deficit before the Rebels managed to tie the set at 15-15 following a 4-1 run. The Aggies built their own 4-1 run late in the set to take a 23-21 lead before the Rebels scored the final four points to score the 25-23 win and go up in the match, two sets to one.
 
Set Four
The Rebels' momentum persisted into the fourth frame as UNLV jumped out to an immediate 6-1 lead. USU closed the distance with a 3-0 run but were unable to stifle the Rebel offense long enough to complete the comeback. The Rebels led by five points on several occasions before the Aggies found their stride again with a 5-0 to tie the set at 16 all. UNLV managed to retain the lead momentarily before the Aggies used a 5-1 run to arrive at set point with a 24-22 lead. Ray added another pair of kills during the run and freshman Kaylie Kofe added an ace from the service line. The Rebels fended off set point and closed the gap with two straight points before a service error again put the Aggies at a set point opportunity. This time, Barlow and senior Adna Mehmedovic combined for the block to take the set, 26-24, and force a decisive fifth set.
 
Fifth Set
In the final frame, the Aggies wasted little time laying claim to momentum. Graduate senior Kelsey Watson scored the first four points of the set for USU, consisting of three kills and one block alongside Simovski. Simovski then jumped in with a pair of kills herself plus another block alongside Barlow to put the Aggies up, 9-4. Before the Rebels were able to mount a serious comeback, the Aggies took over with a 5-1 run as Ray tallied three more kills while Kofe and Watson combined for a block. At match point, sophomore Kendel Thompson correctly judged a Rebel service error to give the Aggies the 15-8 win to clinch the match.
 
Quick Notes

• The Aggies are currently tied for third place in the Mountain West standings at 10-5 alongside Fresno State, but are now four games clear of seventh-place Wyoming, assuring USU a spot in the MW Tournament as one of the top-six teams in the conference. Utah State is one game behind San José State for second place in the conference and two games behind league-leading Colorado State.
• Both Ray and Simovski ended the night with 20 kills, the second time this season in which multiple Aggies have reached the 20-kill plateau in the same match. Utah State had never recorded any such instances during their MW tenure prior to this season.
• Barlow and Watson added 13 and 11 kills, respectively, marking only the second time this season that Utah State has had four players with double-digit kills. 
• The Aggies hit .316, their sixth match this season hitting over .300 as a team. Ray led the way with a mark of .395, while Watson followed close behind with a .381 hitting percentage. Simovski also cleared .300, finishing with a .302 hitting percentage for the night.
• Kofe recorded a career-high 57 assists in the match, the most by any player in the MW during conference play, and the second-most by any MW player over the entire season.
• Kofe also recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 11 digs. Kofe has now recorded a double-double in four-straight contests. Simovski recorded her seventh double-double of the season, also making it seven times this season in which multiple Aggies have recorded double-doubles in the same match.
• Thompson tied for the team lead in digs alongside Simovski and Kofe as each player recorded 11 digs. Freshman Delaney Lawson also added 10 digs, her fourth time this season with double-digit digs.
• Watson led the Aggies with five blocks, including USU's sole solo block of the night. Barlow finished second on the team with four blocks.
• Simovski led the team with three aces from the service line, while both Kofe and freshman Jagoda Bialek finished with a pair of aces.

 
Up Next
The Aggies are set to celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m., against San Diego State. Utah State will celebrate the careers of Adna Mehmedovic, Kelsey Watson and Kaylie Ray prior to the match.
 
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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