LOGAN, Utah – On a night when Utah State did not play their best volleyball, the Aggies dug deep and found just enough to outlast San José State in a thrilling 3-2 (20-25, 26-24, 24-26, 25-21, 16-14) victory on Wednesday night at the Wayne Estes Center.
 
Set One
Fresh off three-straight sweeps, the program's first such streak since 2016-17, the Aggies fell into an early hole as the Spartans used a 5-1 run to jump in front. After USU clawed back within a single point, SJSU responded with a 9-3 burst to take their biggest lead of the night at seven points. Utah State fought valiantly to cut into the deficit but was ultimately unable to draw close before the Spartans claimed a 25-20 victory in the opening frame.
 
Set Two
San José State again came out of the gates quickly, this time opening up a 7-1 lead to begin the second set. The Aggie defense then arose to turn the tide as senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow teamed with sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski and then sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen on a pair of blocks to key a 4-0 burst. The Spartans twice abated Aggie runs to retain the lead, using spurts of 4-1 and 5-0 to build a 19-13 lead late in the second frame. Facing the possibility of a 2-0 deficit in the match, USU answered the call with an immediate 7-1 run to tie the set at 20 all. A Helgesen kill preceded an ace from junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson to kickstart the run before kills from Barlow and sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe helped fully erase the deficit and ultimately position Utah State at set point. After SJSU fought off a pair of set points to tie it at 24-24, sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic recorded a kill to return serve to the Aggies where Kofe then sealed the 26-24 win with an ace.
 
Set Three
A pair of Spartan blocks gave SJSU an early lead in the third set before USU regained control with a 6-1 featuring a pair of Štiglic kills and another Kofe ace. San José State battled back, however, slowly creeping back over the remainder of the set, finally tying the set at 21-21. Kills from sophomore outside hitter Delaney Lawson and Štiglic followed by a block by redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin put USU on the verge of the set before the Spartans reeled off four straight points to take a 26-24 win.
 
Set Four
San José State built the first multi-point lead of the fourth set before the Aggies responded with a 3-0 burst featuring back-to-back aces by Štiglic. Sophomore defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek capped off another 3-0 run with her own service ace to help USU take slight control of the fourth set. Kills from Barlow, Helgesen, Lawson and Štiglic prevented the Spartans from stacking back-to-back points as the Aggies built a four-point advantage late in the set. The Spartans threatened to again steal the set late with a 4-2 stretch before kills from Larkin, Štiglic and Helgesen preserved the 25-21 Aggie victory to force a fifth set.
 
Set Five
After SJSU opened the final frame with a point, the two sides traded two-point runs en route to a 6-5 Aggie lead. The Spartans then pieced together a 6-2 stretch to take a late three-point lead. The Aggies battled back with a 3-0 burst featuring a pair of Larkin kills sandwiching a kill from Helgesen, tying the deciding set at 12-12. SJSU took the ensuing two rallies to serve for the match at 14-12. Against the wall, Helgesen recorded a kill off the block before the Aggie defense forced an attacking error to tie it up at 14-14 with Thompson at the service line. Helgesen again delivered a kill to give USU their first opportunity to take the match, setting up Lawson to provide the clinching kill for the 16-14 victory. 
 
Quick Notes

• The Aggies have now won four matches in a row, tied for the team's longest winning streak since claiming 14-straight wins in 2023.
• Utah State hit a .176 as a team, their lowest hitting percentage in a win this season. The Aggies also held San José State to a .191 hitting percentage, the fourth-lowest mark by an Aggie opponent this season. All four of USU's lowest hitting percentages allowed this season have come in the last four matches.
• Kofe set a career-high with 58 assists, also recording her fourth double-double of the season with 17 digs. Kofe's 58 assists are the most assists by an Aggie in a single match since Erica Moscoso recorded 67 assists against UNLV in 2016.
• Štiglic led USU with 17 kills, her sixth time leading the Aggies in kills this season. Štiglic also added a season-high eight digs and two blocks.
• Barlow delivered a season-high 16 kills, finishing two short of her career-high, on a team-best .303 hitting percentage. Barlow also tied for the team lead alongside Larkin with five blocks apiece. 
• Helgesen added 15 kills to make it three Aggies with 15-plus kills, also tying her career-high with four blocks.
• Thompson finished with a team-best 18 digs and has 35 total digs over USU's past two matches. Bialek, Štiglic and Lawson added nine, eight and seven digs, respectively. USU's 73 digs as a team are a season-high.
• The Aggies recorded 11 service aces led by a career-high four by Štiglic. Bialek and Kofe also added multiple aces, both finishing with two.

 
Up Next
The Aggies remain at home to host Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. (MT).
 
Season tickets, mini-plans, and single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here or by contacting the USU Ticket Office at 435-797-0305.
 
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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