LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball set a new program record for hitting percentage in a three-set match, hitting a blistering .567 to defeat Fresno State, 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-13), on Thursday night at the Wayne Estes Center. USU's .567 mark tops the previous record of .550, set in 1997 against VCU. The Aggies also recorded 14 aces in the match, one short of tying the three-set program record of 15.
 
Set One
USU came out swinging from the service line as a pair of aces from junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson keyed a 4-0 Aggie run in the early going. Fresno State responded with a 5-1 burst to jump in front, maintaining the lead through the media timeout at 15-13. Following the timeout, however, Utah State reeled off 12 of the final 15 points of the set to take the opening frame, 25-18. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow, sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe and sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic all recorded aces during the run while sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen paced the attack with three kills down the stretch, including the set-clinching kill.
 
Set Two
The Aggies never relented, opening up the second set with an 13-4 run featuring a pair of kills and trio of aces from sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski. As the lead grew to double digits, Barlow, Kofe and sophomore defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek all added aces to preserve USU's momentum. Utah State recorded six aces during the second set, a new season-high for the team in a single set. The Aggie attack again then came through to seal the deal as a Simovski kill preceded back-to-back kills from Štiglic to complete the 25-12 win.
 
Set Three
Utah State again stormed out of the gates, this time using an 11-4 run to grab the advantage in the third set. Simovski recorded four kills to lead the way while Barlow added three, all in succession. The Bulldogs clawed back with an 8-2 run to pull within a single point. After exchanging rallies, however, the Aggies reasserted control with 11 straight points to close out the match with a 25-13 win. Thompson added another three aces during the run while the Aggie defense rose up to power the run, with Barlow and Simovski recording a block and USU forcing a further four attack errors from the Bulldogs in the closeout stretch. 
 
Quick Notes

• Utah State hit .667 and .636 in the first and second sets, respectively. The Aggies have hit over .500 in a set on five occasions this season, also doing so against Grand Canyon (.741 in the first set), Boise State (.552 in the first set) and Colorado State (.731 in the first set). 
• Thompson led USU from the service line with a career-high five aces, tied for the most aces by a Utah State player since former Aggie Beatriz Rodrigues recorded six aces against Fresno State on Nov. 3, 2022. Simovski (three), Kofe (two), Barlow (two), Štiglic (one) and Bialek (one) also contributed aces on the night. Utah State last recorded 14 aces in a match in 2022 against San Diego State.
• Simovski led the Aggies with 11 kills while setting a new career-high with a .714 hitting percentage. Simovski also added a team-high six digs.
• Štiglic also reached double-digit kills for the 15th time this season, finishing with 10 kills on a .350 hitting percentage. Helgesen finished with nine kills on a .533 hitting percentage. Barlow added six kills while hitting .667 while Larkin also added six kills on a career-high .857 hitting percentage.
• Kofe finished with 36 assists while engineering the offense to a program-record hitting percentage, also adding four digs.
• The Aggies are now 7-0 to begin conference play for the first time since 1979 when the Aggies went an undefeated 10-0 in the IAC.
• USU's current eight-match winning streak is the program's fourth-longest of the 21st century, trailing only a 10-game streak in 2000, an 11-game streak in 2010 and a 14-game streak in 2023. 

Up Next
The Aggies head back to the road to take on Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 5:30 p.m. (MT). Earlier this season at home, Utah State won in five sets against the Broncos.
 
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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