BACK IN ACTION
Utah State returns to Cache Valley for a two-match home stand. The Aggies will first host San Diego State on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. (MT), before then taking on UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 25, at noon (MT). In an interesting scheduling quirk, USU will again face both San Diego State and UNLV on the road next week.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
All Aggie matches during conference play will stream on the Mountain West Network with live stats available through UtahStateAggies.com.
 
A HIGH CLIP
Utah State set a program record for hitting percentage in a three-set match, hitting .567 against Fresno State. The Aggies recorded 43 kills to only five errors on 67 total attempts to break the previous record of .550, set against VCU in 1997. USU also posted 14 aces in the match, coming within one of the program record of 15 for a three-set match. 
 
A KILLER STRETCH
The Aggies have posted hitting percentages of .300 or higher in three-straight matches, a feat the team also achieved last season. After the team's program-record mark of .567 against Fresno State, the Aggies hit .336 in a 3-1 win at Boise State. Over the past week, USU ranks second in the nation for hitting percentage at .4167, ranking just behind Campbell's mark of .4172. Over the past week, Utah State also ranks seventh nationally with 19 service aces, 22nd with 14.14 assists per set and 24th with 15.00 kills per set.

THE CENTURY MARK APPROACHES
Utah State head coach Rob Neilson currently stands one win away from 100 career victories. At 99-58 entering the week, Neilson would become just the fourth coach in Aggie history to record 100 wins and would be the fastest Aggie coach to reach the 100-win plateau since Marilyn McReavy and Mary Jo Pepper in 1978.
 
THREE-HEADED DRAGONS
Utah State had three players top 15 kills in the same match in three-straight games. Against San Jose State, sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic (17), senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow (16) and sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen (15) reached the plateau while Štiglic (21), sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski (19) and Helgesen (18) then did so against Boise State. The trio of Štiglic (18), Simovski (17) and Helgesen (15) then did so against Wyoming. This is the first time USU has achieved this feat in three-straight in the 25-point rally-scoring era. Furthermore, the Aggies had registered only seven such games since 2010 and had only achieved three across a full season only once before when the trio of Lauren Anderson, Kayla DeCoursey and Kaylie Kamalu did so three times in 2016. 
 
CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN
Utah State is at the top of the Mountain West in numerous categories in conference play. The Aggies currently lead the league in hitting percentage (.318), hitting percentage allowed (.167), assists per set (14.53), kills per set (15.73) and aces per set (1.73). USU also owns the top single-match performance for hitting percentage (.567 vs Fresno State), aces (14 vs Fresno State) and digs (90 vs Boise State).
 
Kofe sits atop the conference during MW play with 12.37 assists per set and is the only player averaging more than 11.00 assists per set. Utah State is the only team with three players ranking in the top 10 for points per set as Štiglic, Helgesen and Simovski rank fourth, fifth and T-sixth, respectively, with 4.47, 4.28 and 3.80 points per set. The trio all ranks in the top 10 for kills per set, as well, with Štiglic at fourth with 3.87 kills per set, Helgesen in fifth with 3.80 kills per set and Simoski in ninth with 3.33 kills per set. Barlow ranks second in the conference with a .422 hitting percentage and is also the only player in the MW currently hitting over .400 for the full season. Helgesen ranks fifth with a hitting percentage of .389 during league play, the only player in the league hitting over .330 with at least 100 kills. Thompson ranks fifth in the league with 3.90 digs per set during conference play and leads the MW with 13 total aces during league action. 
 
AGGIES VS. EVERYONE
Utah State trails the all-time series against San Diego State, 15-17-1, although the Aggies have now won seven straight against the Aztecs. USU last fell to SDSU, 3-2, on the road in 2021. Utah State has won each of the past four at home over the Aztecs and has not gone five sets in any of those victories. The Aggies were 7-16-1 against San Diego State prior to head coach Rob Neilson taking the reins of the program, including a 3-10 mark after joining the Mountain West. Under Neilson, USU is 8-1 against San Diego State.
 
The Aggies and Rebels meet for the 25th time this week, with UNLV leading the series, 15-9. Utah State has won the past four meetings, however, including a 3-0 sweep in the semifinals of the MW Tournament in 2022 en route to the tournament title. USU won both meetings last season, earning a 3-0 win in Vegas and taking the last two sets to take a five-set victory in Logan. USU is only 4-7 against UNLV at home but has won two of the past three meetings at the Wayne Estes Center. Head coach Rob Neilson is 5-3 in his career against the Rebels.
 
BATTERING RAMS
Utah State won at Colorado State for only the second time since 1982. The Aggies previously snapped a 16-game road skid versus the Rams in 2023 and have now won two of the past three meetings against CSU in Fort Collins. This was also the first time USU has swept the Rams in either Fort Collins or Logan since 1982. USU's .462 hitting percentage is the highest hitting percentage allowed by CSU since 2022.

QUITE THE SETUP
Kofe recorded 120 total assists in a pair of five-set wins over San Jose State and Boise State, earning MW Offensive Player of the Week honors. Against the Broncos, Kofe finished with 62 assists, the most by any MW player this season and tied for the seventh-most in the nation. Kofe's 62 assists are also the most by an Aggie in a single match since Erica Moscoso recorded 67 assists against UNLV in 2016. Against the Spartans, Kofe recorded 58 assists, the third-most by any MW player this season. Kofe currently ranks eighth in the nation on the full season with 10.82 assists per set.
 
BLESS MY SOUL, AGS ARE ON A ROLL
Utah State has won nine straight matches overall and is now 8-0 to begin conference play for the first time since 1979 when the Aggies went an undefeated 10-0 in the IAC. USU's current nine-match 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. The streak also featured three-straight sweeps over Weber State, New Mexico and Grand Canyon, a feat the team has accomplished only four times during the 25-point rally-scoring era (since 2008) and not since a three-game streak spanning the 2016 and 2017 seasons. 
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Utah State has gone 7-1 in true road matches this season, picking up wins at Hawaii, Utah Valley, New Mexico, Grand Canyon, Wyoming, Colorado State and Boise State, while only falling at No. 5 Stanford. USU's road record ranks 11th by winning percentage while their seven total road wins this season is tied for fourth-most nationally.
 
DIFFICULT TERRAIN
Utah State now ranks 43rd and 50th in the RPI rankings. The Aggies are the highest-ranked team in the MW with Boise State the second-highest at 65th. USU's strength of schedule is a large reason why as the Aggies' season schedule to this point ranks as the toughest in the Mountain West and 27th-toughest nationally by opponent winning percentage (.629). Grand Canyon holds the second-toughest schedule in the MW to this point with an opponent winning percentage of .596, ranking 49th in the nation.
 
SMASHING PERFORMANCE
Helgesen rewrote the record books against Grand Canyon. The product of Kaysville, Utah, hit .704 while recording 20 kills with only one error on 27 attempts, setting a program record for hitting percentage of 20-plus attempts. Helgesen's perfomrnace also ranks as the highest hitting percentage by a non-senior in a conference match in MW history (min. 10 kills). 
 
The Aggies came out on fire in the first set against the Lopes, hitting a blistering .741 as a team for the set as the team recorded 20 kills, a season-high for a single set, and recorded no attacking errors on 27 attempts. USU nearly matched the blistering pace in the opening set at Colorado State, hitting .731 on 20 kills with one error on 26 attempts.
 
THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Utah State has received a weekly award from the Mountain West five times overall this season, all from different players.
 - Sept. 2 – Tierney Barlow - Offensive Player of the Week
 - posted a .385 hitting percentage during the team's season-opening weekend at the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic. 
 - Sept. 22 – Mara Štiglic - Offensive Player of the Week
 - recorded 46 kills on a .312 hitting percentage against Utah Valley, BYU and Weber State.
 - Sept. 29 – Lauren Larkin - Freshman of the Week
 - led USU with eight total blocks during a pair of sweeps at New Mexico and Grand Canyon
 - Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe - Offensive Player of the Week
 - totaled 120 assists across a pair of five-set wins over San Jose State and Boise State, including a career-high and MW-leading 62 assists
 - Oct. 13 – Kendel Thompson - Defensive Player of the Week
 - recording 34 digs in USU's wins at Wyoming and Colorado State, averaging 4.86 digs per set
 
RECORD WATCH
Utah State has several single-season program records in their sights. The Aggies are currently hitting .253 as a team, which would break the current record of .238 set by the 2016 squad. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow is also hitting .401 hitting percentage, which would break the current record of .375 (min. 5 attempts per set) held by Denae Mohlman and set in 1997. 
 
DRAWING A CROWD
Utah State set a new program record in home attendance earlier this season against BYU. Playing in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, the Aggies drew 4,932 fans, shattering the previous program attendance record of 2,559, set last season in the Spectrum versus Utah Valley.
 
CAN I DIG IT?
Thompson tied her career-high with 23 digs against Marquette, previously having done so last season against Wyoming. Thompson's 23 digs are the most by a Utah State player in a single match since former Aggie Jordi Holdaway recorded 25 digs against Air Force in 2022. Thompson was part of the 2022 Utah State volleyball team as a manager before officially joining the roster before the 2023 season. 
 
TOP MARKS AGAINST TOP COMPETITION
Despite falling in three sets to then-No. 16 BYU, Utah State hit .258 as a team versus the Cougars, the program's highest hitting percentage against a top-25 team since hitting .301 to win the WAC Tournament title against then-No. 3 Hawai'i in 2010. Barlow posted 11 kills on a .733 hitting percentage, the highest-ever hitting percentage by an Aggie against a top-25 squad according to available records.
 
IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL A BLOCK CHAIN?
Napierski recorded nine total rejections against Marquette, including one solo block, shattering her previous career-high of six total blocks last season against Weber State. Napierski's nine blocks are tied for the seventh-most by any MW player so far this season.
 
ISLAND LIVING
Utah State defeated Hawaii, 3-0, last weekend as part of the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic. The win was the program's first road win over Hawaii since 2007 and only the fourth time in program history the Aggies have defeated the Rainbow Wahine on the road. Utah State and Hawaii were previously conference mates in the Big West from 1990-95 and the WAC from 2005-11.
 
BACK FOR MORE
The Aggies boast a pair of players who received preseason all-Mountain West recognition this season, making Utah State the only team in the conference with multiple selectees. Barlow and Kofe each earned the honor. Both also earned all-MW honors last season, as Barlow was named to the all-MW team for the second time in her career, first earning the award in 2023 while at Wyoming. Kofe earned all-MW honorable mention last season, one of only three freshmen to receive all-MW honors from the conference last year. 
 
EARNED RESPECT
The Aggies enter the 2025 campaign as preseason favorites to win the Mountain West title according the conference's preseason coaches poll. Utah State received seven of 12 first-place votes and 114 total points, finishing ahead of second-place Colorado State with 106 points and three first-place votes. San Diego State received the final two first-place votes and placed third with 96 points. This is the second time in the past three seasons the Aggies have been picked to win the conference after also entering the 2023 season as preseason favorites. It is also the fourth-straight year USU has been picked in the top two entering the season after heading into 2022 and 2024 picked second in the preseason poll.
 
BEEN HERE BEFORE
Utah State loses only three letterwinners from the 2024 squad, needing only to replace graduated seniors Adna Mehmedovic, Kelsey Watson and Kaylie Ray. The Aggies return eight letterwinners from last year, including seven players who appeared in over 20 matches and four players who appeared in all 29 matches last season. Barlow, redshirt junior Kendel Thompson and freshmen outside hitters Andrea Simovski and Delaney Lawson all saw action in every match of 2024, with Barlow also starting every match. Kofe appeared in 28 matches, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek, sophomore right side hitter Loryn Helgesen and sophomore outside hitter Mara Stiglic appeared in 27, 22 and 15 matches, respectively. Additionally, sophomore middlbe blocker Ava Napierski and junior setter Olivia Tukuafu appeared in 11 and 10 matches, respectively, during the 2024 season.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
This year, Utah State's roster still leans young as the Aggies field only one senior (Barlow) and two juniors (Kendel Thompson and Olivia Tukuafu). Seven sophomores and two redshirt freshmen return from last season's roster in addition to two sophomore transfers (Cala Cooper and Ava Nakai) joining USU. The Aggies also bring in three true freshmen for 2025 (Ava Martin, Hailey Spencer and Sadie Warren).
 
USU boasted the third-youngest roster by age in the nation last season, fielding 12 freshmen out of 18 rostered players.
 
 WELL TRAVELED
Utah State has three international players on its roster in sophomores outside hitter Andrea Simovski (Belgrade, Serbia), libero/defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek (Opole, Poland) and outside hitter Mara Štiglić (Rijeka, Croatia). USU's 2025 roster also features eight different U.S. states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Texas, Utah and Washington). 
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
Last year, 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 played in 12 five-set matches last season, going 6-6 in those contests.
 
SHATTERED RECORDS
In Utah State's first match against the Broncos in 2024, 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 last season for hitting percentage in a five-set match. 
 
KILLER PERFORMANCES
Simovski recorded four matches last season of 20 kills or more, becoming only the second Aggie in the MW era (since 2013) with three matches of 20+ kills in the same season, joining Lauren Anderson (2017). Simovski and Štiglić each topped 20 kills against Boise State, while Simovski and former Aggie Kaylie Ray achieved the feat against UNLV. Prior to 2024, Utah State had never recorded any such instances of multiple 20-kill performances in the same match since joining the Mountain West in 2013.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
In an interesting scheduling quirk, Utah State heads to the road for rematches against this week's teams. The Aggies will again face San Diego State on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. (MT), before taking on UNLV on Saturday, Nov. 1, 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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