LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball survived a five-set thriller against San Diego State (25-16, 19-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-8) here Thursday night inside the Wayne Estes Center to give head coach
Rob Neilson his 100th career victory.
Utah State remained perfect in Mountain West Play as it improved to 9-0 in league action and 12-7 overall as it was USU's 10th straight win. San Diego State falls to 11-9 on the season and 6-3 in MW action.
Set One
Utah State took control of the first set with an early 10-4 lead and never looked back. USU extended its advantage to eight points at 19-11 and coasted to the 25-16 win. Sophomore opposite
Loryn Helgesen paced the Aggies with six kills on eight attacks. The Aggies hit .393 in the opening set and held the Aztecs to a .080 hitting percentage.
Set Two
Utah State carried the momentum from the first set into the second and held an early 9-5 advantage. With USU leading 13-10, San Diego State responded with an 8-0 run. USU never recovered as the Aztecs notched the 25-19 win. Utah State hit negative .059 in the set and SDSU hit .179.
Set Three
San Diego State used another long run in the third set to turn an 8-5 deficit into a 16-11 advantage. SDSU later led by five at 21-16, before USU closed the set with nine straight points behind the serving of sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic, which included a pair of service aces. Utah State hit .250 in the set and had eight blocks with four from Helgesen and four from freshman middle blocker
Ava Martin.
Set Four
San Diego State looked to have control of the fourth set early on as it held a 10-5 advantage and increased its lead to six points at 16-10. Once again USU responded, this time with an 8-2 run to tie the score at 18. The Aztecs quickly scored the next four points, followed by six straight points from the Aggies to take a 24-22 lead. SDSU, however, would not go away and scored the final four points to notch the 26-24 win.
Set Five
Utah State jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the fifth and deciding set. San Diego State eventually got to within one point at 7-6, but the Aggies finished the match with an 8-2 run for the victory. USU hit .300 in the final set and had six blocks, while SDSU hit .000.
Quick Notes
- Utah State hit .197 (55-25-152) and San Diego State hit. 124 (51-34-137). USU had four more team blocks (14-10) and three more service aces (9-6). The Aggies also had seven more service errors (13-6), while the Aztecs had 13 more digs (56-43).
- Helgesen led the Aggies with a career-high-tying 23 kills, to go along with a career high eight digs and a career-high-tying six block assists.
- Redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin tied her career-high with nine kills.
- Martin had a career-high 10 blocks, including a career-best nine block assists.
- Junior setter Olivia Tukuafu had a season-high three service aces.
- The Aggies are now 9-0 to begin conference play for the first time since 1979 when that team went an undefeated 10-0 in the IAC.
- USU's current 10-match winning streak is tied for the program's third-longest of the 21st century along with the 2000 team and trailing an 11-game streak in 2010 and a 14-game streak in 2023.
- Head coach Rob Neilson posted his 100th career victory. He is just the fourth coach in program history to record 100 wins.
- Utah State has won eight straight matches against San Diego State and now trails the all-time series 16-17-1.
Up Next
The Aggies remain at home to host UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 25, at noon.
Tickets
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.
Follow
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.
