LOGAN, Utah – In another match against a fellow team unbeaten in Mountain West play, Utah State volleyball seemed headed for a difficult test following the first set. The Aggies, however, rebounded in spectacular finish to claim the next three sets to defeat Wyoming, 3-1 (18-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-15) on Thursday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
 
Set One
The Cowgirls, who entered the match with a 4-0 record in MW play, took control of the opening set midway through the frame after both sides traded early runs. A 10-2 Wyoming burst proved too big a deficit to overcome as the Aggies managed to draw back within five points before a pair of Cowgirl points sealed the win for the home team to open the match. 
 
Set Two
Wyoming's momentum was swiftly halted, however, as the Aggies jumped out of the gates with a 5-1 run early in the second frame. The Aggie defense came alive with a solo block by redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin while sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski kickstarted the offense with a pair of kills. USU did not relent as a 9-2 run firmly entrenched the Aggies in the lead. Sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic recorded a pair of kills plus an ace and a solo block while sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen also registered two kills during the momentum-shifting run. Following a late 3-0 Wyoming run, Helgesen, Simovski, Štiglic and Larkin all contributed kills to close out the 25-17 win to tie up the match. Utah State's offense rebounded from the opening set to hit .333 in the second while junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson recorded six digs to anchor the Aggie defense.
 
Set Three
No letdown awaited the Aggies in the third set as USU scored the first three points of the set with Larkin supplying points off a solo block followed by a block assist alongside Helgesen. Utah State answered a 5-1 Cowgirl run with another 3-0 spurt before ultimately laying claim to the set with a pair of 4-0 runs with senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow and sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe at the service line. Barlow and Štiglic each recorded two kills during the runs while Kofe capped the stretch with an ace. A further two kills from Simovski pushed USU's lead to eight before Štiglic and Larkin hit back-to-back kills to clinch the 25-16 victory. The Aggie defense proved stifling as USU held Wyoming to only a .033 hitting percentage in the third frame en route to the 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Set Four
Simovski and Helgesen both registered a pair of kills early in set four to set the tone for the Aggies but it was the defense that again secured the advantage. Štiglic and Larkin twice teamed up for blocks to key a 5-0 Utah State burst. On the backline, Thompson and Simovski each recorded five digs during the fourth frame. With the offense and defense clicking, USU then scored eight of 11 points to take a commanding nine-point lead. Utah State led by as many as 11 points following Kofe's team-best second ace of the night before Helgesen ultimately provided the clinching kill for the 25-15 win. Both Helgesen and Štiglic finished with six kills as the Aggies hit .325 in the final set.
 
Quick Notes

• Utah State is now 5-0 to begin conference play for the first time since 1980 when the Aggies opened play in the IAC with six-straight wins.
• USU hit .248 for the match while holding the Cowgirls to a .146 mark, the fourth-lowest hitting percentage allowed by the Aggies this season.
• Štiglic led the Aggies with 18 kills and set a career-high with five total blocks, also adding six digs. 
• Simovski finished with 17 kills on a season-high .290 hitting percentage. Simovski also recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 12 digs.
• Helgesen added 15 kills on a .275 hitting percentage and added six digs.
• Utah State had three players top 15 kills for the third-straight match. Štiglic (17), Barlow (16) and Helgesen (15) reached the plateau against San Jose State while Štiglic (21), Simovski (19) and Helgesen (18) did so against Boise State.
• Thompson led USU with 20 digs, reaching the 20-dig mark for the second-straight match and fourth time this season.
• Kofe topped 50 assists for the third-straight match, finishing with 51, the most by any MW player in a four-set match so far in conference play. Kofe also leads the league in assists for a three-set match (44 at New Mexico) and for a five-set match (62 vs Boise State).
• Larkin led the Aggies and tied her career-high with seven total blocks but set a new career-high with two solo blocks. 
• With the victory, Utah State is now tied with only San Diego State for first place in the Mountain West at 5-0. 

 
Up Next
The Aggies face another top team in the Mountain West standings on the road, taking on Colorado State on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. (MT). The Rams sit one game behind the Aggies at 4-1 in MW play.
 
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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