LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Utah State volleyball won its 13th-straight match overall and improved to 12-0 in Mountain West play with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-17) sweep at UNLV on Saturday afternoon at The Pavilion.
 
With the victory, the Aggies officially clinched a berth in the MW Tournament for the fifth-straight season. The MW Tournament will take place in Las Vegas at The Pavilion on Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 26-29.
 
Set One
One week after grinding for a 3-1 win over UNLV at home, the Aggies again faced a grind against the Rebels in the opening set. USU managed to build an early lead via a 3-0 burst featuring back-to-back kills from senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow. After holding UNLV at bay for several rallies, Utah State then extended its lead with a 4-0 run as Barlow recorded a block before sophomores outside hitter Andrea Simovski and opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen each recorded kills to put USU up five at 14-9. The Rebels responded with independent stretches of 6-2 and 5-1 to ultimately tie the set at 21. Facing crunchtime, the Aggies bowed up to score four of the final six points of the set to win, 25-21. Sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic halted UNLV's momentum with a kill before Helgesen scored three kills to clinch the opening set for the visitors.
 
Set Two
The Aggies rode momentum into the second frame, opening with a 6-1 run to claim quick control of the set. Štiglic recorded a pair of aces while redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin added a block during the run. The Rebels battled back within two points on multiple occasions, including at 16-14 before Utah State blitzed the home side with a 9-0 run to close out the set for a 25-14 win. Larkin recorded another block to jumpstart the run while Barlow added a block and kill. Simovski added two kills before Helgesen again shut the door with three-straight kills to conclude the frame.
 
Set Three
The hosting Rebels managed to take the early lead in the third set, using runs of 4-0 and 3-0 to take a 14-10 lead halfway through and force an Aggie timeout. USU immediately responded with a 3-0 run as Helgesen recorded two aces, part of a career-high four on the day. After trading rallies for several points, Utah State again took over, turning a 17-17 tie into a 25-17 win with an 8-0 burst. Štiglic and Helgesen again featured prominently down the stretch. Štiglic added two kills and a block, part of a team-high eight during the set, while Helgesen added five kills during the final run, including the clinching point to give the Aggies their ninth road victory of the season.
 
Quick Notes

• Utah State hit .390 for the match, their ninth match of MW play with over a .250 hitting percentage. The Aggies are now hitting .251 on the season, a mark which would break the current program record of .238 set in 2016.
• Helgesen led the Aggies with 17 kills, her fifth-straight and seventh match this season leading or tying for the team lead in kills. Helgesen hit .536 on 28 attempts with only two errors, also adding a career-high four aces and two digs.
• Štiglic recorded 16 kills on a .448 hitting percentage, only .002 points below her career-high, and added two aces, two digs and a block.
• Barlow also hit over .500, finishing with a .545 hitting percentage on seven kills alongside two aces and a team-high three blocks.
• Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe posted 32 assists, also recording her 10th double-double of the season with a team-high 15 digs. Junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson tied her career-high with 12 assists and fell one dig short of her second career double-double, finishing with nine.
• The Aggies extended their winning streak to 13 matches, now the sixth-longest streak in program history and the longest since winning 14 in a row in 2023.
• Utah State improved to 9-1 in true road matches on the year, tying for the seventh-best road record by winning percentage in the nation. USU's .900 road winning percentage would also be a program record for a season, topping the previous mark of .762 (16-5) set in 1977.
• USU has now qualified for every Mountain West Tournament since the conference restarted the format in 2021.

 
Up Next
The Aggies return home for a pair of crucial matches versus teams currently in MW Tournament position. Utah State will first host second-place Colorado State on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m., before facing Wyoming, who currently sits in a tie for fourth in the conference standings, on Saturday, Nov. 8, at noon.
 
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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