LOGAN, Utah – In another home matchup against the second-place team in the conference, Utah State volleyball reaffirmed its stranglehold on first place, defeating Colorado State, 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 28-26, 25-22), on Thursday night at the Wayne Estes Center.

With the victory, the Aggies now hold a three-game lead in the Mountain West standings with five matches to play. USU can clinch at least a share of the regular season title with a win against Wyoming on Saturday plus a Colorado State loss at Boise State.

The Aggies also extended their winning streak to 14 matches, tied alongside the team's 2023 streak for the longest winning streak since 1980 and the fifth-longest streak in program history overall.  The streak is also tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.

Set One
Sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen set the tone early for USU, powering a 9-1 run early in the opening frame with three kills and four service aces, including a run of three-straight, to put the Aggies up 10-2. Sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski also came up big, totaling four kills on only five attempts and adding two aces in the first set. Her first ace capped off a quick 3-0 burst before a solo block from redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin extended the Aggie advantage to double digits at 15-5. Simovski's second ace pushed Utah State's lead to its largest of the set at 22-10, allowing the Aggies to coast in the final stages for a 25-15 opening frame win. The Aggies recorded a perfect reception percentage on 16 total attempts while recording six aces as a team in the first set. USU also hit .565 in set one, tallying 15 kills with only two hitting errors and holding the Rams to only two digs.

Set Two
The Rams responded in set two, using a 6-1 run to take early control of the set. Utah State battled back, however, as a pair of Helgesen kills and an ace from junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson trimmed the deficit to a single point. The sides traded the ensuing six rallies but USU was unable to fully erase CSU's lead before the Rams extended their advantage with an 8-2 run, preventing the Aggies from the comeback in the latter stages of the set to hold on for a 25-19 win.

Set Three
The third set proved to be the pivotal moment in the match as a 15-12 Rams lead stood as the largest lead by either team during a set that featured 17 total ties and six lead changes. CSU used a 6-1 run to establish that advantage before a pair of errors returned momentum back to the Aggies. Back-to-back kills by sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic tied the set at 18-18 before CSU then responded with back-to-back points of their own to force an Aggie timeout. Out of the huddle, a Rams service error preceded a Helgesen kill to again tie the set. Colorado State managed to respond and served for the set with a 24-23 lead. The Aggies then turned in the clutch to senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow, with the team's lone senior coming through for a kill and service ace to put the Aggies at set point. This time, the defense came through to seal the deal as Larkin recorded a pair of blocks, first alongside Štiglic and then alongside Simovski for the clinching block for a 28-26 win. Utah State took the set despite hitting only .275 to CSU's .404 in the frame, making up the difference with a 2-0 edge in aces and a 3-1 edge in blocks.

Set Four
The Rams sprinted out of the gates with a 4-0 run before Barlow and Simovski responded with a personal 4-0 run as the duo combined for a block and three kills, two from Barlow and one from Simovski. CSU again wrestled back control with a 5-0 run to go up 14-9, threatening to send the match to a fifth set. The Aggies, however, once again proved their mettle, not only erasing the lead but taking their own multi-point advantage with an immediate 10-2 response. A trio of Štiglic kills ignited the run before Simovski and Helgesen each added a pair of kills to firmly place USU back in the driver's seat. The Rams battled back within a point at 21-20 before the Aggie defense took over, this time with Barlow and sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe teaming for a block before Larkin stuffed a surprise second-contact attack at the net. Kofe then tied her career-high with her fifth kill of the night to push the Aggies to match point where Helgesen delivered the final blow for the 25-22 win.

Quick Notes

• After also winning in Fort Collins, Colorado, against the Rams, the Aggies have now swept the regular season series against Colorado State for only the second time since 1982. USU also won both regular season matches versus CSU in 2023.
• Utah State hit .286 for the match, their 10th match of MW play with over a .250 hitting percentage. The Aggies are now hitting .258 on the season, a mark which would break the current program record of .238 set in 2016.
• USU is now averaging 15.02 kills per set during MW play, the top mark in the league and just short of a full kill more than second-place Colorado State (14.04). Utah State's 15.02 kills-per-set average would rank first in the nation over the entire season. As it stands, the Aggies rank 29th nationally with 13.71 kills per set over the full season.
• The Aggies had four players reach double-digit kills for the fourth time this season (vs Marquette, at Colorado State, vs UNLV).
• Helgesen led the Aggies with 18 kills, her sixth-straight and eighth match overall this season leading or tying for the team lead in kills, on a .316 hitting percentage alongside a career-high-tying and team-high four aces.
• Barlow posted 12 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, also adding two aces, four blocks and an assist.
• Štiglic also had 12 kills and added a season-high-tying eight digs. Štiglic has now posted double-digit kills in a team-high 20 matches this season.
• Simovski finished with 10 kills plus seven digs and two aces while also setting new career-highs with four assists and four blocks.
• Kofe finished with 47 assists and nine digs, also tying her career-high with five kills. Kofe also set a new career-high for hitting percentage (minimum five kills) with a mark of .571 on seven total attempts.
• Thompson led the Aggies with 12 digs, also adding five assists and two aces. 
• Larkin led USU with five blocks, including a career-high-tying two solo blocks. 

Up Next
The Aggies remain home to host Wyoming, who currently sits third in the conference standings, on Saturday, Nov. 8, at noon. With a win and a Colorado State loss at Boise State on Saturday, Utah State would clinch at least a share of the MW regular season title.

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.

 - USU -