HONOLULU, Hawaii – Utah State volleyball swept Hawaii, 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-23), on Saturday night at Bankoh Arena. The win is USU's first road victory over Hawaii since 2007.
 
Set One
The Aggie offense set fire in the opening set, hitting .484 as a team with only two hitting errors. Utah State also avoided any service errors in the first set en route to the 25-19 win. After falling behind by two early, sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen recorded a pair of kills to kickstart a 5-0 run to thrust USU in front. The Rainbow Wahine battled back within a single point on multiple occasions before the Aggies went on another 5-0 to take firm command of the set. A solo block from sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe preceded a kill by sophomore middle blocker Ava Napierski, then sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic hit three straight kills to put USU up by seven, allowing the team to eventually close out the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Set Two
The two sides battled early on to a 6-6 tie before USU embarked on a 7-2 stretch to wrestle control, a run which featured kills from Simovski and senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow plus a pair of kills from Helgesen. While the offense cooled slightly after the heights of the first set, Utah State excelled from the service line in the second set to maintain momentum. Helgesen, Štiglic and junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson each recorded an ace in the second frame while sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski recorded two, including the final point to clinch another 25-19 set victory for the Aggies. 
 
Set Three
Hawaii bounced back in the third set, taking an early 7-3 lead in an attempt to extend the match. The Rainbow Wahine led by as many as five points for USU stormed back with a 6-0 run ignited by three-straight kills from Helgesen. After jumping in front at 17-16, neither side led by more than a single point en route to a 23-23 tie. A pair of kills from Štiglic then supplied the winning points for Utah State to complete the sweep.
 
Quick Notes

• The win snaps a three-match losing streak to Hawaii and is USU's first road win over the Rainbow Wahine since 2007, also only the fourth road win over Hawaii in program history. 
• Utah State's .357 hitting percentage is the team's highest since hitting .500 in a sweep of Nevada last season. 
• Barlow led the Aggies with both 14 kills and a .600 hitting percentage, her sixth match hitting .600 or better in an Aggie uniform. Helgesen and Štiglic each added 12 kills while hitting .450 and .346, respectively.
• Barlow and Kofe tied for the team lead with three blocks apiece while Napierski added two blocks for the Aggies.
• Kofe also led the team with 41 assists, tying her career-high for assists in a three-set match. 
• Simovski posted a team-high nine digs while Thompson finished with eight.

 
Up Next
The Aggies conclude their weekend at the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i, facing Marquette on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 6:45 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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