STANFORD, California – Utah State volleyball lost a neutral match to UC Davis, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-23) , on Saturday afternoon at Maples Pavilion.
 
Set One
Sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic kicked things off for the Aggies in the first set, scoring the team's first three points of the match and adding a service ace to help USU open up a three-point lead in the early going. UC Davis answered back with a 11-2 stretch to take and build a lead. Utah State fought back with kills from Štiglic and senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow to jumpstart a 4-0 run. USU clawed back within four on multiple occasions but were unable to further close the gap as UCD took the opening frame, 25-19.
 
Set Two
UC Davis' momentum continued with a 4-1 start to begin the second set. Štiglic again led the Aggie pushback with a pair of kills and another service ace to pull USU back with one before UC Davis again blitzed the set with an 11-4 stretch. This time, UCD would not allow a comeback attempt as the Aggies of California closed the frame with a 5-0 burst to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Set Three
USU battled hard to begin the third set, receiving kills from Štiglic and sophomore outside hitters Andrea Simovski and Ava Nakai to build a narrow two-point lead before UC Davis responded with a 4-0 burst to jump in front. A kill from Štiglic preceded a block from Nakai and freshman middle blocker Lauren Larken to tie the set before UCD again pushed out in front with three unanswered points. Another 4-0 run from UC Davis put Utah State in a six-point hole late in the set. Štiglic kickstarted USU's comeback with a kill before teaming with Larken and then Barlow on a pair of blocks. Junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson capped off the 7-1 run for USU with a service ace to tie it at 22-22. Following the comeback, however, UC Davis scored three kills in the next four rallies to take the final set, 25-23.
 
Quick Notes

• Štiglic again led USU in kills, recording 12 on a .310 hitting percentage. Štiglic also led the team with two service aces and three total blocks, also adding three digs. Štiglic leads the Aggies with five matches of 10 or more kills this season.
• Simovski reached the double-digit plateau in kills for the fourth time this season, finishing with 10 on 24 attempts.
• Utah State hit .183 as a team, registering 34 kills on 93 attempts with 29 assists.

 
Up Next
The Aggies finish out a three-game road trip, taking on Utah Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. The Aggies then aim to break the state attendance record for a volleyball match, hosting No. 19 BYU on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU will then conclude its week against Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 20, at noon, in the Wayne Estes Center.
 
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.
 
 - USU -