LOGAN, Utah – Playing in front of a program-record 4,932 fans at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, Utah State volleyball fed off the energy of the crowd but was ultimately unable to keep pace with No. 16 BYU in a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-22) loss on Thursday night.
Set One
Spectrum Magic rang loud early as kills from sophomore outside hitters Mara Štiglic and
Andrea Simovski plus senior middle blocker
Tierney Barlow gave USU an early lead to begin set one. The visiting Cougars then put together a 4-0 spurt to take a multi-point lead. The Aggies cut the deficit to two points on multiple occasions before BYU again sprung ahead with a 3-0 burst on their way to closing out a 25-18 win to open the match.
Set Two
The Aggies again claimed an early lead to begin the second frame via kills from Simovski and Barlow before the Cougars again went on a run, this time scoring five unanswered to jump in front. After falling behind by as many as five points, Utah State reeled off a 6-1 stretch to tie the set at 15-15. A pair of Barlow kills sandwiched a Simovski kill and a service ace from sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgsen, while Štiglic recorded another kill to cap off the run. After clawing back into the set, however, a pair of 4-0 Cougar runs ultimately sealed the 25-19 victory for the visitors.
Set Three
In the third frame, it was the Cougars who opened with an early lead before the Aggies answered back with a run to take control. Kills from Barlow and Štiglic kicked off an 11-2 run, including a stretch of seven unanswered. The Aggie defense forced a trio of attack errors from BYU while redshirt freshman middle blocker
Lauren Larkin recorded a pair of kills and sophomore setter
Kaylie Kofe notched an ace. Following a Cougar point to break up USU's point streak, Larkin teamed up with Štiglic then Simovski on back-to-back blocks to give the Aggies a 15-7 lead. BYU, however, responded immediately with a 9-0 blitz to recapture the lead. The two sides fought down the stretch for control of the set before the Cougars pieced together a 6-2 stretch. USU attempted a late comeback as Larkin and Štiglic teamed up for another block and Simovski scored another kill to cut the deficit to two points before BYU clinched the 25-22 win to take the match.
Quick Notes
- With 4,932 fans in attendance, USU shattered its previous program attendance record of 2,559, set last season in the Spectrum versus Utah Valley.
- Utah State hit .258 for the match, the program's highest hitting percentage against a top-25 team since hitting .301 to win the WAC Tournament title against then-No. 3 Hawai'i in 2010.
- Barlow led the Aggies with both 11 kills and a .733 hitting percentage, the highest-ever hitting percentage by an Aggie against a top-25 squad according to available records.
- Štiglic also reached double-digit kills for the seventh match this season, hitting 10 on a .381 hitting percentage alongside two blocks and three digs.
- Larkin led USU with a career-high four blocks and also set new career highs of five kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
- Junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson led the Aggies with eight digs, narrowly edging Kofe who finished with seven.
- Kofe posted a team-high 32 assists and recorded one of USU's two service aces for the match with Helgesen posting the other.
Up Next
The Aggies conclude a week of in-state competition 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 -
