BACK IN ACTION
Utah State heads home to reopen Club Estes for the 2025 season by welcoming No. 10 Texas A&M to Logan on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. (MT), before facing in-state foe and No. 21-ranked Utah on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. (MT). 
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network. Live stats will also be made available through UtahStateAggies.com.
 
CLUB ESTES VS THE TOP 10
The Aggies face a top-10 team at the Wayne Estes Center for the second year in a row, having hosted No. 8 Purdue last season, and the fourth straight year overall, having played at No. 5 Nebraska and No. 7 BYU in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The last time Utah State hosted top-10 teams in back-to-back years was Colorado State in 2013-14, and the last time USU did so in nonconference play in back-to-back years was against Cal Poly in 1984 and 1985.
 
Utah State has two home wins over top-10 teams, defeating No. 10 BYU, 3-0, and No. 9 UC Santa Barbara, 3-0, both in September of 2000. The Aggies also defeated No. 10 Hawaii for the WAC Tournament title in 2007 and won at No. 3 Hawaii in 2010.
 
ICYMI
The Aggies went 1-2 last weekend at the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, defeating tournament-host Hawaii in a 3-0 sweep while falling in a pair of five-set battles against San Diego and Marquette. All three of USU's opponents were receiving votes in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Preseason Top 25 poll. 
 
AGGIES VS. EVERYONE
Utah State holds a 7-3 all-time record against Texas A&M, with all seven victories coming prior to 1981. A&M has won the past three meetings, including the most recent matchup in 2023 in College Station. 
 
The Aggies and Utes have met 75 times previously, the most played series in Utah State's program history. Utah holds a 49-26 edge in the series, and has won eight of the past nine meetings. The Aggies won the last time the two sides met at the Estes, 3-0, on Aug. 30, 2023, while the Utes extracted revenge in Salt Lake City last season.
 
PEAK RECOGNITION
Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week after posting a .385 hitting percentage. She finished with 14 kills on a .194 hitting percentage versus San Diego, also adding two service aces, seven digs and three blocks. Against the Rainbow Wahine, Barlow posted 14 kills on a .600 hitting percentage, adding another three blocks. Barlow concluded the weekend with 13 kills on a .444 hitting percentage against Marquette, plus two assists, two digs and four blocks. This is Barlow's second time in her career being named the MW Offensive Player of the Week, having previously earned the honor on Nov. 4, 2024.
 
HIGH FLYER
Sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen put together a career night against Marquette, finishing with a career-high 23 kills, breaking her previous personal-best of 19 kills against Air Force last season. Helgesen also set new career-bests of 56 attempts and four blocks in the contest. 
 
CAN I DIG IT?
Utah State junior defensive specialist Kendel Thompson tied her career-high with 23 digs against Marquette, previously having done so last season against Wyoming. Thompson's 23 digs are the most by a Utah State player in a single match since former Aggie Jordi Holdaway recorded 25 digs against Air Force in 2022. So far this season, Thompson ranks fourth in the MW with 4.08 digs per set. Thompson was part of the 2022 Utah State volleyball team as a manager before officially joining the roster before the 2023 season. 
 
IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL A BLOCK CHAIN?
Sophomore middle blocker Ava Napierski recorded nine total rejections against Marquette, including one solo block, shattering her previous career-high of six total blocks last season against Weber State. Napierski's nine blocks are tied for the third-most by any MW player so far this season.
 
ASSISTANCE REQUIRED
Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe tied her career-high with 57 assists against Marquette last weekend, also ranking as the most assists by an MW player so far this season, with the second-highest total being 51 assists. Kofe's 41 assists against Hawaii also are the most by a MW player and tied her career-high for a three-set match. Kofe currently ranks third in the league with 11.00 assists per set.
 
A PRECIOUS WIN ON THE ISLAND
Utah State defeated Hawaii, 3-0, last weekend as part of the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic. The win was the program's first road win over Hawaii since 2007 and only the fourth time in program history the Aggies have defeated the Rainbow Wahine on the road. Utah State and Hawaii were previously conference mates in the Big West from 1990-95 and the WAC from 2005-11.
 
EARNED RESPECT
The Aggies enter the 2025 campaign as preseason favorites to win the Mountain West title according the conference's preseason coaches poll. Utah State received seven of 12 first-place votes and 114 total points, finishing ahead of second-place Colorado State with 106 points and three first-place votes. San Diego State received the final two first-place votes and placed third with 96 points. This is the second time in the past three seasons the Aggies have been picked to win the conference after also entering the 2023 season as preseason favorites. It is also the fourth-straight year USU has been picked in the top two entering the season after heading into 2022 and 2024 picked second in the preseason poll.
 
A LOOK BACK
The Aggies finished the 2024 season at 15-14 overall with a 12-6 showing in Mountain West play. USU won 12 of its final 15 matches of the regular season to tie for second in the conference standings and qualify for the MW Tournament. Utah State fell in the opening round of the tournament to Boise State. 
 
BACK FOR MORE
The Aggies boast a pair of players who received preseason all-Mountain West recognition this season, making Utah State the only team in the conference with multiple selectees. Barlow and Kofe each earned the honor. Both also earned all-MW honors last season, as Barlow was named to the all-MW team for the second time in her career, first earning the award in 2023 while at Wyoming. Kofe earned all-MW honorable mention last season, one of only three freshmen to receive all-MW honors from the conference last year. 
 
WELL TRAVELED
Utah State boasts three international players on its roster in sophomores outside hitter Andrea Simovski (Belgrade, Serbia), libero/defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek (Opole, Poland) and outside hitter Mara Štiglić (Rijeka, Croatia). USU's 2025 roster also features eight different U.S. states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Texas, Utah and Washington). 
 
SHATTERED RECORDS
In Utah State's first match against the Broncos in 2024, the Aggies set a new program record for hitting percentage in a five-set match. USU hit .371 in the 3-2 win against the Broncos, breaking the previous record of .361 against Alaska-Fairbanks in 1997 and ranking third in the nation last season for hitting percentage in a five-set match. 
 
HITTER'S PARADISE
Utah State hit an even .500 at home last season against Nevada, finishing with 40 kills and only five attack errors on 70 attempts. It was USU's first time hitting at least .500 since setting the program record of .550 against VCU in 1997. The Aggies' five attack errors were also the fewest by the team since that same match. It was also USU's third consecutive match hitting over .300, tying for their longest such streak since joining the Mountain West in 2013, previously doing so in 2023 and spanning the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
This year, Utah State's roster still leans young as the Aggies field only one senior (Barlow) and two juniors (Kendel Thompson and Olivia Tukuafu). Seven sophomores and two redshirt freshmen return from last season's roster in addition to two sophomore transfers (Cala Cooper and Ava Nakai) joining USU. The Aggies also bring in three true freshmen for 2025 (Ava Martin, Hailey Spencer and Sadie Warren).
 
Utah State boasted the third-youngest roster by age in the nation last season, fielding 12 freshmen out of 18 rostered players. 
 
BEEN HERE BEFORE
Utah State loses only three letterwinners from the 2024 squad, needing only to replace graduated seniors Adna Mehmedovic, Kelsey Watson and Kaylie Ray. The Aggies return eight letterwinners from last year, including seven players who appeared in over 20 matches and four players who appeared in all 29 matches last season. Barlow, redshirt junior Kendel Thompson and freshmen outside hitters Andrea Simovski and Delaney Lawson all saw action in every match of 2024, with Barlow also starting every match. Kofe appeared in 28 matches, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek, sophomore right side hitter Loryn Helgesen and sophomore outside hitter Mara Stiglic appeared in 27, 22 and 15 matches, respectively. Additionally, sophomore middlbe blocker Ava Napierski and junior setter Olivia Tukuafu appeared in 11 and 10 matches, respectively, during the 2024 season.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
Last year, the Aggies played seven consecutive matches which went a full five sets, beginning with the team's win over Ohio and ending with USU's comeback win at San Diego State. According to available sources and research, this is the longest known streak of five-set matches in women's volleyball history at the Division-I level. USU played in 12 five-set matches last season, going 6-6 in those contests.
 
STALWART IN THE MIDDLE
Barlow was the only Aggie last season to start all 29 matches on the season. Barlow was named to the all-MW Team last year, her third career all-MW honor after receiving two such honors at Wyoming before transferring to Utah State. Barlow led the team last year and ranked third in the Mountain West with a .383 hitting percentage while recording 220 kills, averaging 1.85 per set. Barlow also tied for the team lead with 101.0 total blocks and ranked second with 0.85 blocks per set and fourth with 26 service aces.
 
KILLER PERFORMANCES
Simovski recorded four matches last season of 20 kills or more, becoming only the second Aggie in the MW era (since 2013) with three matches of 20+ kills in the same season, joining Lauren Anderson (2017). Simovski and Štiglić each topped 20 kills against Boise State, while Simovski and former Aggie Kaylie Ray achieved the feat against UNLV. Prior to 2024, Utah State had never recorded any such instances of multiple 20-kill performances in the same match since joining the Mountain West in 2013.
 
ACES WILD
Simovski recorded five service aces in USU's 3-2 win over Ohio in 2024. The five aces are tied for the most by a Utah State player since former Aggie Beatriz Rodrigues recorded six aces against Fresno State on Nov. 3, 2022. As a team, the Aggies recorded 12 service aces against Weber State, their second match with 10 or more aces last season and the most by USU in a match since recording 13 at New Mexico in 2023. 
 
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN
Utah State won the outright Mountain West regular season title in 2023, making it three-straight MW championships under head coach Rob Neilson. The Aggies also shared the MW regular season title in 2021 before winning the MW tournament in 2022. USU has won eight regular season conference titles in program history, including the WAC in 2012 and five consecutive titles in the Intermountain Athletic Conference from 1977 through 1981.
 
UP NEXT
Utah State continues its tough nonconference slate with a road trip to No. 6-ranked Stanford on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. (MT). The Aggies will then take on UC Davis in a neutral match on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. (MT).
 
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