LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball lost, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19 25-16), to No. 21-ranked Utah on Saturday night at the Wayne Estes Center. 
 
Set One
The Aggies made the first move in the match, using a 4-1 run to take an early lead in the opening frame. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow and sophomore outside hitters Andrea Simovski and Mara Štiglic each recorded kills to set the tone for USU early on. The Utes, however, answered with a 4-0 burst to jump in front. Utah State regrabbed the lead courtesy of back-to-back kills from Štiglic and another kill from Barlow, but the visitors again responded to retake the advantage. Simovski recorded four kills in the latter stages of the set but the Aggies were ultimately unable to reel in Utah another time as the Utes took the opening set, 25-22.
 
Set Two
Utah State again jumped out in front to begin the second frame, leading at 8-6 following a service ace from Barlow. The Utes then pieced together a 10-3 stretch to take control of the set. The Aggies clawed back within two points off the strength of a Simovski ace, a Barlow kill and several attacking errors from the Utes. After cutting the deficit to 20-18, however, Utah quickly closed the set with a 5-1 burst to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Set Three
The two teams exchanged short runs to begin the third frame, ultimately coming to a 6-6 tie before Utah scored eight-straight points to establish control. The Aggies fought back with a 4-0 run featuring a kill from junior setter Olivia Tukuafu and a tandem block from sophomore outside hitter Delaney Lawson and redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin. USU was unable to further trim Utah's lead, though, as the visitors clinched the match with a 25-16 win.
 
Quick Notes

• Simovski led the team with 10 kills and two service aces, while Barlow posted a team-high .364 hitting percentage on five kills.
• Thompson finished with nine digs to lead the team.
• Larkin made her career debut in the match, finishing with one kill and one block assist.
• Tukuafu made her first appearance of the season, contributing three assists, one kill and one dig. Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe led the Aggies with 17 assists.

 
Up Next
The Aggies head westward to take on No. 6 Stanford on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. (MT), before facing UC Davis in a neutral match on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 4 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.
 
 - USU -