BACK IN ACTION
Utah State continues a four-match road trip at Boise State on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. (MT), before wrapping up the week at Oregon State on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. (MT).

MILLENNIUM MILESTONE
Junior outside hitter Sami Blackett is quickly approaching 1,000 career kills. The product of Orem, Utah, enters the week with 985 kills for her career after totaling 771 in two seasons at Utah Valley and posting 214 so far this season at Utah State.

CAN I DIG IT? (YES YOU CAN)
Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Lily LaFlesch leads the Pac-12 with 3.80 digs per set this season. She set a career-high with 29 digs against CSU, tying for the sixth-most digs by an Aggie during the 25-point, rally-scoring era (since 2008). Her 29 digs are the second-most in a match by any Pac-12 player this season. Alongside 20-dig performances agaisnt Fresno State, Utah Valley and Weber State, LaFlesch has four 20-dig matches so far this season.

As a team, USU finished with 94 digs against the Rams, tied for the most by any Pac-12 team this season and the second-most by the Aggies during the 25-point, rally-scoring era (since 2008), trailing only USU's mark of 98 digs against Idaho in 2012.

LEADER OF THE PAC
Junior outside hitter Olivia Ruy ranks third in the Pac-12 in both kills and points per set, averaging 3.64 and 4.11 through the first seven matches of conference play. She earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season after leading USU with 37 total kills against Fresno State and Colorado State, including a career-high 25 kills against CSU. Ruy's 25 kills were the most in a single match by an Aggie this season and the third-most by any Pac-12 player. Ruy followed up the performance with a 20-kill outing against Boise State, becoming the first Aggie with 20-plus kills in back-to-back matches since Tatum Stall in 2022.

PAC'S A PUNCH
The Pac-12 ranks as the best volleyball conference in the nation among non-P4 conferences according to Massey Ratings. The league boasts six teams in the top 100 of the power ratings with Utah State ranking 85th in the nation along with Colorado State (36th), San Diego State (62nd), Boise State (77th), Washington State (82nd) and Oregon State (89th) all making the cut. 

AGGIES VS. EVERYONE
The Aggies and Broncos meet for the 59th time on Thursday, USU's most common opponent among Pac-12 foes. Boise State took the first meeting this season and holds a slim 31-28 lead in an all-time series which has fluctuated between stretches of dominance by both sides. BSU won the first 14 meetings from 1985-98 before USU then went 14-3 on through 2010. The Broncos won 11 of 15 matches to start the pair's time together in the Mountain West but the Aggies have now won 10 of the past 12 matches. The Aggies are 11-16 against the Broncos in Boise. The two sides have met three times in postseason play recently, with Boise State claiming opening-round four-set wins at the MW Tournament in 2021 and 2024 before USU's semifinal reverse-sweep victory last season. 

Utah State and Oregon State have faced off only five times previously with the Beavers holding a 3-2 edge. The Aggies won the most recent meeting 3-0 in Corvallis in 2022. Prior to that, OSU had won a home, away and neutral match in the series in 2016, 2014, and 2011, respectively. USU won the first matchup between the two sides 3-1 in 1991.

BLOCK PARTY
USU's block has come on strong to begin Pac-12 play, recording double-digit blocks in four of its past six contests. The Aggies recorded 12 blocks against Gonzaga, 16 against Fresno State and 10.5 against Colorado State. Utah State then had 17 blocks against San Diego State, tied for the most by USU since posting 18 blocks against Colorado State in 2021.

Junior middle blocker Solia Angilau has played a pivotal role in the block's ascent, making her Aggie debut against Fresno State and tying her career-high with eight blocks in the contest. Angilau now ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with 1.32 blocks per set during league play.

ADVANTAGE AVA
Junior middle blocker Ava Napierski has been on fire to begin Pac-12 play and ranks second in the league with a .412 hitting percentage. She has recorded 33 kills on 68 attempts with only five errors. In the opening week of conference play, Napierski recorded 17 kills on 28 total attempts without registering an attacking error against Texas State and Gonzaga, including career-highs of 11 kills on a .611 hitting percentage against the Bulldogs.

SET YOUR GOALS
Sophomore setter Silina Damuni is still re-adjusting to Division I volleyball. Damuni spent her freshman year at BYU in 2023 before departing on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fiji, only returning in March of this year. Since becoming the full-time setter, Damuni is averaging over 10 assists per set, with a mark of 10.29 assists per set during conference play.

With Damuni out due to injury for several weeks during Pac-12 play, senior setter Olivia Tukuafu stepped up with a career-best stretch. Tukuafu set numerous career-highs, including 53 assists and nine kills against Colorado State and 16 digs and three blocks against Boise State. Tukuafu has posted double-doubles in each of the past three matches, the longest streak of her career. She is also averaging over 10 assists per set during conference play, ranking third in the league with 10.50 per set.

WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED
The Aggies have eight players averaging at least one kill per set during conference play. Junior outside hitters Olivia Ruy and Sami Blackett rank third and fifth in the Pac-12, respectively, with 3.64 and 3.46 kills per set. Junior outside hitter Ava Nakai adds 2.58 kills and junior middle blocker Ava Napierski has posted 1.74 kills per set. Sophomore outside hitter Addy Cook is adding 1.62, graduate middle blocker Sophie Scott has 1.25 kills per set, senior setter Olivia Tukuafu has 1.21 kills per set and junior middle blocker Solia Angilau is averaging 1.11 kills per set.

EARLY TESTS
Utah State's nonconference schedule was one of the toughest in the nation as the Aggies faced the 23rd-toughest schedule according to Massey Ratings, tops in the Pac-12 and sixth among all non-P4 programs. In all, seven of USU's 10 nonconference opponents made the NCAA Tournament in 2025.

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE
This year's Aggie roster features 10 players from the Beehive State, tied for the most for the team since having 11 Utahns on the roster in 2007. USU also had 10 players from Utah in 2008 and 2009. Last year's squad featured only five Utahns.

CONNECTIONS ACROSS SPORTS
Sophomore outside hitter Addy Cook is cousins with Utah State starting quarterback Grady Brosterhous.

A WHOLE NEW CREW
The Aggies welcome in 12 new players for the 2026 campaign, including nine transfers and three freshmen. Lauren Bodily (West Virginia), Silina Damuni (BYU), Olivia Ruy (Maryland) and Sophie Scott (Cal) join Utah State from P4 programs while USU also adds a plethora of experience with Solia Angilau (New Mexico), Sami Blackett (Utah Valley), Addy Cook (Wyoming) and Lily LaFlesch (Wyoming) joining the Aggies. Justýna Nováková joins as a junior following several years playing in her native Czechia while AC Gibbs, Taytum Nelson and Madi Rich arrive to USU as freshmen in 2026.

PAST MEETS PRESENT
A number of Aggies have previous connections prior to arriving in Logan. Both Addy Cook and Lily LaFleschplayed at Wyoming last season with each ranking third on the team in kills and digs per set, respectively. Juniors Sami Blackett and Ava Napierski also played together in high school with both playing their senior seasons at Orem HS as the duo finished top-two on the team in kills en route to a state title in 2023. Before Orem HS, Napierski played at Timpview HS alongside sophomore Silina Damuni where the pair won state titles in both 2020 and 2022. Senior Lauren Bodily and junior Olivia Ruy also shared the court while at Woods Cross HS, capping off their time together with a state semifinal run in 2021.

AGGIE CONNECTION
Taytum Nelson is continuing a family tradition of playing at Utah State. Her grandfather, Alan Parish, played three seasons for USU men's basketball in the 1960s, including the 1964-65 season with All-American and home court namesake Wayne Estes.

SUPER NOVAKOVA
Despite playing as an outside hitter, junior Justyna Novakova has ample experience as a libero, having played libero for the Czechia U20 through U22 national teams and also playing the position at the club level for VK Dukla Liberec.

NEW IN TOWN
Keith Smith was hired as the 12th head coach in Utah State volleyball history in January. Smith brings extensive experience working within the USA Volleyball pipeline and most recently served as an assistant coach at TCU in 2025, helping the Horned Frogs in a 21-11 record and an opening round win in the NCAA Tournament. He also has previous coaching stops at Auburn and Grand Canyon. Smith also played for the Lopes, ending his career as the school record holder with 4,484 assists.

Smith's time with Team USA has seen him working with the women's U21 national team at the 2025 NORCECA Pan American Cup, helping Team USA capture a gold medal in Costa Rica. This offseason, Smithalso served as the U18/U19 group leader at the National Team Development Program (NTDP).

UP NEXT
USU returns to the friendly confines of the Wayne Estes Center to host Washington State on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. (MT), before the team's second bye of conference play.

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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