BACK IN ACTION
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.

MILLENNIUM MILESTONE
Junior outside hitter Sami Blackett eclipsed 1,000 career kills. The product of Orem, Utah, reached the plateau in USU's match against Oregon State and now has 1,006 kills in her career after totaling 771 in two seasons at Utah Valley and posting 235 so far this season at Utah State.

CAN I DIG IT? (YES YOU CAN)
The Aggies lead the Pac-12 during conference play with 14.50 digs per set. Both sophomore setter Silina Damuni and sophomore libero/defensive specialist Lily LaFlesch rank in the top 10 during league play in digs per set as Damuni ranks second with 3.41 and LaFlesch sits in fifth with 3.33 digs per set. Damuni posted a career-high 21 digs against Oregon State last week and is the top-ranked non-L/DS player for digs per set during Pac-12 play and one of only two such players in the top 10. 

LaFlesch 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.

TWO-HEADED MONSTER
Junior outside hitters Olivia Ruy and Sami Blackett both rank in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in kills per set this season as Utah State is one of only two teams in the league with multiple top-10 killers alongside San Diego State. Blackett averages 3.31 kills per set while Ruy adds 3.07 per frame.

Against Colorado State, Ruy posted a career-high 25 kills, the most in a single match by an Aggie this season and tied for 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 93rd in the nation along with Colorado State (34th), San Diego State (63rd), Boise State (77th), Oregon State (83rd) and Washington State (85th) all making the cut. 

AGGIES VS. EVERYONE
The Aggies and Cougars meet for the eighth time in history on Thursday, but the first time ever in Logan. Washington State has won the past meetings although the two sides have met only three times this century. USU claimed victories in 1977 and 1980 before WSU posted wins in 1085, 1992, 2000, 2007 and in the most recent matchup in 2019.

BLOCK PARTY
Utah State ranks third in the Pac-12 during league play with 2.51 blocks per set. The Aggies have recorded double-digit blocks in five of its past eight contests, including a 17-block outing against San Diego State, tied for the most by USU since posting 18 blocks against Colorado State in 2021.

ADVANTAGE AVA
Junior middle blocker Ava Napierski has been on fire to begin Pac-12 play and ranks sixth in the league with a .365 hitting percentage. 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. This last week, Napierski set a new career-high with 13 kills at Oregon State.

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 nearly 10 assists per set, with a mark of 9.82 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 posted double-doubles in three straight matches, the longest streak of her career, and posted a 10.50 assists-per-set average against Pac-12 foes.

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
Out of their second bye of the conference season, Utah State hosts a pair of Pac-12 tilts against Texas State on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Oregon State on Friday, Nov. 6. Both matches will be held at 7 p.m. (MT) at the Wayne Estes Center.

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 -