PULLMAN, Washington – Utah State volleyball maintained its blistering pace in its attempt to reach the Pac-12 Tournament, earning a fourth-straight victory with a 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 27-25, 25-23) win over Washington State on Thursday night at Kohler Gym.

Junior outside hitter Ava Nakai led the team with 15 kills on a .469 hitting percentage, both her highest marks in an Aggie uniform, while junior outside hitter Sami Blackett added15 kills.  Junior outside hitter Olivia Ruy and junior middle blocker Ava Napierski both posted 13 kills as USU had four players with double-digit kills for the third match this season, including both matches against Washington State.

The win is also Utah State's 12th-straight win in November as the Aggies have not lost during the month of November since 2024. USU is 22-3 in November matches over the last four seasons.

The Aggies now sit one game back of Boise State for fourth place in the Pac-12 standings. The top four teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the Pac-12 Tournament set to be hosted by Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 23-25.

Set One
In a pivotal match where both teams entered tied for fifth place in the conference standings, Washington State took the first sizable advantage with a 6-0 burst midway through the opening set. The Aggies fought back with multiple kills from Blackett and Nakai but after trimming WSU's lead to three points, the Cougars snapped off three-straight points to close out a 25-19 win to begin the match.

Set Two
Washington State kept the momentum to begin set two, scoring the first four points of the frame. The Cougars led by as many as six in the early going, but the lead was short-lived as USU went on a 13-2 run to take the lead and control of the set. A pair of Cougar errors initially slowed WSU's pace before an ace from junior libero/outside hitter Justyna Novakova and a Blackett kill fully turned the tide to USU's favor. Napierski added three kills through the middle third of the run as Utah State jumped ahead, also capping off the run with a block alongside sophomore setter Silina Damuni. The Cougars responded with three-straight points to ultimately cut USU's lead down to a single point but the Aggies came through in the clutch with a 3-0 surge courtesy of back-to-back kills from Blackett plus a set-clinching kill from Damuni for the 25-21 win.

Set Three
Nakai proved instrumental in the third set as she recorded seven kills on nine attempts without an error, finishing with a .778 hitting percentage in the frame. Nakai began the set with a kill while Blackett added a pair and sophomore defensive specialist Sadie Warren posted an ace during a 7-2 ru to start off. Blackett and Napierski then combined on a block as part of a 3-0 run that put the Aggies up by six points. Washington State bounced back, however, slowly cutting into the lead before using a 4-0 burst to jump in front in the late stages. Nakai responded with three kills to prevent WSU from building on the lead. In a crucial juncture, Utah State fought off a pair of Cougar set points with kills from Blackett and Napierski. USU's stable of options then proved too much to overcome as Ruy and Scott joined in for kills to take a 27-25 victory.

Set Three
Looking for the team's first road victory of the season, the Aggies again faced an uphill climb as the Cougars jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth set. Again, however, Utah State answered back, this time using a 4-0 run to erase the deficit as Ruy and Scott posted kills while Damuni capped the burst with an ace. A pair of 3-0 spurts then helped USU gain the upper hand over WSU. Nakai anchored both runs with three combined kills while Novakova posted an ace to help the Aggies take a 22-18 lead. Washington State then scored five of the next six points to tie the set at 23 apiece, but in the final stages, Blackett posted a kill to put the Aggies ahead, allowing Damuni and Napierski to then seal the victory with a block for the 25-23 win.

Quick Notes

• Utah State hit .325 for the match, its second-highest mark of the season and its highest hitting percentage in a road match.
• Novakova set a career-high with 21 digs, her first career match over 20 digs, also posting two assists and two aces, her sixth match this season with multiple aces.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Lily LaFlesch recorded 10 digs to record double-digit digs for the 17th time this season.
• Damuni recorded her 12th  double-double with 49 assists and 12 digs, also adding one assist.
• Blackett recorded her seventh double-double, finishing with 10 digs alongside her 15 kills and adding a block and three assists.
• Napierski's 13 kills tied her career-high while she recorded a .524 hitting percentage and also led the team with three blocks.
• Ruy recorded her 13 kills on a .316 hitting percentage, her third-straight match hitting over .300 with double-digit kills.
• Graduate middle blocker Sophie Scott added six kills on a .417 hitting percentage, clearing the .400 mark in both matches against the Cougars this season.

Up Next
The Aggies (7-16, 6-7 Pac-12) puts their four-match winning streak on the line against Gonzaga on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. (MT).

Tickets
Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the USU online ticket office.
 
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 -