BACK IN ACTION
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.

AGGIES VS. EVERYONE
Utah State and Texas State have met only six times previously with the Aggies carrying a 4-2 edge into this week's contest. USU had won four-straight in the series before the Bobcats claimed the first meeting this season, a 3-0 win in San Marcos. The Aggies have won the only two previous matchups in Logan, winning 3-2 in 2011 and 3-0 in 2012. The two sides were actually conference mates once before for a single year in the WAC in 2012.

Utah State and Oregon State have also faced off only six times previously, but with the Beavers holding a 4-2 edge. The Beavers won the first meeting this season, a five-setter in Corvallis. This will be only the series' second match in Logan as OSU took another five-set win in 2014. The Aggies won the most recent meeting before this season, a 3-0 road victory in 2022.


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 three teams in the league with multiple top-10 killers alongside Boise State and San Diego State. Blackett averages 3.39 kills per set while Ruy adds 3.00 per frame, ranking fifth and ninth in the Pac-12, respectively.

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.

Blackett recorded a season-high 23 kills last week against Washington State, Her 23 kills are the second-most by an Aggie this season and the sixth-most among all Pac-12 players. They were Blackett's most kills in a match since recording 27 kills in back-to-back matches as a freshman at Utah Valley in 2024.

RIGHT UP THE MIDDLE
Middle blockers Ava Napierski and Sophie Scott led the Aggie attack during the win over Washington State last week, combining for 25 kills on a 5.00-per-set average. Scott set a career-high with 12 kills on a team-best .409 hitting percentage while Napierski tied her career-high with 13 kills. Napierski also led the team in blocks and aces with five and two, respectively, while Scott added three blocks in the contest.

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. During Pac-12 action, Damuni has established herself as one of the league's premier setters, ranking third in the league with a mark of 10.11 assists per set.

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.

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 92nd in the nation along with Colorado State (31st), San Diego State (69th), Boise State (70th), Washington State (88th) and Oregon State (91st) all making the cut. 

CAN I DIG IT? (YES YOU CAN)
The Aggies ranks second the Pac-12 during conference play with 14.37 digs per set, trailing only Boise State's mark of 14.66 digs per set. Both sophomore libero/defensive specialist Lily LaFlesch and sophomore setter Silina Damuni rank in the top 10 during league play in digs per set as LaFlesch sits in sixth with 3.24 digs per set and Damuni ranks eighth with 3.11 digs per set. Damuni is one of only two non-libero/defensive specialists in the top 10, joining Boise State OH Sydney Dreves. Junior outside hitter Justyna Novakova has donned the libero jersey in the past three matches and has responded with double-digit digs in each contest.

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.
BLOCK PARTY
Utah State ranks third in the Pac-12 during league play with 2.43 blocks per set. The Aggies have recorded double-digit blocks in five games during league play, including a 17-block outing against San Diego State, tied for the most by USU since posting 18 blocks against Colorado State in 2021.

MILLENNIUM MILESTONE
Junior outside hitter Sami Blackett eclipsed 1,000 career kills. The product of Orem, Utah, reached the plateau in USU's road match against Oregon State and now has 1,029 kills in her career after totaling 771 in two seasons at Utah Valley and posting 258 so far this season at Utah State.

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
The Aggies face matches on back-to-back days in the Evergreen State this week as USU begins its final road trip of the 2026 regular season. First, Utah State takes on Washington State on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. (MT), before wrapping the week at Gonzaga on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. (MT).

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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