LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head volleyball coach Keith Smith announced the team's 2026 nonconference schedule on Tuesday. The Aggies will play 10 matches in advance of the team's inaugural Pac-12 season.

USU's nonconference schedule features eight matches against teams in the top 65 of the final KPI rankings of the 2025 season, with three teams also finishing in the top 25 of the AVCA rankings.

USU begins its 2026 season on the road at the Bluegrass Battle hosted by Kentucky in Lexington, first taking on the Wildcats on Friday, Aug. 28. Kentucky reached the national championship game last season and was ranked No. 2 in the final AVCA rankings. Utah State will then play Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Aug. 29, before wrapping its opening weekend against South Florida on Sunday, Aug. 30. 

The Aggies then head to California for a pair of matches in the Golden State, first taking on Iowa State in a neutral match on Friday, Sept. 4. The Cyclones finished the 2025 season ranked 22nd in the nation after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. USU will then take on UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Utah State returns to Club Estes for the first time in 2026 on Wednesday, Sept. 9, against UCLA before celebrating Spectrum Magic against Utah on Friday, Sept. 11, in a bid to break the all-time Pac-12 attendance record. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. (MT).

The Aggies continue a string of four-straight matches against in-state foes, heading south to take on Weber State on Thursday, Sept. 15, before returning home to host Utah Valley on Saturday, Sept. 17. Utah State then concludes its nonconference schedule on the road at BYU on Monday, Sept. 19. The Cougars finished the 2025 season ranked 25^th in the AVCA rankings.

Seven of Utah State's nonconference opponents played in last year's NCAA Tournament. In conjunction with the team's Pac-12 slate, USU will play a total of 14 matches against teams that finished in the top 100 of the KPI rankings last season.

Utah State Volleyball 2026 Nonconference Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location
Aug. 28	at Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky
Aug. 29	vs Eastern Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky
Aug. 30	vs South Florida	Lexington, Kentucky
Sept. 4	vs Iowa State	Santa Barbara, California
Sept. 5	at UC Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California
Sept. 9	UCLA	CLUB ESTES
Sept. 11	UTAH	DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Sept. 15	at Weber State	Ogden, Utah
Sept. 17	UTAH VALLEY	CLUB ESTES
Sept. 19	at BYU	Provo, Utah

*Home matches in bold and all caps

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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