LEXINGTON, Kentucky – Utah State volleyball fell to No. 3 Kentucky 3-0 in its season-opener as part of the Bluegrass Battle at the Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Set One
Junior outside hitter
Sami Blackett first put the Aggies on the board with a kill early in the opening set. The hosting Wildcats, who reached the national title game last season, responded and wrestled control of the first set with an 8-3 run. Junior outside hitter
Ava Nakai led USU with four kills in the opening frame, but the Aggies were unable to regain momentum as Kentucky took the set 25-13
Set Two
The second set followed a similar storyline as USU answered several early Wildcat points. Following a kill be senior middle blocker
Sophie Scott, Kentucky again took the lead with an 11-3 run. USU fought late with a 5-3 stretch featuring a pair of kills from Nakai and a kill by junior outside hitter
Olivia Ruy before Kentucky ultimately took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-14 set victory.
Set Three
The Wildcats again jumped ahead early in the third set, building as large as a six-point lead. This time, however, Utah State battled back with five-straight points. Ruy and junior middle blocker
Ava Napierski each scored a kill and teamed up for a block during the run to cut the deficit to a single point at 17-16. The Wildcats responded themselves, though, going on another run to ultimately clinch the match with a 25-17 win.
Quick Notes
- The quartet Nakai, Ruy, Blackett and senior right side hitter Bodily paced the Aggie offense. Nakai and Ruy led the way with six kills apiece while Blackett and Bodily added five and four kills, respectively.
- Sophomore Silina Damuni and senior Olivia Tukuafu led USU with 10 and seven assists, respectively. Damuni narrowly missed a double-double with a team-high nine digs while Tukuafu registered the Aggies' lone ace of the night.
- Napierski added two blocks to lead the team.
- Utah State hit .117 as a team while Kentucky finished with a .436 hitting percentage. USU finished with 22 assists on 23 kills and added 20 digs, three blocks and an ace.
Up Next
USU continues its weekend at the Bluegrass Battle tomorrow against Eastern Kentucky at noon (MT). The Aggies will conclude their season-opening weekend on Sunday at 10 am (MT) against South Florida.
Tickets
Season tickets, single-game tickets and the USU women's sports pass 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.
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