USU stayed true to another five-set match, the team’s 10th this season. On Saturday at the Bronco Gym, Utah State volleyball pulled through with several key plays late to win at Boise State, 3-2 (25-14, 17-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-11). The Aggies were able to swing the momentum back their way in the decisive fifth set. The Aggies were coming off a five-set loss at Nevada earlier in the week. In Utah State’s 10 five-set matches, they are 5-5. The Aggies and Broncos both have had a great deal of press on refusing to play San Jose State over controversy over a transgender player. Now USU claims the win.
USU In Set One and Two
The Aggies came out dominating the game, taking the Broncos hard on the scoreboard in the opening set. After the two sides battled to a 10-10 tie, Utah State closed the set on a 15-4 run consisting of three separate 5-0 runs to win the opening frame, 25-14. USU hit .444 in the opening frame, going 13-1-27 on their hitting attempts while recording three blocks defensively.
USU used a 5-0 early in the second set to take a 6-3 lead before the Broncos responded with a 5-1 stretch to retake the lead. After the teams battled closely over the next several rallies, Boise State went on a 5-0 run to take control of the set. The Aggies were unable to mount a comeback, as the Broncos closed the set with a 3-0 run to win 25-17.
Set Three and Four
The Aggies and Broncos alternated points, meeting in a 5-5 tie to start the third set. After USU built a three-point lead courtesy of a 3-0 run, Boise State jumped back in front with a 5-0 stretch. Utah State responded with a dominant run, taking nine of the following 10 points to take a 22-16 lead. USU never allowed an attempt at a Bronco comeback, taking three of the final points of the set to win, 25-18. The Aggies hit .432 in the set, their second set of the match hitting over .400, and recorded 20 total kills to go up, 2-1.
Each team recorded a 3-0 run in the early stages of the fourth set, battling to an 8-8 tie. The Broncos then claimed momentum with a 5-0 stretch. The Aggies fought back over the remainder of the set, coming as close as two points. USU nearly brought the set within one point before a challenge overturned a point in the Aggies’ favor and allowed the Broncos to re-extend the lead to three points en route to a 25-22 win.
Five and Career Highs
A 3-0 Aggie run featuring an ace from freshman Jagoda Bialek sandwiched by a pair of kills from freshman Andrea Simovski gave USU the early edge in the final set. After the Broncos trimmed the lead to a single point, senior Adna Mehmedovic stepped up with a kill before combining with graduate senior Kelsey Watson for the block to push Utah State’s lead back to three. Simovski again stepped up in the final stages, scoring Utah State’s final three points on three kills to give USU the 15-11 win.
With this win added to the charts, the Aggies also take several career-high moments, such as Simovski, who finished with a career-high 28 kills, the most by an Aggie this season and the most by an Aggie freshman since at least 2014. It is also tied for the third-most kills in the Mountain West this season. Simovski’s .510 hitting percentage was also a career-high.
Freshman and Team Leads
Freshman Mara Stiglic also set a new career-high with 20 kills. This is also the first time two Aggies recorded 20 or more kills in the same game since at least joining the Mountain West in 2014. Utah State finished with a season-high 76 kills as a team, besting their previous high of 70 kills against San Diego State. USU’s hitting percentage of .371 was also a season-high, topping the previous mark of .343 against UNLV.
Watson and Mehmedovic tied for the team lead with four blocks apiece. Kofe posted 48 assists, her third-highest assists total this season. Three Aggies posted double-digit digs, with sophomore Kendel Thompson leading the way with 16. Simovski and Kofe finished in a tie for second on the team with 13 digs each.
Simovski and Kofe each recorded double-doubles in the match, the sixth double-double of the season for each player. It is also the fifth time this season that multiple Aggies have recorded a double-double in the same contest. With the win, USU improves to 5-4 in conference play and 8-11. Up next, Utah State returns to the Wayne Estes Center to take on Fresno State on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. The last time these two teams met up, Fresno came out on top taking the game three sets to Utah’s one.
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