Maintaining composure and poise leads to Aggie victory
In a match that was tantalizingly close in nearly every statistical category, it was the Utah State University women’s volleyball team that delivered the final blow, blocking in-state nemesis BYU out of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night at Utah’s Crimson Court.
With the Aggies up 1-0 and then 2-1, the Cougars were able to deadlock the match and eventually force a fifth and decisive game.
After losing its one-game lead on two occasions, it would have been easy for USU to succumb to the pressure. However, the Aggies were able to maintain something crucial to any sporting event – their composure, USU Head Coach Burt Fuller said.
“[We knew] we were going to make runs and they’re going to make runs,” he said. “It’s how you respond to those runs that make the difference. I thought we were very composed.”
Senior defensive specialist Heather Olmstead said, “I think everyone on the team was composed.”
While the Aggies ability to maintain their composure was prevalent throughout the entire match, it was their poise with the score knotted at 14-14 in the fifth game that helped put them over the top.
On the previous point, the Cougars were able to foil a USU opportunity to give itself a match point when they won a joust at the net, tying the game.
The missed opportunity didn’t seem to bother the Aggies as Chelsi Neves responded with a dump – a kill by the setter on the second hit – to set the stage for middle blocker Erin Cartwright’s match-winning block.
“Our coaches did a great job of telling us where to hit it and how to answer them,” Olmstead said. “Our team did a good job. That was good volleyball.”
Maintaining poise also played a big part in game one, Fuller said.
Up 26-20, USU appeared to be well on its way to a 1-0 lead until three consecutive blocks by Cougar sisters Nina and Karina Puikkonen capped a six-point Cougar run, tying the game at 26-26.
Like they did the entire night, the Aggies were able to quell the Cougar run on a sharp-angle kill by Lisa Borom, giving the Aggies the momentum they needed to capture the game’s final four points and take a 1-0 advantage.
“During the match it was back and forth,” senior middle blocker Michelle Matheson said. “We had the confidence to play with this team and we knew we could beat them.”