USU volleyball goes winless in California

The Utah State University women’s volleyball team attended a tournament in Moraga, California over the weekend and put forward a less-than-stellar performance. They faced San Francisco on Friday night, Cornell Saturday afternoon, and Saint Mary’s on Saturday night. After losing all three games in straight sets, the Aggies return home 0-10 on the season.

The team put up a good fight against San Francisco, losing two (the first and third) by three points and losing the second set by seven. Had a few moments gone the other way, Utah State could have easily pushed the game into a fifth set and possibly taken the match entirely. Senior setter Heidi Carpenter had a standout game, leading the team in assists (30) and was tied for the team-high in both digs (seven), and Aces (one).

Cornell proved to be more of an issue for the Aggies than San Francisco was. Cornell won the first set 25-13, the second set 25-21 and the third set 25-11. Much of the dominance stemmed from their height and athleticism, having three players with at least five blocks or more, and double-digit digs from their team leader Lily Barber. High numbers from their second and third place leaders also contributed to the victory. USU’s Carpenter had another great game, leading the team with 20 assists. Freshman libero Grace DuBay also played a good game leading the team with three aces and eight digs.

In the game against Saint Mary’s, the Aggies put up a strong fight. Unfortunately, they ended up on the wrong side of luck and dropped all three sets by a margin of four or less. The scores were 25-21, 25-23 and 25-21, respectively. Carpenter once again gave a strong performance, posting a team-high with 26 assists and tying the team-high with one ace. Freshman outside hitter Hailey Cuff also put in a good performance, leading the team with 12 kills. Freshman outside hitter Madi Brunatti led the team with 10 digs and showed great heart.

While the results of the tournament seem discouraging at first blush, the simple win-loss numbers do not tell the story in its entirety. Utah State could have come away with a pair of wins, but unfortunately, the ball did not always bounce their way.

USU’s next game will be Sept. 18 at home against Utah Valley University.