Aggies climb out of hole for victory
It took a few sets to find their groove, but once they did, the Aggies couldn’t be stopped.
After losing the first two sets, the USU women’s volleyball team turned it around, winning three sets in a row to beat Boise State Thursday night in the Spectrum.
Freshman Liz McArthur came off the bench to lead the Aggies to their comeback victory, recording 13 kills while hitting .276 in the match.
“I decided I was going to swing hard, and whatever happened happened,” McArthur said.
Her hitting came up big for the Aggies in the third set. She came in and had two kills and a solo block during a key five-point run, which put the Aggies ahead for good. McArthur had six kills in the set and hit .625.
A well-balanced attack allowed USU to take control in the final three sets. Senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh had a game-high 19 kills and 12 digs, while libero Christine Morrill notched a career-high 29 digs. Senior Rebecca Anderson had a career-high 15 kills, including four in the final set, while hitting .500 in the match.
“I think it shows we have a little bit of heart,” McArthur said. “We fought all the way to the end. We didn’t give up even when we were down two. We look for those close games. They’re exciting.”
The Aggies struggled in the first set, committing 10 hitting errors on their way to a 23-25 loss. The team still couldn’t get it together in the second set, committing five service errors on their way to another 23-25 loss.
“We just came out a little flat,” Anderson said. “We came out with three or four errors and were never able to catch up from that beginning.”
Anderson said after the second set, the team realized Boise State wasn’t just going to “roll over and die.”
“We realized we have to go out there and put it to ’em,” she said. “We had to fight for the game.”
The pivotal third set was punctuated by three consecutive spikes from freshman Emily Kortsen, which ended the set with the Aggies ahead 25-18.
In the fourth set, the Aggies never trailed, coasting to a 25-18 victory.
USU lead through the beginning of the fifth set, but BSU rallied and tied the game 13-13. A kill from Anderson put the Aggies at match point, and USU triumphed with a spike from Osterloh.
Head coach Grayson DuBose said while the Aggies weren’t able to answer the bell right off the bat, they were able to get it together and grind it out. He said the team played nice defense, and noted Morrill’s performance.
“She’s doing a great job,” he said. “The other team stopped serving her after a while, which is a compliment when you’re a libero.”
USU had 65 kills in the match, and four players recorded double digits. Anderson attributed her career-high 15 kills to setter Chelsea Fowles.
“Our ball control was really good,” Anderson said. “Chelsea just set well. I felt like the ball was just there for me every time.”
DuBose said he was pleased with the crowd that showed up.
“They were loud and really supported us,” he said. “It was great to have a nice crowd there, they make a difference for us.”
The Aggies improve to 6-4 in the WAC, and are 5-1 this season in five-set matches. USU will continue conference play Saturday at Nevada.
Below, sophomor setter Chelsea Fowles, 2, and sophomore middle blocker Katie Astle block a Boise State kill attempt. The Aggies won, 3-2. (Patrick Oden)