USU Volleyball tied for 1st place in MW after win over CSU

Utah State Volleyball hosted conference leader Colorado State on Thursday night in the Wayne Estes Center. The Aggies, who came into the match one game out of first place, secured a 3-1 victory to claim a share of first place with one match remaining in the regular season.

USU 21-8 (13-4) had a team total of 51 assists, 57 digs, 17 blocks, and 52 kills in the victory. The standout performer was senior attacker Kristy Frank, who finished with a match-high 21 kills, and added eight digs and one block.

“We worked so hard, and this match was so important to us,” Frank said. “It is so good to see all of our hard work pay off.”

The match started with the Rams coming out hot. Taking a commanding 24-17 lead, they held off a four-point Aggie run to win the first set 25-21.

USU responded in the second set, going up 16-9 early. The Aggies surrendered a run to the Rams, who took a 23-22 lead, but then closed out the set, winning 27-25. Aggies had a 27 % hitting percentage; the Rams hit just over 13 %.

Utah State dominated the third set winning 25-10, finishing the set on a seven-point run. The Aggies hit nearly 42% in the third set to give themselves the 2-1 set lead. 

In the fourth set, the Aggies jumped out to a 15-8 lead. A quick 6-2  run by the Rams turned the Aggie lead to 17-14. Utah State finished off the set 25-22 to win the match. Following the win, the student sectoin rushed the court in celebration.

“The biggest thing was the turnaround to stay strong in the fourth,” Head Coach Rob Neilson said. “It starts over again, you have to battle for every point and I am so proud.” 

Utah State closes their season at home vs Wyoming on Saturday at Noon.

“Our players are dialed in,” Neilson said. “They’re focused and they know the standard they set for themselves.”