Utah State volleyball earns split on the road
This past weekend the Aggies were on the road playing in matches against San Jose State and the University of Nevada.
On Thursday, Utah State was in San Jose, Calif., ready to take on the Spartans. The Aggies dug themselves into a two-set hole, but pulled off a five-set comeback to snatch their first win in conference play. After losing the first two sets 25-19, USU was able to make the pivotal comeback when sophomore outside hitter Gabbie Shumway made a kill which sent the team on a four-point run to take the lead 11-8. After that, Utah State remained on top and closed out the set 25-20. At the end of the contest, Shumway tied with junior right side Izzie Hinton-Belnap for the team lead with 10 kills. The Aggies were able to be in control of the fourth set from start to finish, and dominated the Spartans 25-16.
Utah State finished out the fifth set and the match 15-12, after going on two four-point runs early on to take the lead 4-1, and 12-9 to keep it all on top. Freshman middle Corinne Larsen aided in the final run of the game with back-to-back blocks, and finished the match against San Jose by leading her team with six overall blocks.
Saturday’s game in Reno, Nev., had a different ending for the Aggies. The Aggies split the first four sets but lost in the fifth set against the Wolf Pack, resulting in Nevada winning the match.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, playing through six deadlocks, including one at 23-23 before Nevada took the set 25-23. The tables were turned in the second set when Utah State won the set 25-23 after taking the lead early on and running with it. USU was able to bounce back from a 3-1 deficit and turn it into a small 4-3 lead. After breaking a 5-5 tie and going on a six-point run to make it 11-5, the Aggies were on the loose and a final kill by sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Bailey Downing was the icing on the cake to take the set.
During the third set, the teams played through five lead changes and eight ties. Neither side was able to gain traction for a lead worth more than three points. The set worked its way up to a deadlock at 22-22, but Nevada scored two points to bring the game to its set point. The Aggies were able to score on the next rally, but eventually the Wolf Pack took this one. USU came back with vengeance in the fourth and blew Nevada out of the water to cruise to a 25-19 ending.
That roll did not last in the fifth and final set of the match. Utah State was able to keep an early 5-3 lead, but after a four-point run by Nevada the momentum had flipped and took the set 15-10.
Next week the Aggies will be on the grind again, hosting a pair of home matches in Fresno State on Thursday, Oct. 4 and San Diego State on Oct. 6.