Utah State Volleyball wins MW regular-season title
Utah State Volleyball secured their fourth Mountain West championship in the last five years last week as they get close to the end of their historic season. The Aggies clinched a share of the regular season title after a 3-0 sweep of Wyoming at home on Nov. 8 before claiming the outright title with a 3-0 win over Fresno State on Nov. 13.
The regular season title makes it four championships in the last five years for head coach Rob Neilson after his squads won the 2021 and 2023 regular-season titles, along with the 2022 tournament championship.
“It’s one of our goals to win a regular-season championship. It’s a testament to a lot of hard work from these ladies,” Neilson said after the win over Wyoming. “We keep getting better, and we’re getting better in lots of areas of the game, and they’re just focused and dialed in. It means a lot. I’m really proud of this group.”
The title doesn’t come as a surprise to Neilson and his team, though after the Aggies’ grueling non-conference schedule, many were unsure what the conference season would hold for them. Utah State played a number of top 25 teams to just a 3-7 record before conference play.
Despite the record, Utah State jumped into conference play without missing a beat, ripping off a winning streak that sits at 16 games, the program’s longest winning streak since 1976, to take the conference crown.
Utah State is back on top of the conference despite only having one returning player from the 2023 championship team. Libero Kendel Thompson was a freshman on that team and now plays a critical part in the current success of the Aggies.
JACK LEWIS BURTON Kendel Thompson, 4, celebrates a point scored by Mara Stiglic, 12, at the Wayne Estes Center on Nov. 8.
Utah State is also a very young team, as 14 of the 17 players are either first- or second-year players.
“It’s really exciting. We’ve put in a lot of work over the past year and a half, two years,” said middle blocker Tierney Barlow, the lone senior on the team. “With such a young group, it’s been taking a lot of work to just get into that system, get into that flow. So, it’s really gratifying.”
Barlow has played a critical role in the success of the team, providing needed leadership and talent on the front line that the team can rely on.
Despite having already clinched the regular season title, the Aggies still have a matchup on Nov. 15 with San Jose State and two more regular-season games in the Wayne Estes Center against Air Force and Nevada. They will then travel to Las Vegas for the Mountain West tournament starting Nov. 26. Despite Utah State’s recent success, they have previously been unable to win both the regular and postseason championships.
Having already lifted the regular-season trophy, the team now looks to finish the season strong into the tournament.
“We look like we’re playing fresh and clean, and people are flying around. I think that’s a testament to the work they’re putting in in the weight room and the work that the rest of our staff is doing, our trainer and strength and conditioning coaches,” Neilson said. “We’re not practicing very long. We’re just doing some things, trying to stay sharp and trying to keep them fresh for these moments. I think they’re doing a good job.”
JACK LEWIS BURTON USU Volleyball head coach Rob Neilson gives a thumbs up to his team on the court playing Wyoming at the Wayne Estes Center on Nov. 8.
Though the season has started to take its toll, the Aggies are looking to stay strong and continue to play at a high level.
“I think fatigue is a really big thing, especially for all these teams at this point of the season. So, we’re really focused on recovery and taking care of our bodies,” Barlow said. “Sleep and nutrition are really big for us.”
Going into the final week of the regular season, the already champion Aggies are hoping to raise at least one more trophy before the season comes to a close.