UVU blanked by Ags
Christine Morrill tossed the ball up, served it and watched it fly over the net.
It never came back.
Morrill’s ace sealed the match as the USU volleyball team defeated Utah Valley in three sets Tuesday night at the Spectrum – the Aggies’ second win of the season.
Sophomore middle blocker Katie Astle had seven kills, seven blocks and hit .600 to lead the Aggies to their first home victory of the season. Sophomore setter Chelsea Fowles had 27 assists, two kills and six blocks while senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh added nine kills, five blocks and six digs.
After trailing 1-6 early in the second set, the Aggies rallied, bringing the score to 8-7, and never trailed again in the set. Senior outside hitter Kris Hymas had two kills and three digs in the set, helping USU to a 25-17 win. The Aggies had a 23-10 run to finish the set, hitting .321 and recording seven team blocks.
Utah State had another slow start in the third set. A key four-point run late in the set, including two service aces from senior setter Heather Hillier and spikes from Osterloh and Hymas, sparked the Aggies to a 25-19 victory, clinching the match. USU hit .138 in the set, but held Utah Valley to -.029.
USU head coach Grayson DuBose said the team blocked well and was able to take charge.
“Blocking is just a matter of confidence,” he said. “We didn’t allow those guys to feel comfortable. It was a nice night for us.”
The Aggies finished the match with a season-high .244 hitting percentage, while holding the Wolverines to .031, a season-low for an Aggie opponent.
“We played pretty well as a team,” Astle said. “It’s good to get a win.”
The first set also started slowly for the Aggies as Utah Valley took an early 3-0 lead. After a close game including six ties, USU took over the lead for good with a block from Osterloh. A spike from Astle ended the first set with a score of 25-23, the closest set of the match.
Osterloh led the Aggies in the first set with five kills and two digs as the team hit .276.
In regard to the team’s slow starts in all three sets, DuBose said the Aggies need to come out a little sharper right off the bat.
“It takes a lot of energy to make that kind of a comeback,” he said.
The Aggies had enough energy, coming back from early deficits to win each set.
Astle said the team blocked well and came together.
“We’ve gotten a lot more confident,” she said. “We’re serving and passing better.”
DuBose noted Astle’s efficient hitting.
“We were able to get her the ball in good spots,” he said. “She did a real nice job.”
Utah State improves to 2-9 with the win, while the Wolverines fall to 2-6 this season.
DuBose said the Aggies were able to outwork the other team, minimize errors and receive serves well.
The Aggies will begin conference play Saturday evening at San Jose State. After losing to San Jose State in last year’s WAC tournament, Astle said the Aggies are ready to give it all they have.
DuBose said the non-conference schedule has prepared the Aggies for the WAC.
“We’ve played some really nice volleyball teams to prepare us for our conference,” he said. “We’re playing well.”
–joseph.w@aggiemail.usu.edu