Volleyball overcomes Weber State 3-1
Utah State volleyball took care of business Thursday night, beating Weber State 3-1 in front of a rowdy Club Estes crowd.
The Aggies (4-1) entered the contest on a roll after steamrolling the University of Utah Wednesday night in straight sets. Their only loss remains a 0-3 loss at the hands of No. 4 ranked Nebraska, who hosted Omaha in the most attended women’s sporting event in history on Wednesday.
Coach Rob Neilson went with a slightly different starting lineup than he had against Utah, starting senior outside hitter Tatum Stall, who is coming off of a minor injury. Stall, who was named to the All-Mountain West team in 2021 and 2022, registered 5 kills against Utah.
The Wildcats started strong, jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. The Aggies came right back to tie the score at five apiece. The first set would continue in that fashion, with 12 ties and eight lead changes. Weber State head coach Jeremiah Larsen took a timeout with set point after a block by USU sophomore Bella Wooden brought the Aggies within one. His team was able to weather the Aggie run and take the first set 26-24.
The Aggies came back strong in the second set. Despite rattling off four straight points to gain an early lead, they found themselves tied at six each. The second set would see 11 ties and seven lead changes. This time, an emphatic kill by Adna Mehmedovic would put the Aggies on top 26-24.
“I think early on we were just a little nervous,” said Mehmedovic. “But we figured it out later and played our brand of volleyball.”
Mehmedovic, a junior from Peoria, Arizona, registered 15 kills in the contest, the second most in a single contest this season.
“We think she’s going to be one of the best players in our conference,” Neilson said. “She’s certainly one of the biggest arms in the gym and provides a huge presence for us on the right side, not only with her hitting but what she does defensively.”
The third set remained tight with 10 ties. A timely kill by sophomore setter Leah Wilton-LaBoy gave the Aggies their first lead at 20-19. They never looked back, winning the set 25-22.
The fourth set was a breath of fresh air for Aggie fans who had been on the edge of their seats, watching the back-and-forth affair all night. A service error by Weber’s Liana Woodley gave the Aggies a 4-3 lead, one they never gave back.
A massive block by Kennedi Boyd extended the lead to four and sent the crowd of 1,300 into a frenzy. The Wildcats didn’t come back within two as Utah State went on to win its fourth straight match.
The Aggies wrap up their three-game home stand on Saturday when they host Loyola Marymount at 2 p.m.