Volleyball squad seeks revenge
If going two weeks without playing a volleyball match or playing its first home match of the season isn’t enough motivation to win for the Utah State University women’s volleyball team, Saturday’s opponent certainly is. Like the football team, women’s volleyball will open its home season on Saturday, as it hosts the University of Idaho at 3:05 p.m. in the Spectrum. According to senior setter Chelsi Neves, the Aggies are still reeling from their regular season-ending performance in Moscow last year. In that match, the Vandals swept the Aggies 3-0, handing USU its only conference loss to a team that finished below them in the conference standings. “We have a bone to pick with the Vandals,” Neves said. “We’re more than ready to play.” More than anything, the Aggies are excited to play at the Spectrum, said USU head coach Burt Fuller. In its last two seasons at the Spectrum USU has posted a 17-4 record and enjoyed the 19th highest per-game attendance rate in the nation last season. “Obviously, we’re excited to be playing at home,” Fuller said. “I’ve heard it’s a good home-court advantage here. I’m looking forward to seeing what I hear.” In their first encounter with the Vandals last year, the Aggies were on the right side of a sweep, spanking the Vandals 15-11, 15-8, 15-5 in the Spectrum. The Aggies are 2-3 all-time against the Vandals at home. Evening their home record against the Vandals is a must, Fuller said, if the Aggies want to emerge as one of the top middle-of-the-pack teams – Pacific, UC-Santa Barbara and Long Beach being the top-tier teams – in the Big West Conference. If the Aggies can do this, it will put them in a better position to challenge the aforementioned three conference favorites later in the season. “These are really important matches for us,” Fuller said. “I think we’re [USU, Cal Poly, Idaho, UC-Irvine and Cal State-Fullerton] pretty closely bunched in the middle.” Like the Aggies, the Vandals also stand at 3-3 on the season. And like the Aggies, the Vandals don’t have a dominating player, but rely on a consistent team effort, Fuller said. “Idaho has a couple of players that are really consistent,” he said. One of those players is sophomore middle blocker Anna-Marie Hammond. Hammond leads the club in kills (64), hitting percentage (.333) and blocks per game (1.55). For the Aggies, Neves leads the team with a .255 hitting percentage, while sophomore Erin Cartwright paces the team with 82 kills. On the defensive side, the Aggies have four players with more than 40 digs – an area the Aggies excel in, Neves said. “Court coverage is very big,” she said. “We are a great get-down-on-the-floor type of team.” The Aggies will continue their homestand next Thursday and Saturday.