LOGAN, Utah – Play at the Utah State Invitational wrapped up Saturday, as the Aggie volleyball team fell to Southern Utah, 3-2 (13-25, 25-19, 25-18, 19-25, 9-15).
USU handed the Thunderbirds their first set losses of the tournament, but were unable to close out the match for the win. After a slow start to drop the first set, 25-13, the Aggies rebounded to take sets two and three by scores of 25-19 and 25-18, respectively.
“I think we’re getting better. We’re learning how to compete. We’re learning how to play with different lineups. Lots of kids are getting opportunities to show us what they can do,” said Utah State head coach Grayson DuBose. “We’re headed in the right direction.”
Utah State spread its attack around the floor, as four players had nine or more kills. Sophomore middle blocker Corinne Larsen led the team with a career-best 12 kills, hitting .265 on a career-high 34 attempts. The Aggies tallied one more dig than the Thunderbirds with a 71-70 advantage, led by a match-high 27 from freshman libero Grace DuBay. Utah State also had one more block than Southern Utah, finishing the match with seven.
Junior middle blocker Bailey Downing represented the Aggies on the all-tournament team, as she started all 14 sets on the weekend, finishing with 23 kills and eight blocks.
Prior to Utah State’s match, Xavier and Eastern Michigan played, where the Musketeers topped the Eagles, 3-1.