FOLLOW ALONG

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with links to live stats also available through UtahStateAggies.com.

BLESS MY SOUL, AGS ARE ON A ROLL

Utah State enter the NCAA Tournament having won 21 straight matches overall, tied for the third-longest active streak in the nation and now the third-longest in program history according to available records, trailing only a 23-game streak bridging national title run in 1978 and start of 1979 and a 26-game streak to begin 1978.

TOURNEY TIME!!

This is Utah State’s seventh all-time appearnace in the NCAA Tournament with the Aggies compiling a 2-6 record in their previous showings. USU last recorded a victory in the Big Dance in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001. The Aggies defeated Missouri, 3-2, in 2000 before falling at BYU, 3-0, in the second round. USU then recorded a 3-2 win over BYU the following season before losing at Utah, 3-1. Utah State also made the tournament in 2005 (L vs Arizona, 0-3), 2010 (L at California, 0-3), 2022 (L vs Arkansas, 0-3) and 2023 (L vs Minnesota, 0-3).

USU also made six appearances at the AIAW tournament in the 1970s and 80s, including a run of five-straight showings highlighted by a national title in 1978. 

A TROPHY IN EACH HAND

Utah State capped a perfect 18-0 conference season with a win at the Mountain West Tournament last weekend, becoming only the second team in MW history to go undefeated in conference play and win the tournament title, joining Colorado State in 2003. USU pulled off a reverse sweep of Boise State in the semifinal round to reach the championship match where the Aggies set a MW title match record against the Rams, hitting .420 to claim the trophy.

Sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski earned tournament MVP honors in addition to being named to the all-tournament team alongside sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe, sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic and sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen.

BUT THIS TEAM IS PERFECT

With a Senior Day sweep of Nevada, Utah State closed out a perfect 18-0 season in Mountain West play, only USU’s second undefeated conference season in program history, following the 1979 season’s 10-0 showing in the Intermountain Athletic Conference. It is only the sixth undefeated regular season in MW history, joining Colorado State in 2003, 2015 and 2019, Utah in 2006, and UNLV in 2020. 

HIGH PRAISE

Kofe was named the Mountain West Player of the Year, earning the award after leading the MW with 11.70 assists per set during league play, the most by any MW player since Colorado State’s Katie Oleksak recorded 11.76 assists per set in 2018. Kofe recorded the most assists by a MW player this season in a three-set match (44 at New Mexico), a four-set match (65 at San Jose State) and a five-set match (62 vs Boise State). She is one of only two players in the nation with multiple matches of 60 or more assists and currently ranks fifth over the full season with 10.94 assists per set. Kofe has also added 18 service aces and 19 blocks and averaged 2.63 digs per set during MW play. Kofe is USU’s first-ever conference player of the year in volleyball. Kofe began her career as a walk-on at Utah State before the 2024 season.

In addition to Kofe, senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow, Helgesen and Štiglic were all named to the all-Mountain West team while Simovski earned honorable mention. 

ROB! ROB! ROB! ROB!

Head coach Rob Neilson was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year. This is Neilson’s third time receiving the honor, also being named Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2023. Neilson joins Colorado State’s Tom Hilbert and Utah’s Beth Launiere as the only coaches in MW history to receive three Coach of the Year awards. Neilson was also named the AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year in 2023.

Earlier this season, Neilson hit the century mark for his career in the team’s 3-2 win over San Diego State. Now at 111-58 for his career entering this week, Neilson is just the fourth coach in Aggie history to record 100 wins and the fastest Aggie coach to reach the 100-win plateau since Marilyn McReavy and Mary Jo Pepper in 1978. Neilson is one of only two active coaches in the MW to reach 100 career wins, joining Boise State’s Shawn Garus.

AGGIES VS. EVERYONE

Utah State and Tennessee will meet for the first time on Thursday. The Aggies are 19-13-1 all-time against current SEC teams but have lost eight straight to the conference, last earning a win in 2003 over Alabama.

The Aggies have also never faced Coppin State in program history nor has USU ever faced a current member of the MEAC.

USU and Arizona State have met 11 times previously, though only twice since 1991. The Sun Devils lead the series, 6-5, and won the most recent meeting in 2017, 3-0. The Aggies earned a 3-0 win in the team’s last venture to Tempe in 2010. The two sides met frequently in the 1970s and 80s, including twice during AIAW regional tournaments with USU winning in 1976 and 1977. Arizona State defeated Utah State, 3-2, in the regular season finale in 1978 before the Aggies reeled off 12 straight postseason victories to win the AIAW national title that season.

SEVEN DEGREES OF SEPARATION

Utah State athletic director Cam Walker, hired as Utah State’s 13th vice president and director of athletics on Sept. 21 this year, arrived to Logan after spending nearly five years at Tennessee, including as senior deputy director of athletics and chief strategy officer since November of 2024.

Assistant coach/director of operations Kennedi (Boyd) Hansen spent the first two years of her collegiate career at Arizona State in 2019 and the spring 2020-21 season, starting 16 matches as a sophomore and led the team in blocks. Hansen then transferred to Utah State for her final three years, winning three MW titles (two regular season, one tournament) and finishing her career as USU’s all-time record holder with a .362 career hitting percentage as an Aggie.

RECORD WATCH

Utah State has several single-season program and conference records in its sights. The Aggies are currently hitting .274 as a team, which would break the current record of .238 set by the 2016 squad. Barlow is also hitting .444, which would break the current record of .375 (min. 5 attempts per set) held by Denae Mohlman and set in 1997. Barlow’s .444 over the full season currently is tied for third all-time among Mountain West players, while her .471 mark in conference ranks alone in third place all-time in MW history. Including her first two seasons at Wyoming, Barlow’s career hitting percentage of .394 ranks fourth all-time in MW history.

YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN

Utah State clinched at least a share of the Mountain West regular season and the No. 1 overall seed at the MW Tournament with four matches remaining, then promptly clinched the title outright in their next match out with a win at Fresno State. Along with USU’s tournament title this year, the Aggies have claimed five conference titles overall in the last five seasons, winning regular season titles in 2021 and 2023 and also winning the MW Tournament in 2022.

Utah State has now won nine regular season conference titles overall in program history, also earning titles in the WAC in 2012 and a string of five-straight titles in the Intermountain Athletic Conference from 1977-81.

HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL… AND SO DID WE

Utah State went an undefeated 18-0 during the months of October and November. This is the second time in the past three seasons the Aggies have gone unbeaten during October as USU went 8-0 during the month en route to a regular season MW title in 2023. This is the first time USU has ever gone unbeaten across the entire month of November. 

ROAD WARRIORS

Utah State has gone 11-1 in true road matches this season, only falling at No. 5 Stanford. USU’s road record is tied for fifth-best in the nation by winning percentage and would also be a program record for a season, topping the previous mark of .762 (16-5) set in 1977.

HOW SWEEP IT IS

USU’s current winning streak also featured three-straight sweeps over Weber State, New Mexico and Grand Canyon, a feat the team has accomplished only four times during the 25-point rally-scoring era (since 2008) and not since a three-game streak spanning the 2016 and 2017 seasons. 

MARK THE MILESTONE

A pair of Aggies hit career milestones late in the regular season. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow topped the 1,000-kill plateau against Fresno State, now totaling 1,067 in her career, including 519 at Utah State. Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe registered her 2,000th career assist against San Jose State, already cracking into the top 10 in Aggie program history, sitting in ninth with 2,192 assists for her career.

READY, SET, GO!

Kofe has proved vital to Utah State’s success after arriving in Logan as a walk-on before last season. In fact, the Aggies have gone 28-4 over the past two seasons when Kofe tops 10.0 assists per set in a match, compared to an 10-17 record otherwise. Furthermore, USU is an undefeated 18-0 when Kofe clears 11.5 assists per set during her career.

Kofe has twice recorded a career-high 65 assists this season, doing so in a four-set win at San Jose State and then repeating the effort in USU’s five-set win in the MW semifinals against Boise State. Kofe’s 65 assists are the most by an Aggie in a single match since Erica Moscoso recorded 67 assists against UNLV in 2016. They are also tied for the most by any player in the nation in a four-set match this season and tied for fourth-most in the nation for any-length match. Kofe is one of only two players in the nation with multiple matches of 60+ assists and the only player with at least three such matches. She currently ranks third in the country with 11.10 assists per set.

AN INSANE STREAK

Barlow avoided recording any hitting errors across the team’s matches against Wyoming (9-0-17), Fresno State (9-0-18), San Jose State (17-0-26) and Air Force (18-0-26). The streak ultimately ended in the third set versus Nevada after Barlow had gone 97 attacks without an error. This is thought to be the longest known streak in Division-I history according to available research. Barlow has six matches this season with at least 17 attacks without an error. According to ESPN research, no other player in the nation has more than four.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS

USU averaged 15.22 kills per set during MW play, the top mark in the league and nearly a full kill more than second-place Colorado State (14.25). Utah State’s 15.22 kills-per-set average would have ranked first in the nation over the entire season. As it stands, the Aggies rank eighth nationally with 14.29 kills per set over the full season. Utah State hit over .250 in 15 of 18 matches during MW play and has an active streak of 11-straight such matches.

DOUBLE TWENTIES

Simovski and Štiglić each topped 20 kills in USU’s title match win over Colorado State with Simovski posting a team-high 26 kills and Štiglić adding 21. The duo achieved the same feat last season gainst Boise State, while Simovski and former Aggie Kaylie Ray also achieved the feat against UNLV. Prior to 2024, Utah State had never recorded any such instances of multiple 20-kill performances in the same match since joining the Mountain West in 2013.

A HIGH CLIP

Utah State set a program record for hitting percentage in a three-set match, hitting .567 earlier at home against Fresno State. The Aggies recorded 43 kills to only five errors on 67 total attempts to break the previous record of .550, set against VCU in 1997. USU also posted 14 aces in the match, coming within one of the program record of 15 for a three-set match. 

DIFFICULT TERRAIN

Utah State now ranks 29th and 32nd in the RPI and KPI rankings, respectively, the only MW team in the top 55 of either. USU’s strength of schedule is a large reason as the Aggies’ season schedule ranks as the toughest in the Mountain West and 35th-toughest nationally by opponent winning percentage (.598). Grand Canyon held the second-toughest schedule in the MW with an opponent winning percentage of .567, ranking 64th in the nation. 

THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Utah State received a league-leading 11 weekly awards from the Mountain West this season, with six different players earning a distinction.

 – Sept. 2 – Tierney Barlow – Off. Player of the Week

 – Sept. 22 – Mara Štiglic – Off. Player of the Week

 – Sept. 29 – Lauren Larkin – Freshman of the Week

 – Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe – Off. Player of the Week

 – Oct. 13 – Kendel Thompson – Def. Player of the Week

 – Oct. 27 – Loryn Helgesen – Off. Player of the Week

 – Nov. 3 – Mara Štiglic – Off. Player of the Week

 – Nov. 10 – Lauren Larkin – Def. Player/Freshman of the Week

 – Nov. 10 – Tierney Barlow – Off. Player of the Week

 – Nov. 17 – Tierney Barlow – Off. Player of the Week

 – Nov. 24 – Tierney Barlow – Off. Player of the Week

 – Nov. 24 – Lauren Larkin – Freshman of the Week

CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN

Utah State led the Mountain West in numerous categories in conference play. The Aggies finished atop the league in hitting percentage (.301), assists per set (14.21), kills per set (15.22) and aces per set (1.96), and ranks second in hitting percentage allowed (.198). USU also owns the top single-match performance during conference play for aces (14 vs Fresno State) and four of the top five performances for hitting percentage (.567 vs Fresno State, .462 at Colorado State, .414 at Grand Canyon, .390 at UNLV).

Kofe led the conference during MW play with 11.70 assists per set and was one of only two players to average more than 11.00 assists per set (CSU’s Erin Debiec – 11.16). Barlow also led the league with a .471 hitting percentage during conference play and was the only player hitting over .400 against MW competition. Helgesen ranks ninth in the league with a .328 hitting percentage and is the only player in the top 10 with over 220 kills, totaling 260, second-most in the conference. Helgesen and Štiglic ranked third and seventh, respectively, with 3.88 and 3.63 kills per set. The duo also finished in second and fourth, respectively, with 4.49 and 4.27 points per set. Junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson led the league with 0.39 aces per set and ranked seventh with 3.78 digs per set during conference play. Simovski and Štiglic also rank third and sixth, respectively, with 0.36 and 0.31 aces per set, respectively. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin finished the season ranked 10th during league play with 1.13 blocks per set.

THREE-HEADED DRAGONS

Utah State had three players top 15 kills in the same match in three-straight games. Against San Jose State, sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic (17), senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow (16) and sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen (15) reached the plateau while Štiglic (21), sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski (19) and Helgesen (18) then did so against Boise State. The trio of Štiglic (18), Simovski (17) and Helgesen (15) then did so against Wyoming. This is the first time USU has achieved this feat in three-straight matches in the 25-point rally-scoring era. Furthermore, the Aggies had registered only seven such games since 2010 and had only achieved three across a full season only once before when the trio of Lauren Anderson, Kayla DeCoursey and Kaylie Kamalu did so three times in 2016. 

KILLER PERFORMANCES

With 22 kills against San Jose State, Helgesen now has four matches this season with 20+ kills. Helgesen is only the third Aggie in the MW era (since 2013) with three matches of 20+ kills in the same season, joining Simovski, who achieved the feat last season, and Lauren Anderson in 2017.

A DOMINANT STRETCH

The Aggies posted hitting percentages of .300 or higher in three-straight matches against Colorado State, Fresno State and Boise State, a feat the team also achieved last season. USU began the stretch with a then-season high .462 hitting percentage against the Rams before immediatley topping it with a program-record mark of .567 against Fresno State. Tthe Aggies hit .336 in a 3-1 win at Boise State. 

SMASHING PERFORMANCE

Helgesen rewrote the record books against Grand Canyon. The product of Kaysville, Utah, hit .704 while recording 20 kills with only one error on 27 attempts, setting a program record for hitting percentage of 20-plus attempts. 

The Aggies came out on fire in the first set against the Lopes, hitting a blistering .741 as a team for the set as the team recorded 20 kills and recorded no attacking errors on 27 attempts. USU nearly matched the blistering pace in the opening set at Colorado State, hitting .731 on 20 kills with one error on 26 attempts.

TOP MARKS AGAINST TOP COMPETITION

Despite falling in three sets to then-No. 16 BYU, Utah State hit .258 as a team versus the Cougars, the program’s highest hitting percentage against a top-25 team since hitting .301 to win the WAC Tournament title against then-No. 3 Hawai’i in 2010. Barlow posted 11 kills on a .733 hitting percentage, the highest-ever hitting percentage by an Aggie against a top-25 squad according to available records. 

DRAWING A CROWD

Utah State set a new program record in home attendance earlier this season against BYU. Playing in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, the Aggies drew 4,932 fans, shattering the previous program attendance record of 2,559, set last season in the Spectrum versus Utah Valley.

BATTERING RAMS

Utah State won at Colorado State for only the second time since 1982. The Aggies previously snapped a 16-game road skid versus the Rams in 2023 and have now won two of the past three meetings against CSU in Fort Collins. This was also the first time USU has swept the Rams in either Fort Collins or Logan since 1982. USU’s .462 hitting percentage is the highest allowed by CSU since 2022.  Last week, USU completed the regular season series sweep against Colorado State for only the second time since 1982. USU also won both regular season matches versus CSU in 2023. 

IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL A BLOCK CHAIN?

Napierski recorded nine total rejections against Marquette, including one solo block, shattering her previous career-high of six total blocks last season against Weber State. 

In her first extended action of her career, freshman middle blocker Ava Martin recorded 10 blocks in the team’s 3-2 home win against San Diego State, tied for the most by an Aggie freshman since Hannah Smith had 13 blocks against Fresno State in 2014.

ISLAND LIVING

Utah State defeated Hawaii, 3-0, in the opening week end of the season as part of the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic. The win was the program’s first road win over Hawaii since 2007 and only the fourth time in program history the Aggies have defeated the Rainbow Wahine on the road. Utah State and Hawaii were previously conference mates in the Big West from 1990-95 and the WAC from 2005-11.

BACK FOR MORE

The Aggies boast a pair of players who received preseason all-Mountain West recognition this season, making Utah State the only team in the conference with multiple selectees. Barlow and Kofe each earned the honor. Both also earned all-MW honors last season, as Barlow was named to the all-MW team for the second time in her career, first earning the award in 2023 while at Wyoming. Kofe earned all-MW honorable mention last season, one of only three freshmen to receive all-MW honors from the conference last year. 

WELL TRAVELED

Utah State has three international players on its roster in sophomores outside hitter Andrea Simovski (Belgrade, Serbia), libero/defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek (Opole, Poland) and outside hitter Mara Štiglić (Rijeka, Croatia). USU’s 2025 roster also features eight different U.S. states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Texas, Utah and Washington). 

EARNED RESPECT

The Aggies entered the 2025 campaign as preseason favorites to win the Mountain West title according to the conference’s preseason coaches poll. Utah State received seven of 12 first-place votes and 114 total points, finishing ahead of second-place Colorado State with 106 points and three first-place votes. San Diego State received the final two first-place votes and placed third with 96 points. This is the second time in the past three seasons the Aggies have been picked to win the conference after also entering the 2023 season as preseason favorites. It is also the fourth-straight year USU has been picked in the top two entering the season after heading into 2022 and 2024 picked second in the preseason poll.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

This year, Utah State’s roster still leans young as the Aggies field only one senior (Barlow) and two juniors (Kendel Thompson and Olivia Tukuafu). Seven sophomores and two redshirt freshmen return from last season’s roster in addition to two sophomore transfers (Cala Cooper and Ava Nakai) joining USU. The Aggies also bring in three true freshmen for 2025 (Ava Martin, Hailey Spencer and Sadie Warren).

USU boasted the third-youngest roster by age in the nation last season, fielding 12 freshmen out of 18 rostered players. 

BEEN HERE BEFORE

Utah State lost only three letterwinners from the 2024 squad, needing only to replace graduated seniors Adna Mehmedovic, Kelsey Watson and Kaylie Ray. The Aggies return eight letterwinners from last year, including seven players who appeared in over 20 matches and four players who appeared in all 29 matches last season. Barlow, redshirt junior Kendel Thompson and freshmen outside hitters Andrea Simovski and Delaney Lawson all saw action in every match of 2024, with Barlow also starting every match. Kofe appeared in 28 matches, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Jagoda Bialek, sophomore right side hitter Loryn Helgesen and sophomore outside hitter Mara Stiglic appeared in 27, 22 and 15 matches, respectively. Additionally, sophomore middlbe blocker Ava Napierski and junior setter Olivia Tukuafu appeared in 11 and 10 matches, respectively, during the 2024 season.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Last year, the Aggies played seven consecutive matches which went a full five sets, beginning with the team’s win over Ohio and ending with USU’s comeback win at San Diego State. According to available sources and research, this is the longest known streak of five-set matches in women’s volleyball history at the Division-I level. USU played in 12 five-set matches last season, going 6-6 in those contests.

UP NEXT

Should the Aggies advance past the first and second rounds, Utah State would participate in the NCAA Tournament regionals on Dec. 11-14. The site would be dictated by the highest-remaining seed in the region.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

 – USU –