Courtesy of Utah State
LAS VEGAS – Utah State volleyball was tested like they rarely had been during the entire 2025 Mountain West season. After dropping only 13 sets en route to an undefeated 18-0 record in conference play, the Aggies found themselves down 2-0 in the semifinals of the MW Tournament semifinals against Boise State on Friday afternoon at The Pavilion.
Then, USU showcased the mettle of a championship program.
The Aggies stormed back in the third set, staved off a feisty Bronco challenge in the fourth and ran away in the fifth to complete the reverse sweep in a 3-2 (25-27, 22-25, 25-20, 29-27, 15-9) victory to advance to the MW title game on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m. (MT).
Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe led USU with a career-high-tying 65 assists, also tied for the fifth-most ever in the MW Tournament match and tying the record for underclassmen at the conference tournament. Sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski paced the Aggies with a season-high 26 kills on a .317 hitting percentage, also recording a double-double with 13 digs.
Utah State also extended their overall winning streak to 20 matches, the third-longest streak in program history, trailing only a 23-game streak spanning the team’s 1978 national title season and 1979, and a program-record 26-game streak in 1978. USU’s streak is now tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.
Set One
Simovski and senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow led the Aggies in the early going as the duo powered a 5-1 run to give USU a 9-5 lead. The pair teamed up for a block and each recorded a kill while Simovski also added an ace from the service line. The Broncos, however, would not go away and slowly erased the deficit, finally taking a lead at 21-20 following a 3-0 burst. Both sides grappled for the advantage in the late stages before another 3-0 BSU run gave the Broncos a 27-25 win to begin the match.
Set Two
Utah State again took a lead with a 6-2 stretch early in the second set with Barlow supplying a pair of blocks, once alongside Simovski and another alongside sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe. The Aggies maintained a slim lead for much of the set until the Broncos claimed their own slim lead with a pair of 3-0 bursts. USU fought back late with back-to-back kills from Simovski and Barlow but could not reel in BSU as the No. 4 seed took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-22 win.
Set Three
BSU used a 4-0 run to take an early lead in the third frame. The lead didn’t last long, however, as the Aggies jumped in front with a 7-2 stretch. Barlow and Simovski each recorded back-to-back kills to power the run. After BSU battled back within one, sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic staved off the comeback with back-to-back kills of her own. The Broncos only came within three points after that, each time being pushed back by back-to-back Aggie points. At 23-20, sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen registered a kill before Simovski followed with a kill of her own to clinch the 25-20 win and force a fourth set. Štiglic recorded eight kills in the set, tied for the most by any Aggie in a single set this season, to begin the comeback for USU.
Fourth Set
The Broncos scored the first three points of the fourth frame before Utah State answered with a 6-0 blitz featuring a pair of kills each from Helgesen and Simovski plus a pair of blocks by Larkin, one solo and one beside Simovski. BSU responded with back-to-back points, sending the set into a prolonged stretch where neither side led by more than two points. The Aggies finally broke the gridlock with a kickstarted by a kill and ace by Simovski before Kofe and redshirt freshman middle blocker Lauren Larkin added a block to put USU up 20-17. A later kill by Helgesen put the Aggies at set point with a 24-22 lead before the Broncos answered with back-to-back kills to extend the set. USU maintained the advantage, however, twice coming back to set point via kills from Štiglic and Kofe but twice being answered by BSU points. At 27-27, Štiglic then recorded back-to-back kills to seal the Aggie win and send the match to a fifth set. Kofe posted 17 kills in both the third and fourth sets to help Utah State rebound from the 2-0 deficit.
Fifth Set
The Aggies quickly took control in the fifth set, answering an opening Bronco point with six unanswered. Utah State’s defense forced four BSU errors during the run while Helgesen and Simovski added kills to firmly put USU in the lead. The Broncos never came closer than three points from the lead as Utah State hit .643 in the final frame with Helgesen, Simovski and Štiglic all recording multiple kills and hitting .500 or better to close out the reverse sweep with a 15-9 win.
Quick Notes
- Utah State hit .360 for the match, their 10th-straight match recording a .250 hitting percentage or better. The Aggies are now hitting .270 on the season, a mark which would break the current program record of .238 set in 2016.
- USU had three players record double-doubles. In addition to Simovski, Kofe achieved the feat for a team-leading 11th time this season, finishing with a team-high 17 digs while Štiglic recorded 21 kills and 12 digs to record her third career double-double.
- Simovski and Štiglic each topped 20 kills, USU’s first match this season with multiple players eclipsing 20 kills. The Aggies recorded two such matches last season (once versus Boise state and once versus UNLV).
- Simovski’s 63 attacks are a season-high by any Aggie this season, surpassing the previous high-water mater of 56 attacks owned by Helgesen from the team’s match versus Marquette.
- Simoski also recorded a .938 reception percentage on a team-high 48 total attempts, with no other Aggie recording more than 17 service receptions, and also posted a team-high two aces.
- Barlow added 14 kills on 20 attempts, finishing with a .600 hitting percentage and adding three blocks.
- Helgesen also finished with 14 kills on 34 attempts.
- Kofe is now the only player in the country with three-matches of 60-plus assists, also surpassing the plateau with 62 assists in the team’s first meeting against the Broncos this season and 65 assists at San Jose State. USU’s 76 assists as a team are also a season-high.
- Larkin added seven kills on a .400 hitting percentage and led the Aggies with four blocks, including the team’s only solo block of the match.
- Junior libero/defensive specialist Kendel Thompson filled the stat sheet with 14 digs, five assists and an ace
- Utah State is now 4-3 all-time at the Mountain West Tournament. USU’s three previous victories all came in the program’s title-winning run in 2022.
Up Next
The Aggies await the winner between No. 2 Colorado State and No. 6 San Diego State in the MW championship match to be held on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m. (MT), at The Pavilion.
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 –
