Aug. 24, 2007

Final Stats

TUCSON, Ariz. - Utah State's volleyball team lost its second straight match at the Sheraton Wildcat Classic in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday with a three-game loss to Saint Mary's (30-15, 30-26, 30-26). USU is now 0-2 on the young season as it lost to Arizona in three games earlier in the day, while SMC is 2-0 with a pair of three-game wins against USU and Eastern Washington in the tournament.

Utah State was led by senior opposite side hitter Amanda Nielson (West Valley City, Utah) as she recorded 10 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Jessalyn Payne (Greeley, Colo.) paced the Aggies defense with 18 digs.

Saint Mary's was led by Megan York who had a match-high 14 kills to go along with a team-high 18 digs, while Megan Burton hit .421 (9-1-19) and recorded eight block assists.

Utah State struggled in the opening game as it hit a negative .050 (7-9-40), while Saint Mary's hit a robust .361 (17-4-36). USU continued to struggle offensively in game two as it hit a negative .071 (11-14-42), but it did manage to limit the Gaels to a .061 hitting percentage (11-8-49). The third and final game saw Utah State hit .045 (13-11-44), while Saint Mary's hit .130 (.14-8-46) to notch the win.

Overall, Utah State hit negative .024 (31-34-126) as compared to a .168 (42-20-131) hitting percentage for Saint Mary's. The Gaels also dominated the net as it recorded 15.5 team blocks, while USU had just 3.5. SMC also had two more service aces (6-4) in the match, while USU managed to record five more digs (56-51).

Utah State will play its third and final match at the Sheraton Four Points Wildcat Classic on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. against Eastern Washington.

Saint Mary's 3, Utah State 0
USU    15    26    26
SMC    30    30    30