Utah State wrapped up its stay in Honolulu Sunday with a thrilling five-set loss to Marquette.
The Aggies (1-2) opened the 2025 volleyball season with three matches in three days on the island. They dropped a five setter against San Diego in the opener Friday, then bounced back to sweep host Hawaii on Saturday.
On Sunday, USU got off to a slow start against the Golden Eagles, but certainly made a match of it, including a very lengthy fifth set. Marquette won, 25-14, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 20-18.
Sophomore middle blocker Ava Napierski led the Aggies and set a new career high with nine blocks in the match. It was the most blocks by a USU player since Kelsey Watson also had nine a year go against Ohio.
Sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen led the Aggies in kills and also set a career-best mark with 23, while hitting .286. She also set a new career high in blocks with four.
Joining Helgesen in double-digit kills were senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow with 13 while hitting .444, sophomore outside hitter Mara Stiglic with 11 and sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski with 10. Simovski had a double-double as she registered 14 digs.
Junior libero Kendel Thompson tied her career high and led the team in digs with 23. Sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe led the team with 57 assists, tying her career high and recording the most by any Mountain West player so far this season.
On Saturday, the Aggies did something they hadn't since 2007 -- win at Hawaii. USU beat the Rainbow Wahine, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23.
It was just the fourth ever win over Hawaii on the island. The victory also snapped a three-match losing streak to the Rainbow Wahine.
The Aggies hit .357 as a team as Barlow led the team with 14 hills, hitting .600. Helgesen and Stiglic each added 12 kills, while hitting .450 and .346, respectively.
Barlow and Kofe tied for the team lead with three blocks each, while Napierski had two. Simovski had nine digs, while Thompson finished with eight.
Kofe tied her career high for assists in a three-match set with 41.
On Friday, USU began the season with a tough setback against the Toreros, 16-25, 25-17, 25-15, 19-25, 15-12). San Diego began the season receiving votes in the Preseason Top 25.
Stiglic led the Aggies with 15 kills. Barlow finished with 14 kills. Simovski had the best hitting percentage at .211 and recorded 13 kills.
Kofe had a double-double with 45 assists and 11 digs. Thompson finished with a team-best 22 digs.
USU now turns its attention to a pair of home matches this weekend against nationally ranked opponents. No. 9 Texas A&M visits the Aggies on Friday, and in-state rival No. 23 Utah comes to town on Saturday. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
In their annual meet to begin the season, the Aggies were able to pick up a pair of second-place finishes on Saturday at the Utah State Alumni Challenge that was contested at the Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course.
A pair of Aggie alumni won each of the races Saturday. The men raced for 7k with Camren Todd, who earned All-American honors at USU at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, crossing first in 20 minutes, 38 seconds. Former Aggie great and two-time All-Mountain West Region runner Emma Thornley won the women's 5K race in 17:47.
Weber State won the men's competition narrowly, edging USU, 32 to 35. Idaho State was fourth with 87, while the Aggie Alumni team was fourth with 92 points. The Wildcats also took the women's competition with 20 points, followed by USU (49), Idaho State (69) and the USU alumni (91).
"We had a good meet," said Artie Gulden, USU's director of track & field and cross country, in a press release. "We were able to learn a lot of things about both teams, and they are in a really good spot."
In the women's race, junior Natalie Swain was the top current Aggie, finishing second in 17:58. USU junior Caroline Moon was third (18:05) and former Green Canyon High School star Hailey Shakespear, a freshman, was seventh (18:23).
On the men's side, sophomore Bryce Hall was the top current Aggie, finishing in eighth (21:09). Sophomore Walker Cole was 10th (21:11). The Aggie men had really good pack running as the top five that counted for the team score were within 12 seconds of each other.
"Over the next few weeks, we will just be focusing on improving and getting better each week," Gulden said. "Today was a good start and I think we are set up nicely to get where we want to go this season."
Todd and Thornley were among 22 alumni of the USU cross country program to compete in Saturday's meet. The Utah State Alumni Challenge, formerly known as the Sagebrush Invitational, has served as the Aggies' season opener every year since 2021.
USU returns to action on Friday, Sept. 12, when the Aggies travel to Salt Lake City for the Westminster-hosted Beehive Invitational.