LOGAN, Utah - With the momentum on its side, the Nevada Wolf Pack executed the three set sweep over the Utah State Aggies on Saturday morning. The Pack added another win to the conference column where now it sits at 3-1 in Mountain West play and 13-3 overall.
This match featured several Pack members, led by
Brianna Souza who recorded a .650 hitting percentage after only committing two attack errors in the match on 25 attempts. Souza and Afoa were the lone members to record double digit kills but the Kirby Court in Logan saw
Camryn Rocha with three,
Kyla Waiters with two and
Maya McClellan with two.
On the defensive side, Nevada only put up six blocks, but Souza was in on two of them along with a solo for herself. Afoa and
Ryan Blackwood each tallied double digit digs while
Dalyn Burns led with 42 assists.
Mandalay Rennon was the cause of the 7-0 scoring run to start the first set after dealing out three service aces behind the line. Then again with
Kaila Spevak back to serve, the Pack added another 6-0 scoring run to go up, 14-6. Redshirt junior, Souza had the last word though, recording the final kill of the set, 25-15, Nevada.
In each of the first and third sets the Wolf Pack never trailed, however it was a different story in the second with eight lead changes and six ties.
Nevada was leading the Aggies in the second set until they tied it up at the 3-3 mark, then again at the 5-5 mark to take the lead, 6-5 on a service ace. Utah State held the lead until a
Kassie McGill kill tied it up, 10-10 and Rennon went back to serve. Three straight points with the freshman at the helm, the Pack took the 13-10 lead.
Utah State was not giving up though, as the Aggies tied it back up, 15-15 and took the lead until a kill from Afoa tied it up for the sixth time, 17-17. With three of the next four kills coming from Souza aided by two from
Kili Robins and an attack error from the Aggies, Nevada pulled out the set, 25-20.
In the third, Nevada held a dominant lead throughout the majority of the set with the largest lead being 11 points at the 21-10 mark, nearing towards the end of the match. With the Pack up by a solid number,
Lee Nelson started substituting in some younger players in
Andrea Alcaraz and
Maya McClellan to wrap the match up. Ultimately Nevada won, 25-14 and took the match, 3-0.
Up next for Nevada volleyball is a four-match home stand that starts on Tuesday, Oct. 8th when the Spartans of San José State come to Virginia Street Gym at 6 pm.
