The Nevada Women’s Volleyball team hosted the Utah State Aggies at the Virginia Street Gym on Saturday, claiming victory in a thrilling match, 3-2. This was the Pack’s third straight win, and their first win over Utah State since 2019, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
The Wolf Pack’s starting lineup featured the typical lineup of Sia Liilii, outside hitter, Gabby McLaughlin, opposite hitter, Bella Snyder, middle blocker, McKenna Dressel, middle blocker, Tehya Maeva, setter, and Kinsley Singleton, libero.
The first set was a close, back-and-forth affair. Utah State’s largest lead was four, while Nevada’s largest lead was just three. After being tied at 19 late, Nevada pulled away just enough to squeak out a 25-23 win, taking the first set.
The second set got off to a great start for the Pack. After a 10-3 scoring run, Nevada led 19-13 late in the set. Utah State then rattled off seven straight points to take a 20-19 lead and all the momentum. However, led by McNeese State transfer and outside hitter Carissa Chainey’s pair of kills, Nevada kept itself in the game, pulling away at the right moment and earning a sudden-death 27-25 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Facing elimination, Utah State quickly woke up. After a quick 2-0 lead in the third set, Nevada never saw the lead again. The Aggies led by as many as six points late, and while Nevada’s furious comeback would leave them trailing 24-23, Utah State opposite hitter Adna Mehmedovic’s spike would be too much for the Wolf Pack to corral, keeping her team alive with a 25-23 win.
Set four was the least competitive of the night. Nevada dug itself into a 5-0 hole early and was never able to climb out of it. The Aggies led the entire set, keeping the Wolf Pack from ever closing within two and pulling away late for a 25-19 win, tying the match at two set apiece and setting the table for a phenomenal final set.
In the fifth and final set, neither team could pull away from the other. Each team’s largest lead was two, with Nevada leading 6-4 and Utah State leading 9-7 throughout the match. However, a flurry of Utah State service errors, service aces from Nevada and the continued dominance of McLaughlin allowed one authoritative spike from Dressel helped the Wolf Pack secure a thrilling, come-from-behind 15-13 win, taking the match 3-2.
Amid a shroud of controversy, the Wolf Pack snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Aggies. Their last four matchups against Utah State had each been 3-0 Aggie sweeps. Errors were undoubtedly the name of the game on both sides, as the two squads combined for 26 service errors and 24 attacking errors on the night.
The leaders of the Pack victory included:
● McLaughlin with 21 kills, three service aces, and nine digs
● Liilii with 11 kills
● Singleton with six service aces and 11 digs
● Snyder with 10 kills and four blocks
● Maeva with 41 assists
The Wolf Pack now sits at 11-8 overall, 4-3 in conference play, which cements their best start through 18 games since 2019 when they started 14-5. Next, they will travel to Boise, Idaho, to play Boise State (11-6, 3-3) on Oct. 17.
Chase Dulude can be reached via email dominicgutierrez@unr.edu or via X @ChaseDulude
