Utah State women's volleyball returns to the Wayne Estes Center to host Washington State on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. (MT), according to an October 27 statement from Utah State University Athletics. The contest occurs before the team begins its second bye of conference play.
Junior outside hitter Sami Blackett recently reached a milestone by eclipsing 1,000 career kills. The Orem, Utah, native has recorded 1,006 career kills after posting 235 this season, following 771 kills during two seasons at Utah Valley. Blackett joins junior outside hitter Olivia Ruy as one of only two players in the Pac-12 to rank in the top 10 for kills per set, with Blackett averaging 3.31 and Ruy averaging 3.07.
The Aggies lead the Pac-12 in conference play with 14.50 digs per set. Sophomore setter Silina Damuni ranks second in the league with 3.41 digs per set, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Lily LaFlesch ranks fifth with 3.33 digs per set. LaFlesch recently recorded a career-high 29 digs against Colorado State, which tied for the sixth-most digs by an Aggie in the 25-point, rally-scoring era.
Junior middle blocker Ava Napierski currently ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with a .365 hitting percentage. Napierski recently set a career-high with 13 kills at Oregon State. Additionally, Utah State ranks third in the Pac-12 with 2.51 blocks per set during league play.
The Aggies' roster features 10 players from Utah, tying the team's highest count since 2007 and 2008. The program was recently led by head coach Keith Smith, who was hired in January and previously served as an assistant coach at TCU.
Following the Washington State match, Utah State will host Texas State on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Oregon State on Friday, Nov. 6, both scheduled for 7 p.m. (MT) at the Wayne Estes Center.
