This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • In a preseason poll of Mountain West Conference volleyball coaches, Utah State was picked to finish ninth.
Aggies coach Grayson DuBose respectfully disagrees.
"The preseason poll is just that," said DuBose, who is starting his 11th year at Utah State. "We will be much improved … and I'm excited to see how we come together when conference play begins in September."
Defending champion Colorado State was picked first in the voting, followed by Boise State and Wyoming. The Aggies out-polled two teams, San Jose State and Air Force.
Last season, Utah State finished 6-26 overall and 2-16 in the Mountain West. The Aggies were 0-12 on the road.
DuBose believes the season was a bump in the road.
"… We had some specific goals that we wanted to work on in the [offseason] and we were able to accomplish what we needed to," he said."
Senior setter Erica Moscoso and junior right side Kayla DeCoursey should benefit from playing this summer with a Mountain West all-star team, which toured Europe and took third place in the World Volleyball Challenge in Pula, Croatia.
"Kayla and Erica played against teams from Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and even a team from China," DuBose said. "They had a fabulous volleyball and cultural experience that will only benefit them and, in turn, us."
Also returning is senior libero Hannah Gleason, who led Utah State with 506 digs last season. That's an average of 4.44 per set. It was the fifth-highest single-season total in school history. She's now eighth on Utah State's career list with 965.
"Hannah Gleason was the best libero in the league last year," DuBose said.
Utah State opens its season Friday at Oregon State. The Aggies will also play Seattle and Portland in Eugene. They open at home on Sept. 8 against UC Riverside. Their Mountain West opener is Sept. 22 at Nevada.
Twitter: @sluhm —
USU's 2016 volleyball schedule
(All times Mountain)
Date Opponent Time
a-Aug. 26 at Oregon State 11 a.m.
a-Aug. 27 vs. Seattle 11 a.m.
a-Aug. 27 vs. Portland 5 p.m.
b-Sept. 2 vs. Montana State 3 p.m.
b-Sept. 3 vs. Loyola-Marymount 10 a.m.
b-Sept. 3 at Denver 7:30 p.m.
c-Sept. 8 vs. UC Riverside noon
c-Sept. 8 vs. Portland State 7 p.m.
c-Sept. 9 vs. SE Louisiana 1 p.m.
Sept. 13 at Utah Valley 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 at University of Utah 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 at Nevada 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 24 at San Diego State 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 vs. Colorado State 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 vs. Wyoming 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 at Air Force 6 p.m.
Oct. 8 at Boise State 2 p.m.
Oct. 13 vs. New Mexico, 7 p.m.
Oct. 15 vs. UNLV 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 vs. San Diego State 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 vs. Nevada 1 p.m.
Oct. 27 at Wyoming 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 29 at Colorado State 1 p.m.
Nov. 3 vs. Boise State 7 p.m.
Nov. 5 vs. Air Force 7 p.m.
Nov. 10 at UNLV 7 p.m.
Nov. 12 at New Mexico 2 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Fresno State 8 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. San Jose State 1 p.m.
Nov. 22 vs. Weber State 7:30 p.m.
a-at Oregon State tournament
b-at Denver University tournament
c-at Utah State tournament