Aug. 27, 2001

LOGAN, Utah -

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Aug. 31 * vs. Murray State * 5 pm * Fort Collins, Colo.
Sept. 1 * vs. Arkansas * 10 am * Fort Collins, Colo.
Sept. 1 * at (#14) Colorado State * 7 pm * Fort Collins, Colo.

QUICKLY -- Utah State will begin its 25th season of collegiate volleyball with an overall record of 404-507-8 (.443). The Aggies are coming off back-to-back winning seasons after posting a 22-10 record in 2000 and finishing in fourth-place in the Big West Conference with a 10-6 mark. USU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2000 defeating Missouri in five games before losing to BYU in three games. USU has produced seven All-American's in its history, one academic All-American, and a national championship in 1978, followed by a runner-up finish in 1979. Utah State has also had two players play professionally in Elaine Roque and Karolyn Kirby.

THIS WEEK -- Utah State (ranked 33rd in the country in the preseason AVCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll) will begin the 2001 season in Fort Collins, Colo., to participate in the University Park Holiday Inn Classic on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. USU will open the tournament against Murray State on Friday at 5 p.m. before playing Arkansas and host Colorado State on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. respectively. The Aggies are 1-0 all-time against Murray State, defeating the Racers in three games in a tournament in Memphis, Tenn. during the 1989 season. USU will be facing Arkansas for the first time in school history and Utah State is 14-16 all-time against Colorado State with the last meeting coming during the 1993 season, as the Aggies lost that match in three games.

SCOUTING THE TOURNAMENT FIELD -- Colorado State is the only team in the tournament field that is ranked in the top-25 as the Rams enter the season 14th in the country. Both Utah State and Arkansas received votes in the preseason top-25. CSU returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team that advanced to the third round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament and had an overall record of 32-5. Arkansas returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad that went 16-14 overall and finished in second-place of the Western Division of the SEC with a 9-6 mark. Murray State was 10-16 during the 2000 campaign and returns three starters and seven letterwinners after finishing tied for fourth-place in the Ohio Valley Conference.

2000 HIGHLIGHTS -- Utah State advanced to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament in its first-ever appearance... USU won 22 matches and finished the 2000 season ranked 22nd in the country... The Aggies had three players (Amy Crosbie, Denae Mohlman, and Melissa Schoepf) earn first-team all-Big West Conference honors and five Aggies (Amy Crosbie, Shauni Fluckiger, Tanya McArthur Birch, Denae Mohlman, and Heather Olmstead) earn academic all-conference honors... Utah State had three players earn player of the week honors in the Big West Conference in Amy Crosbie, Denae Mohlman, and Chelsi Neves... Crosbie also earned AVCA National Player of the Week honors... Utah State finished the 2000 season ranked 19th in the country in attendance, averaging 1,280 fans per match... Utah State recorded four Top-25 wins on the season, defeating Brigham Young, Utah, UC Santa Barbara, and Missouri... As a team, Utah State hit .233 during the season to set a new single-season record for hitting percentage... USU also set new school records with 1,910 kills, 1, 746 assists, 586 block assists, and 326 total blocks... Chelsi Neves set a new single-season record with 1,441 assists, while Crosbie set a new school record with 461 kills.

HEAD COACH BURT FULLER -- Burt Fuller is in his first season as head coach of the Utah State Volleyball progarm and his first season overall as a head coach. Fuller spent the past seven seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA as the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament six times including a national runner-up finish in 1994. UCLA advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons. In his seven seasons at UCLA, Fuller coached 23 all-conference selections and five All-American's.

AGGIES RETURN THREE STARTERS-- Utah State welcomes back three starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team that went 22-10 overall and finished in fourth-place in the Big West Conference with a 10-6 league mark. Among those three starters returning for USU is senior setter Chelsi Neves who was a second-team all-Big West selection as a junior after finishing third in the league with 12.64 assists per game. Neves set a new single-season USU record with 1,441 assists which ranks sixth all-time at Utah State. USU's other two returning starters are senior middle blocker Michelle Matheson and senior defensive specialist Heather Olmstead.

MATHESON FOURTH IN BIG WEST IN BLOCK ASSISTS -- Senior middle blocker Michelle Matheson enters the 2000 season with the fourth most blocks in the Big West Conference among active players with 198. She is also ninth all-time at USU with 187 block assists.

AGGIES IN SEASON OPENERS -- Utah State is 11-13 all-time in season openers and 2-2 in season openers in the last four years.

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL -- Utah State is picked to finish in fifth-place in the Big West Conference according to the league's coaches. USU was also picked to finish fifth during the 2000 season and finished in fourth-place with a 10-6 league mark. The following is a list of the preseason poll.

1.  Long Beach State (9)		99
2.  Pacific				86
3.  UC Santa Barbara (1)		85
4.  Cal Poly				68
5.  UTAH STATE				49
6.  UC Irvine				45
7.  CS Northridge			38
8.  Idaho				36
9.  CS Fullerton			31
10. UC Riverside			13