Utah State campus briefs

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Utah State's women's volleyball team will open Western Athletic Conference play on the road as it faces No. 5 Hawai'i tonight at 11 p.m. (MT). The Rainbow Wahine are the 14-time defending regular season WAC Champions.

Utah State is 12-1 on the season after defeating Loyola Marymount (3-2) and UC Riverside (3-1), and losing to Utah Valley (3-2) in its own Utah State Invitational last weekend. USU is led by junior outside hitter Liz McArthur, who is hitting .271 and averaging 4.40 kills, 1.90 digs, 0.52 blocks and 0.33 service aces per set. Sophomore outside hitter Josselyn White is hitting .178 and averaging 2.52 kills, 1.71 digs and 0.98 blocks per set, while senior setter Chelsea Fowles is hitting .318 and averaging 10.06 assists, 2.19 digs, 0.94 kills, 0.69 blocks and 0.40 service aces per set.

With is 12-1 record, Utah State is tied with the 1979 AIAW National Runner-up team for the third-best start to a season in school history, as that team also won 12 of its first 13 matches. USU's 12 wins thus far this year are tied with Boise State, Indiana, Ohio State and UNC-Greensboro for the sixth-most wins in the country at the Division I level. Syracuse has the most wins with 16, followed by Drake (15), Wyoming (14), Northern Illinois (13) and St. John's (13).

Hawai'i, who is ranked No. 5 in the country in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, is 10-1 on the season after sweeping BYU in a pair of matches last weekend.

Utah State is 8-38 all-time against Hawai'i, which includes a 4-18 road record. The last time USU won at Hawai'i was on Nov. 11, 2007, when the Aggies shocked then-No. 10 Hawai'i in three sets (30-28, 31-29, 30-27) to snap a 108-conference match home winning streak for the Rainbow Wahine. It was also the first win for USU against UH in its last 20 meetings overall.

MEN'S TENNIS: The Utah State men's tennis hosts the third annual USU Invitational today through Saturday at the Utah State Outdoor Tennis Courts. Utah State welcomes teams from Portland State, Weber State and Northern Arizona. The tournament format consists of a 64-player single elimination draw with a consolation draw for singles only.

USU's 2010-11 season roster is compromised of one transfer student, a true freshman and six returning members. Transfer Lenny Whiting joins the Aggies after attending BYU last season. USU also adds another abroad student, freshman Fredrik Peterson, who hails from Bastad, Sweden. Veteran players include sophomore Sven Poslusny, junior Nate Ballam and seniors Jakob Asplund, Bryan Marchant, Nikita Ryashchenko and Alex Thatcher.