PROVO — Friday's Utah State-Missouri game looked more like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde showcase than a first-round NCAA tournament match.
But that's to be expected from a couple of rookies.
Both teams made their NCAA debut Friday, taking the match down to the wire as Utah State prevailed in a five-game marathon, 5-15, 15-6, 3-15,16-14, 15-9.
"I have not been involved in such an emotional up-and-down match," USU coach Tom Peterson said.
In the first and third games, the No. 21 Aggies were nowhere in sight. The Aggies (22-9) literally fell apart in the third game, giving up a slew of errors and even running into each other on an attempted dig.
The fourth game wasn't much better when Missouri tallied five quick points. However, a Chelsi Neves kill evened the Aggies to 5-5 and put momentum back on Utah State's side.
Down 14-11, the Aggies rallied back thanks to a service ace and Melissa Schoepf, who delivered a kill and recovered the sideout. The play postponed what appeared to be possible extinction for the Aggies.
After the lead exchanged hands five times, Utah State pulled ahead for good — all without the help of any timeouts.
"To come back like that, that (game four) was a fabulous win for us," Peterson said.
The Tigers (24-7) shot themselves in the foot in the fifth game, hitting two balls out of bounds to put the Aggies up 10-8. But blocking proved to be the Aggies' biggest catalyst.
"The most gratifying thing you can do against an opponent is block," said outside hitter Amy Crosbie. "That shifted the momentum for us.
"We have a way of climbing out of holes as a team."
It took Utah State 3 1/2 games to dig themselves out of the hole, but by game five, the Aggies made it look like Missouri never had a chance.
A trio of Aggie seniors — Schoepf, Crosbie and Denae Mohlman — each finished with double-digit kills.
"That was way up and down — something we don't usually see," Peterson said. "I hope the fans enjoyed it because I have a lot less hair after that."
Utah State will meet No. 12 BYU in second-round NCAA action Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Cougars' Smith Fieldhouse.
When the two teams last met in September, Utah State swept the Cougars in three games, 15-13, 15-8, 15-6. BYU was No. 10 in the nation at the time.
NOTES: Crosbie, a senior, set the Utah State record for single-season kills, tallying 16 in the match for a total of 450 . . . Utah State entered Friday's match No. 21 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll. It is the first time in school history that the Aggies have appeared in the top 25 . . . Utah State is undefeated against Utah teams this season, conquering BYU, Utah and Weber State.