There were few smiles after the Utah State volleyball team fell to Utah Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. Most of the players came out of the locker room after close to 40 minutes of discussion with red faces and sullen looks.

Yes, the Aggies were expected to lose to the Utes. Yes, Utah is ranked No. 22 in the country by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Yes, the Utes twice beat one of the best USU volleyball teams ever last season.

But did the Aggies at least believe they had a shot to win Tuesday's match?

Yes.

And some felt the team didn't put forth its best effort — in terms of mental toughness and resiliency under duress.

"This is a crossroads," USU senior Rickie Rigby said. "We can go from here and take a step in the right direction or we can throw our hands up in the air and say 'forget it.'

"I don't think this team will do that because we're just too competitive and tough. I think we're going to pull through and be OK."

Tonight at 7 in the Spectrum, USU (10-11 overall, 4-6 overall) will take on Cal Poly.

How hot are the Mustangs (9-10, 8-3)?

Scorching.

They are fresh off a thrilling five-game upset victory over powerhouse Long Beach State and have won eight of their last 10. Their record is somewhat deceiving because the non-conference portion of their schedule was murderous — they played four matches on the road against top 10 teams.

They will likely present problems for the young Aggies, who start four newcomers — including three true freshmen.

One thing USU needs to do, coach Burt Fuller said, is fight back.

"Our kids have a lot to learn," he said. "We have a talented group of kids and we've all seen them play at a higher level. What they will learn with experience and time, is when you are out there playing against a good opponent and somebody pushes you, you got to push back."

The Aggies must use this opportunity to clean up parts of their game like serving, passing and attacking, because it doesn't get any easier Saturday.

That's when No. 5 UC Santa Barbara and its likely 22-0 record (the Gauchos play Idaho tonight) comes to town. Aggie notes

• Freshman middle blocker Ingrid Roth has compiled some nifty attacking numbers the last four matches. She has hit .450 with 33 kills in 60 attempts.

• Though USU was dominated by Utah, it did out-dig the Utes 45-40. Problem was, the Aggies didn't win enough long rallies.

• In their last meeting, Cal Poly defeated USU in three games at San Luis Obispo, Calif. Mustang notes

• Cal Poly is second in the Big West in blocks per game at 3.24.

• In four of the six main stat categories (assists, kills, aces and digs per game), the Mustangs rank no better than eighth in conference.

• Cal Poly's win over Long Beach State was its first in nine tries against a nationally-ranked team this season.