- Orem's Sami Blackett brings two First Team All-WAC seasons and 771 career kills from Utah Valley to Utah State, landing on the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List as the Aggies enter a new conference.
- Sami Blackett connect back to Utah State University and the wider volleyball picture.
- The story is backed by 16 sources and a visible last-verified date.
August 28, 2026
October 10, 2026
4 min / 953 words
16 official links
Sami Blackett has spent her college career about two miles from where she grew up, and for 2026 the Orem native is moving a little farther north. A product of Orem High School, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter is transferring to Utah State after two seasons at Utah Valley, and she has already been named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List as the Aggies prepare for their first season in the conference. She will wear No. 13 as a junior in Logan.
What Sami Blackett did at Utah Valley
Blackett arrives in Logan as one of the most productive players Utah State added this cycle. Across two seasons at Utah Valley, she recorded 771 kills, 461 digs and 131 blocks, along with 67 aces and 56 assists, and she earned First Team All-WAC honors in both of those years. Those totals rank her among the most decorated outside hitters the Wolverines had on their roster, and they are the biggest established production line among Utah State's incoming transfers.
Her freshman season set the tone. In 2024, Blackett posted 467 kills, 228 digs, 74 blocks and 41 aces on her way to WAC Co-Freshman of the Year recognition. She eclipsed 15 kills in 14 different matches that year, set Utah Valley's single-match school record with 33 kills against Cal Baptist, and reached a career-high seven blocks in one match. She also produced seven double-doubles as a freshman, including a 27-kill, 12-dig performance against Utah Tech.
Blackett's 2025 season kept her on the same trajectory. She finished with 304 kills and 233 digs, reaching double-digit kills in 17 matches and posting a season-high 21 kills in back-to-back matches against Weber State and BYU. She added four double-doubles, capped by 12 kills and a career-high 18 digs against Utah Tech in the WAC Tournament championship match. Combined, her two years add up to the 771 kills and 461 digs she brings to Utah State.
That championship match mattered beyond the box score. Blackett helped lead Utah Valley to back-to-back postseason appearances, with a National Invitational Volleyball Championship invite in 2024 and a 2025 WAC Tournament title that sent the Wolverines to the program's third-ever NCAA Tournament. Her production was central to both runs, and her freshman totals — the 467 kills, 228 digs, 74 blocks and 41 aces that earned WAC Co-Freshman of the Year honors — established her as an every-match presence from the moment she arrived on campus.
What Blackett brings to Utah State's Pac-12 roster
Utah State framed its 2026 class as a 12-player group built around Utah roots, and Blackett fits that description exactly. Head coach Keith Smith brought in eight transfers and four freshmen, with eight of the additions carrying Utah high-school or hometown ties. Within that class, Blackett's Utah Valley résumé is the most decorated piece of established college production the Aggies announced.
The addition comes as Utah State enters an unfamiliar competitive tier. The Aggies were picked sixth of nine teams in the Pac-12 volleyball preseason coaches' poll, with Colorado State installed as the preseason favorite. Against that backdrop, Blackett was named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List alongside Utah State teammates Ava Napierski and Olivia Ruy, an early signal of how the conference expects the newcomers to contribute. For a program moving into a new league, a two-time First Team All-WAC outside hitter is the kind of proven scorer that can steady a rebuilt rotation. She headlines a Utah-heavy Utah State signing class that reflects the state's deep volleyball talent pool.
What Utah Valley loses
Blackett's departure is a real subtraction for Utah Valley. She was the Wolverines' most decorated returning outside hitter and the holder of the program's single-match kills record, the 33-kill night against Cal Baptist. Losing that combination of scoring volume and postseason experience is significant on its own. Replacing both her production and her role as a record-setting attacker becomes one of the storylines for the Wolverines heading into their next chapter.
When does Utah State volleyball start?
Blackett did not have to wait long to face familiar competition. Utah State opened the 2026 season on August 28 at No. 3 Kentucky, a 3-0 loss, then lost its first home match 3-0 to UCLA at the Wayne Estes Center on September 9, as its schedule prints the results. From there, the Aggies ran through an in-state stretch: a 3-0 loss to Utah on September 11, a five-set loss at Weber State on September 15, a 3-1 win over Utah Valley on September 17, Blackett's former program, and a 3-0 loss at BYU on September 19. Pac-12 competition began September 24 at Texas State, a 3-0 loss, and the Aggies won their first Pac-12 home match 3-1 over Gonzaga on September 26; they were 3-12 and 2-3 in the Pac-12 as of October 10, 2026.
Key facts:
- Player: Sami Blackett, outside hitter (No. 13)
- Hometown: Orem, Utah
- Previous school: Utah Valley (two-time First Team All-WAC)
- UVU career: 771 kills, 461 digs, 131 blocks
- New school: Utah State (Pac-12)
- 2026 honor: Pac-12 Preseason Impact List
- USU opener: August 28 at No. 3 Kentucky, a 3-0 loss
*Update, Sept. 27, 2026: Blackett had 20 kills against Utah Valley, her former team, in Utah State's first win of the season, 3-1 on September 17. Through 12 matches she led the Aggies with 144 kills and 174 points, according to Utah State's cumulative statistics, and Utah State was 2-10 after a 3-1 win over Gonzaga on September 26.*
*Update, Oct. 10, 2026: Utah State was 3-12 and 2-3 in the Pac-12 after losing 3-1 to Boise State on October 8, when Blackett had 16 kills and 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season, according to Utah State's recap.*
