CEDAR CITY, Utah- After their first home game of the season against Utah Valley, the Thunderbirds are headed out on the road again to compete in the Fullerton/Riverside Classic in California. They will be competing against Howard University, Chicago State University and CSU Fullerton as they look to add a couple more wins to their record so far this season.

Last Time Out

In Southern Utah's latest match they suffered a 3-0 loss to the Utah Valley Wolverines. Even though they were down 2-0, Southern Utah put up a strong effort in the final set with some amazing plays to keep the ball alive and steal points out from under the Wolverines.

Senior Macky Fifita and freshman Janet Kalaniuvalu led the charge at net racking up 18 combined kills. After watching the team's third set performance, there is no doubt the Thunderbirds are ready for action this weekend.

Fullerton/Riverside Classic Preview

Southern Utah's first match will be Friday at 1 p.m. MT against Howard University. Following that, the Thunderbirds will have two matches on Saturday. First, they will play Chicago State University at 2 p.m. MT and then finish the tournament against CSU Fullerton at 9 p.m. MT.

The Thunderbirds will have their work cut out for them in their first match against Howard University. The Bisons are coming off a 26-6 record last season, but so far are only off to a 1-2 start this year. The one to stop for the Thunderbirds will be the Bison's star outside hitter, Khalia Donaldson. Donaldson put down 436 kills last year and has already hit 51 in just three games so far.

The Chicago State Cougars, however, are coming off a rough last season with a 3-26 record. They will be led by junior, Lauryn Dela Cruz, who was recently named WAC player of the week for her strong all around play. The Cougars are off to a 1-2 start this season as well.

CSU Fullerton is coming into the tournament with a 6-24 record from last season and a 2-1 record to start this season. They are led by junior Madeline Schneider, who has been shining on offense and defense this year racking up the kills and digs.

Live Stats/Live Stream

Live stats will be available for all games over the weekend.

The links can be found at suutbirds.com

Follow Us

Stay updated during this weekend's event by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram along with liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.