FULLERTON, Calif. - After an impressive display last weekend, the Thunderbirds look to move forward into their matches this week playing at the same high level. With this being their last tournament before conference play begins, these matches will be critical for Southern Utah so they can start their conference matches in top form. They will be competing against Liberty University and then twice against Air Force Academy.

Last Time Out
In their previous outing at the Fullerton/Riverside Classic, the Thunderbirds put forth some of their best volleyball of the season. They came away with wins against Howard University and CSU Fullerton. Their one loss of the tournament came at the hands of Chicago State University. Southern Utah won both their matches in dramatic five-set fashion. Most notably, was their win against Howard University. A team that put a 26-6 record last season.
Offensively, it was Macky Fifita once again dominating at the net for the Thunderbirds. Fifita was nominated for offensive player of the week in the Big Sky and is sixth in total kills for the entire nation. Defensively, MaCail Evans was a dominant factor at the tournament as well. She assisted on 11 blocks in their match against Chicago State. She was also nominated for defensive player of the week and is sixth in the nation in blocks with 44 already on the year.

Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic Preview
The Thunderbirds will kick off play against Liberty University Friday at 10 a.m. MT. Following that, their final two matches will both be against Air Force. Their first match against Air Force will be Friday at 6 p.m. MT, and they will play Air Force a final time at 2 p.m. MT on Saturday.

Liberty University has gotten off to a rough start for the year with a 1-5 record. Their singular win thus far came in four sets against Hofstra University. They will be led by senior, Gabrielle Vess, who has 56 kills for the season and a hitting percentage of .210.

Air Force looks to be a formidable foe for the thunderbirds. The Falcons will be coming into the tournament with a 4-3 record. Their most notable win came against 80th ranked Gonzaga University earlier in the year. One of the determinants of the match will be how Southern Utah deals with the Air Force's height. The Falcons have eight of their players listed at six feet or higher.

Live Stats/Live Stream
Live stats will be available for the match against Liberty University.
The link can be found at suutbirds.com
Live video feed will be available for both matches against Air Force.
The link will be available at Mountain West Network or at www.goairforcefalcons.com

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