Women's Volleyball 10/16/2018 4:00:00 PM Taylor Whitson - SUU Athletics Strategic Communication

Thunderbirds Halfway Through Big Sky Conference Play

PREVIEW | Thunderbirds Halfway Through Big Sky Conference Play

CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah University volleyball team begins their second half of Big Sky Conference this week as they face the Idaho State Bengals and the Weber State Wildcats. Both games will take place on the road on Thursday, October 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, October 20 at 1 p.m.

"We are so excited to have a chance at both of these teams once more," head coach Pete Hoyer said. "The last time we played Weber, we were aggressive but then didn't play to the very end of every set, and I wasn't proud of the way that we play Idaho State. This week is going to be a great opportunity to compete and showcase what we have been improving on throughout conference."

Last Time Out

The Thunderbirds went 0-2 in last weeks play falling 3-1 to both Northern Arizona University and University of Northern Colorado. SUU is now 2-18, 1-7 in Big Sky Conference play.

Janet Kalaniuvalu led the Thunderbirds in kills with 36, followed by Emma Mangum who had 25. Defensively Miahna Waters led with 52 digs. Setter Alexis Averett had 75 assists and 11 kills, seven of them coming from the Northern Arizona game where she set a season best.

Opponent Preview: Idaho State University (12-9, 6-2 Big Sky)

The Bengals have fared well in first half of Big Sky Conference play, falling to only Sacramento State and Weber State.

Senior Abby Garrity is a top the Bengals kill column with 301 on the season, followed by teammate Nicole Lee who totals 203 kills. Libero/DS Haylie Keck lead defensively with 473 digs for the Bengals. Defensively, the closest teammate to Keck is Chelsea Johnson who has 177 digs for the season.

Rick Reynolds is in the midst of his third year as head coach for Idaho State Volleyball.

In their last meeting SUU fell 3-0 to ISU.

Opponent Preview: Weber State University (11-6, 6-2 Big Sky)

Over the course of Big Sky Conference play the Wildcats have stayed kept a winning record, falling to only Northern Arizona and Sacramento State.

Offensively, their leaders on the court are outside hitter Andrea Hale and middle blocker Megan Gneiting totaling 227 (Hale) and 193 (Gneiting) kills for the season. On the defensive end, the Wildcats mainly rely on the work of outside hitter Rylin Roberts who has 215 digs and Helena Khouri who has 190 digs.

Head coach Jeremiah Larsen has been with Weber for three years.

In their last meeting SUU fell 3-1 to WSU.

Live Stats/Live Stream

A live stream for Southern Utah's matches will be available on PlutoTV and WatchBigSky.com.

Follow Us

Stay updated on the Thunderbirds 24/7 by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram along with liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
Fans can visit www.tbirdtickets.com to purchase tickets for the 2018 Thunderbird volleyball season.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Alexis Averett: S; 5' 10"; Junior

#10 Janet Kalaniuvalu: OH; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#3 Emma Mangum: OH/MB; 6' 4"; Freshman

#1 Miahna Waters: L; 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#4 Alexis Averett
: 5' 10"; Junior
: S

#10 Janet Kalaniuvalu
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: OH

#3 Emma Mangum
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: OH/MB

#1 Miahna Waters
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: L