PREVIEW | Thunderbirds Prepare for Last Regular Season Matches
CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah University volleyball team looks to conclude regular season Big Sky Conference play this week facing the Eagles of Eastern Washington on Thursday and the Vandals of University of Idaho on Saturday.
"We played extremely well this past week and hope to carry that grit into these two must-win scenarios," head coach Pete Hoyer said. "This week is going to say a lot about how big our fight is since we are in under pressure scenarios. We are excited to play and grateful for this opportunity."
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds fell 3-0 to the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University and 3-2 to the Bears of University of Northern Colorado.
Upon conclusion of the weeks play, Janet Kalaniuvalu led the Thunderbirds offense tallying a 52 kills. During the UNC match at home, Kalaniuvalu tied the SUU single match kills record as she recorded 30 against the Bears. Defensively Miahna Waters led the Thunderbirds with 37 digs. Setter Alexis Averett totaled 83 assist.
Opponent Preview: Eastern Washington Eagles (8-20, 0-16 BSC)
The Eagles went 0-2 in last weeks play falling 3-0 to both the Bobcats of Montana State University and the Grizzlies of University of Montana.
Middle blocker Kamille Langford is the offensive leader for the Eagles with 187 kills on the season followed by outside hitter MaKenna Davis who has 165 kills. Defensively Puaoolelagi Sao tops the Eagles dig column with 380 on season, averaging 4.00 digs per set. Setter Samantha Boever has 747 assists, averaging eight per set.
Head coach Leslie Flores-Cloud is amidst her first year leading the Eagles.
The Thunderbirds beat the Eagles 3-1 in their last meeting on Oct. 7, 2017.
Opponent Preview: University of Idaho Vandals (20-8, 14-2 BSC)
The Vandals hold the first place standing in the Big Sky Conference only losing to Idaho State and Weber State in September.
Last week the Vandals won both matches, sweeping University of Montana 3-0 and downing Montana State University 3-1.
The Vandals offense is lead by Sarah Sharp who has 374 kills on the season, averaging 3.5 kills per set. Kaela Straw follows in suit with 337 kills, averaging 3.27 kills per set. Setter Haylee Mathis averages 10.45 assists per set. Alycia Wodke leads the Vandals defense with 534 digs.
Debbie Buchanan is serving her 19 year as head coach of the Vandals.
The Thunderbirds lost 3-1 to the Vandals in their last meeting on Oct. 5, 2017.
Fan Gameday Information
Thursday's match against Eastern Washington will be senior night for the Thunderbirds. The SUU volleyball team will recognize their senior Riley Rogers prior to the start of the match.
Live Stats/Live Stream
A live stream for all of Southern Utah's mentioned 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.
