PREVIEW | Thunderbirds Prepare to Begin 2019 Campaign in Logan, Utah

CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah University volleyball team opens their 2019 season with a non-conference tournament in Logan, Utah. The Thunderbirds will compete against host team Utah State as well as Xavier and Eastern Michigan. 

"We are excited for the opportunity to finally compete against other teams after two weeks of two-a-day practices," said head coach Pete Hoyer.  "Friday and Saturday will give us a good idea of where we are and what we need to work on before conference play starts in September."  

2018 Recap 

During the 2018 season, the Thunderbirds went 6-24 overall and 5-13 in Big Sky Conference play. Returners Miahna Waters and Alexis Averett set new SUU individual career and individual season records. Averett is now leading individual career assists with 2,653 and Waters is second in individual single season digs with 522. 

New Faces

Before starting the new season Hoyer and his staff signed on eight new players, pulling talent from as far east as North Carolina. Senior Shannon Webb, an American University transfer, will wrap up her collegiate career with the Thunderbirds. Junior Stacey Hone, a transfer from Snow College will also add some seniority to the young mix. 

"We were really pleased with the play of our seniors in the red vs black scrimmage," Hoyer said. "They showed a level of poise and steadiness that we hope will trickle down to the younger athletes over the next few weeks."

Six freshmen including Sadae Cintron, Sarah Gasper, Kayla Dowler, Madison Williams, Paule Ceneac and Raegan Ashby look to make the transition to Division I college volleyball. 

In addition, newly acquired assistant coach Jeremy Young has made the transition to Southern Utah from North Carolina where he was an integral part of the Triangle Volleyball Club and a volunteer assistant coach with the University of North Carolina Tarheels. 

Opponent Preview: Xavier University

Xavier finished the 2018 season 10-19 overall and 8-10 in Big East Conference play. They will return nine players while adding in five new players. One of the main threats on the Xavier defense is sophomore middle blocker Jayda Carlton who led the team and was third overall in the Big East in blocks with 107. 

Xavier fell 1-3 to Northern Kentucky on August 24, 2019 during an exhibition match before officially starting their 2019 campaign. 

Head coach Christy Pfeffenberger enters her fifth season atop the Xavier program.

Southern Utah will play Xavier Friday, August 30 at 10:00 a.m. 

Opponent Preview: Eastern Michigan University

The Eastern Michigan Eagles went 21-14 overall and 9-7 in Mid-American Conference play during the 2018 season. 

Junior Cassie Haut led the team in blocks with 118 and came second in kills with 392 during last year's competition. 

Darcy Dorton begins her first season as head coach for EMU. 

Southern Utah will play Eastern Michigan Friday, August 30 at 4:30 p.m.  

Opponent Preview: Utah State University

The Utah State Aggies wrapped up 2018 with a 5-24 overall and 3-15 Mountain West Conference record. The Aggies have since lost four players, two of which started, while adding seven newcomers for the 2019 season. 

Last season's attack leaders Bailey Downing and Gabbi Shumway return to the front of the Aggie offense. 

Head coach Grayson DeBose heads into his 14th season with Utah State. 

Southern Utah will play Utah State Saturday, August 31 at 2:00 p.m.

Live Stats/Live Stream 

Live streams and live stats for all Southern Utah's matches will be accessible from suutbirds.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 2019 Thunderbird volleyball season.