LOGAN, Utah -- The Southern Utah University volleyball team traveled to Logan, Utah this weekend to compete in the Utah State Invitational tournament. The Thunderbirds went undefeated over the course of the two days, earning them a first place tournament finish. 

Upon tournament completion, Shannon Webb was named tournament MVP for outstanding play throughout the weekend. Thea Leiataua and Alexis Averett were also named to the all-tournament team. 

"I love the grit that this team has," said head coach Pete Hoyer.  "We had the opportunity to fold but we stayed steady and just kept grinding. I am really proud of the mindset. Our seniors set incredible standards and our freshman followed in suit."  

Xavier

Opening the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Xavier, the Thunderbirds were well on their way to a victorious days worth of volleyball. 

Senior transfer, Webb, led SUU offensively with 18 kills followed by junior transfer, Stacey Hone, who chipped in nine, respectively. Miahna Waters and Averett both tallied nine digs accompanied by Averett's 34 assists. Mckenzie Dowell proved to be a force in her newly placed middle blocker position with seven blocks. 

The first set was the tighest as the score knotted several times in the 20s, pushing the score all the way to a 28-26 SUU win. 

The second set was close at the beginning with a small breakaway by SUU at 17-13, but Xavier fought back within one at 18-17. The Thunderbirds then pulled away, capitalizing on Xavier errors, taking the set 25-19. 

The third set seemed to belong to SUU as they led by eight for the majority of the match, but Xavier fought back within two at 24-22. Leiataua put away the final kill for the Thunderbirds, ending the set 25-22. 

Eastern Michigan

The Thunderbirds continued their Friday play into a 3-0 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

Offensively, Webb led the Thunderbirds once again with 18 kills followed by Leiataua who contributed eight kills of her own. Leiataua also led the way defensively as she tallied 17 digs. Dowell chipped in five blocks for the Thunderbirds trailed by Averett who had three blocks and 33 assists. 

The Thunderbirds ran with the first set, beating the Eagles 25-18. 

Going into the second set, play was much closer as the score was extended past 25. SUU came out on top, taking their second set in a row at 28-26. 

The third set looked much like the first as the Thunderbirds found their lead early and won the set 25-17. 

"We've been working on poise and maturity since January," said Hoyer. "So to see these girls play with that all day (Friday) and have the competitive spirit to finish tight games, it makes me extremely proud and excited for what's in store this season."

Utah State 

Saturday the Thunderbirds played their last game of the tournament against the host team, Utah State. After five sets, the Thunderbirds defeated the Aggies. 

Webb topped the offensive leaderboard with 21 kills, followed by Hone who added 18 of her own. Katie Montgomery chipped in 13 kills alongside four blocks. Freshman Sadae Cintron led in assists with 27, trailed just slightly by Averett who tallied 23. Defensively Waters and Leiataua both totaled 16 digs in the match, followed by Sarah Gasper and Cintron who tied with 10 digs. 

The first set was controlled by the Thunderbirds as they pulled away early at 8-3 and continued their lead to 13-5 before the Aggies called their first time out. USU had a small rally after the timeout, scoring two more before an SUU sideout. The Thunderbirds held their strong lead until the 25-13 mark, giving SUU set one.

The second set began much closer as the score tied at 3-3, but it was the Aggies who started with the lead at 7-4. The Thunderbirds called a timeout at 12-8 in hopes to rally back. After an ace from Katie Montgumery, the Thunderbirds went on a 4-0 run to catch the Aggies at 14-14. USU followed by putting away four more, regaining the lead at 18-14. SUU fought to come within six but it was not enough as the Aggies took the second set 25-19.

The third set stayed tight early as the score knotted at 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11. It was the Aggies who pulled away with the first solid lead of the set at 15-12. The Thunderbirds called a timeout 18-12 hoping to ace the Aggie server, to no avail. USU crossed the 20 point mark first but SUU was not done as they made their way back within four at 21-17. The Aggies ended the third with a win at 25-19. 

The Thunderbirds took their first lead in the fourth set at 6-5 which grew to a two point lead before the Aggies were able to sideout. After the longest rally of the tournament, the score knotted at 11-11 and it was the Thunderbirds who were able to take the lead. In the end it was SUU who rallied to take the fourth set 25-19. 

Heading into the last set of the match, the Thunderbirds opened with an ace from Cintron. SUU continued their lead to 7-3 where USU called a timeout. After switching sides of the net, the Aggies went on a 2-0 run but the Thunderbirds held their lead all the way to the end, taking the set 15-9. 

After closing out the third and final match, the Thunderbirds reigned victorious throughout the entire weekend earning them a first place finish in the Utah State Invitational. 

Next Game

The Thunderbirds can be seen next inside the America First Event Center on Thursday, September 5, as they face the Gaels of Saint Mary's at 6:30 p.m. in Cedar City, Utah. 

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