CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah volleyball team will be traveling to Greeley, Colorado to compete in the 33rd annual Big Sky Conference volleyball tournament as the No. 6 seed where they will first face off against the Montana State Bobcats.
Last Time Out
After their last series against Eastern Washington, the T-Birds had the chance to be the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth seed in the tournament and after winning both matches, they secured the sixth seed set against No. 3 seed Montana State.
SUU swept Eastern Washington in the first match 3-0 hitting .327 as a team with 44 kills, seven blocks and eight aces in the three sets. The second match played out differently as it took five sets for SUU to take down EWU. The Eagles claimed the first and third set with the T-Birds taking the second, fourth and the fifth.
Andreanna McKee totaled 29 kills over the EWU series with Stacey Hone close behind with 25 kills over the course of the two matches. In the second game, season-high records were set by Sarah Gasper in digs with 31, Corrin Peterson in assists with 47, and Mckenzie Dowell matched her career-high of seven blocks.
Regular Season Recap
The Thunderbirds finished Big Sky Conference play with a winning record (8-6) for the first time in the history of the program.
The Thunderbirds went undefeated in Big Sky matches played at home this season. McKee led the team offensively with 157 kills and is ranked in tenth for kills in the Big Sky. Following McKee, Hone totaled 143 kills and was the team leader in blocks with 43 this season. Sarah Gasper led the team in digs with 184 which put her in ninth for Big Sky digs. Elisa Lago finished the season with 31 service aces placing her in first for aces in the Big Sky.
Scouting Report: Montana State Bobcats
The Montana State Bobcats are entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed with a .714 mark and 10-4 record in conference play. SUU's only series cancellation was scheduled to be against Montana State on March 14 and 15.
The Bobcats ended the regular season playing Northern Colorado with a 3-set loss followed by a 3-set win.
Sophomore Kira Thomsen is MSU's offensive leader with 217 kills on the season and a fourth place rank in the Big Sky. Thomsen also has the most service aces this season with 18 this season and a ninth spot ranking in the Big Sky. Sophomore Emma Pence is fourth in hitting percentage with .307 in the Big Sky.
Game Day Information
The 33rd annual Big Sky Conference tournament will be held March 31 - April 2. The T-Birds' first match of the tournament will take place Wednesday March 31 at 4 p.m. MT at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado. The match can be viewed on Pluto TV Channel 1050.
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