CEDAR CITY, Utah - Volleyball finally returns to the America First Event Center this week as the Southern Utah volleyball team is set to host Utah State on Wednesday, September 15 and Dixie State on Friday, September 17. They will also play Dixie State on Saturday, September 18 in St. George.
Last Time Out
Last weekend the Thunderbirds competed in the UCR/CBU Tournament, picking up a win over New Orleans, but dropping matches to both host schools.
In the win over New Orleans, Andreanna McKee had a season-high 11 kills in her first action since September 3. She also had 10 digs and got in on one block. Carissa Richie hit .500 with nine kills on 14 attempts and also contributed on six blocks. Calli Johnson had 13 digs and Molly McDermott had four service aces.
As a team, the Thunderbirds out-hit the Privateers .225-.165 and had eight service aces compared to UNO's two.
Stacey Hone racked up 26 kills on the weekend, averaging 2.17 kills per set. Carissa Richie had 22 kills and also led the team in blocks with 19. Both Hone and Richie totaled 32.5 points in the three matches.Â
Scouting Report: Utah State Aggies (6-3)
The Aggies come into this week on a two-match win streak and having won three of their last four matches. They competed in the Bay Area Invitational last weekend picking up wins over San Francisco and Saint Mary's.
Sophomore Tatum Stall leads the team in kills with 99, averaging 2.75 per set. She is ranked ninth in the Mountain West in points, averaging 3.44 per set, and sixth in service aces, with 18 total.
Utah State finished the shortened 2021 spring season ninth in the Mountain West with a record of 5-10. Head coach Rob Neilson is in his second season at the helm of the program.
Scouting Report: Dixie State Trailblazers (0-6)
The Trailblazers are off to a slow start in 2021 and will be coming to the AFEC in search of their first win of the season. Last weekend they competed in the BYU Invitational, dropping matches to Michigan State, BYU, and Weber State.
Junior Whittnee Nihipali leads the team offensively averaging 2.59 kills per set and 2.82 points per set.Â
The Trailblazers finished the 2021 spring season 9-8, which included a 3-0 win over the Thunderbirds to open the season. Head coach Camilla Hafoka is in her first season at the helm of the program after taking over for long-time head coach Robyn Felder who stepped down in April.
Game Day Information
All three matches this week are set to start at 6:00 p.m. The matches in the America First Event Center on Wednesday and Friday will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the match in St. George on Saturday will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network.
Live stats for Wednesday and Friday can be found at suutbirds.com and live stats for Saturday can be found at dixiestateathletics.com.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2021 Thunderbird Volleyball season by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
