CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah volleyball team opened Big Sky play Thursday night with a 2-3 (25-22, 20-25, 19-25, 25-16, 8-15) loss to Eastern Washington inside the America First Event Center.

Stacey Hone led the offensive attack for the T-Birds with 12 kills. She also got in on one block in the match. Ronnie Robinson and Carissa Richie both had seven kills, while Raegen Ashby had five total blocks.

The Thunderbirds took the opening set in comeback fashion, as a 4-0 scoring run gave them a 10-8 lead early. Eastern Washington took that lead back at 18-17, but the T-Birds put together another 4-0 run to make it 21-18 in favor of the home team. They would go on to win the set 25-22.

The Eagles would take the next two sets, riding their defense in both victories. They had five blocks and 35 digs and also hit .278 in set two. The T-Birds held a lead in set two, but EWU was able to chip away until they put together two 3-0 runs to secure the win.

Set three was all Eagles as they took a 2-1 match lead.

The Thunderbirds really stepped up on defense in set four, forcing the Eagles into 15 errors and a -.182 hitting percentage. They also had five blocks from four different T-Birds in the set. They built up a nine-point lead and were able to maintain it for the rest of the set as they tied up the match 2-2 and forced a fifth set.

The Eagles put together a huge scoring run in the fifth set, taking 11 of the final 15 points to escape Cedar City with a win.

The Thunderbirds will be back on the court on Saturday September 25 at noon to take on Idaho.

Homecoming Week

Southern Utah University's annual Homecoming Week celebrates the past, present and future of the University with a multitude of events and traditions. SUU invites alumni, current students and families, faculty and staff, founders, friends, and community members to join the Thunderbird family for Homecoming Week, September 20-25, 2021. 

Tickets

Tickets for the Thunderbirds' match against Idaho are available at tbirdtickets.com or the America First Event Center Ticket Office. Fans can also purchase Volleyball Season Tickets for access to every home match of the 2021 season.

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.