CEDAR CITY, Utah - Coming off of a win over Idaho during Homecoming Weekend, the Southern Utah volleyball team is set to host Northern Arizona inside the America First Event Center on Tuesday, September 28. They will then travel to Greeley, Colorado to take on Northern Colorado on Thursday, September 30.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds split their opening weekend of Big Sky Conference play, dropping a five-set match to Eastern Washington, but beating Idaho 3-1 for their first conference win of the season.
In the win over Idaho, Raegen Ashby led the Thunderbirds on both sides of the ball, finishing with a season-high 11 kills and four blocks, while hitting .389 on 18 attempts. Rylee Achtzehn had a career-high 10 kills and Stacey Hone and Carissa Richie had nine apiece.
As a team, the Thunderbirds out hit Idaho .216-.203 and compiled 53 kills. Their .216 hitting percentage was their third-highest of the season.
Hone had 21 kills on the weekend, averaging 2.33 kills per set. Calli Johnson had 31 digs, averaging 3.44 per set.
Scouting Report: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-7, 2-0 Big Sky)
The Lumberjacks started Big Sky play with wins over both Idaho and Eastern Washington, sweeping both teams 3-0.
Junior Taylor Jacobsen was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for her performance over the weekend. Jacobsen averaged 4.67 kills per set and hit .365 against the Eagles and Vandals. She currently is second in the Big Sky in kills, averaging 3.65 per set.
The Lumberjacks have won the last 14 matchups between the two teams, with the T-Birds' last win coming in 2013. Head coach Ken Murphy is in his ninth season leading the Lumberjacks.
Scouting Report: Northern Colorado Bears (10-3, 2-0 Big Sky)
Northern Colorado also swept both of their opponents last weekend, beating Montana and Montana State to open conference play. The Bears are in the midst of a three-match winning streak and haven't lost a set since September 17 when they lost a five-set match to Bradley.
UNC leads the Big Sky in kills, averaging 12.90 per set and a total of 658 kills. Daisy Schultz leads the conference in assists, averaging 9.52 per set, and Kailey Jo Ince ranks fifth in kills, averaging 3.43 per set.
The Bears have won the last seven matchups between the two teams. The Thunderbirds last beat the Bears in 2015 in Cedar City. Head coach Lyndsey Oates is in her 17th season at the helm of the program.
Match Day Information
Tuesday's match in Cedar City against Northern Arizona is set to start at 6:00 p.m. Thursday's match in Greeley against the Bears is also set to begin at 6:00 p.m.
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at suutbirds.com on Tuesday and uncbears.com on Thursday.
Tickets
Tickets for the Thunderbirds' next home match against Northern Arizona on September 28 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.
