CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University volleyball team will host two home matches this week. The Thunderbirds will play the Seattle Redhawks on Thursday before facing the Utah Valley Wolverines on Saturday. Both games will be available for viewing on ESPN+ and live stats will be provided.
Game Schedule
Thursday, October 20
Saturday, October 22
Scouting Report
Seattle (4-10, 0-6 WAC) was projected to finish 13th overall in the Western Athletic Conference. Seattle has struggled to begin the season, and they are currently on an eight game losing streak. The Redhawks will come into this matchup against the T-Birds with a chip on their shoulder, as they aim to earn their first conference win.Â
Arianna Bilby leads the attack for the Redhawks, averaging an impressive 3.52 kills per set. Senior setter Ezgi Ozkan knows where to find her teammates, delivering the volleyball right where her team wants it, to the tune of 8.82 assists per set. Lauren McCabe shows up on the defensive end, tallying 1.08 blocks per set.
The match is scheduled to begin Thursday at 6:00 p.m. MT.
Southern Utah will host its second game of the week on Saturday, when the Utah Valley Wolverines come into town. Utah Valley is trying to build off of last season, which saw them emerge as WAC tournament champions. UVU (11-7, 5-1 WAC) has faced some tough competition this season, squaring off against three ranked teams. The Wolverines are battle tested, and better than their record reflects. Their lone loss in WAC play came against Sam Houston, a team that the Thunderbirds defeated in three close sets.
The Wolverines have many weapons on their team. Headlining their offense is Tori Dorius, whose 3.06 kills per set are a big reason for UVU's success. Kazna Tanuvasa and Avery Shewell both average more than three points a set, making the Wolverines an explosive team to deal with offensively. Utah Valley relies on two setters to dish out assists. Abbie Miller leads the team with 5.52 assists a set, while Natalie Palmer is not far behind her with 4.93 assists per set.
The match is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. MT.
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