CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University volleyball team will play two matches at home this week. The Thunderbirds will first host Abilene Christian on Thursday, followed by a match against Tarleton State on Saturday. The games will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
Game Schedule
Thursday, October 6
Saturday, October 8
Scouting Report
Abilene Christian (4-11, 1-2 WAC) was predicted to finish 11th overall in the Western Athletic Conference. Rookie head coach Alisa Blair aims to prove that prediction wrong, and to show that her team can compete with anyone in the conference.
The Wildcats have found success by relying on the excellent offensive play of Ashli Edmiston (2.51 kills per set) and Bryley Steinhilber (2.44 kills a set). The Wildcats play two setters who share responsibilities, as Madison Rohre totals 4.66 assists per set, and Madeline Guffy records 4.51 assists during each set.
After winning their first conference game, ACU dropped their next two matches, including a close five set game against Stephen F. Austin.
The match against the Wildcats will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
The Thunderbirds second opponent of the week, Tarleton State (8-10, 0-4 WAC), is currently on a seven game losing streak. The Texans will play at Utah Tech prior to Saturday's game against Southern Utah.
A familiar opponent both squads have played is UTRGV. Tarleton State didn't fare much better against the Vaqueros, falling in four sets, just like the T-Birds. Southern Utah and Tarleton State appear to be evenly matched.
Grayson Schirpik, the Texans leading scorer (3.56 points per match), hasn't played since September 22nd. Many players have stepped up in her absence, and the Texans have led a balanced attack, as they have four players who record more than two kills per set. Megan Hodges has been able to find her teammates in the right spots, averaging 6.67 assists per set.
The Thunderbirds will face the Texans on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. MT.Â
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