CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University volleyball program will travel to Texas this week, matching up against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday before facing UT Arlington on Saturday. The games will be available for viewing and live stats will be provided.
Game Schedule
Thursday, November 10
Saturday, November 12
Scouting Report: Stephen F. Austin (21-4, 9-3 WAC)
The Lumberjacks have had a phenomenal season thus far, only dropping four games. Stephen F. Austin has performed remarkably in conference play, punching their ticket to the Western Athletic Conference tournament. The Lumberjacks currently sit as the third best team in the conference. Most recently they are coming off of a three set loss against UT Arlington.
Ielan Bradley leads Stephen F. Austin in scoring, pouring in 3.55 points per set. The Lumberjacks have two other players who record over three points each set. Leah Powell averages 3.14, and her teammate Ariana Pagan is not far behind with 3.09 points a set. SFA relies on both Maddy Bourque and Jayden Flynn as the team's primary distributors, with each tallying over five assists per set.Â
Defensively, Haley Hoang leads the team in digs with 5.25 a set, while Jamyah Anderson defends the net with 1.12 blocks each set.
Stephen F. Austin is coached by Debbie Humpfreys, who has seen great success in her 34 years of coaching the Lumberjacks, amassing over 700 victories.
This will be the first and only meeting between the Thunderbirds and Lumberjacks this season.
The match is scheduled to begin on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MT.
Scouting Report: UT Arlington (16-8, 8-4 WAC)
The Mavericks currently sit at fourth overall in the WAC, just one spot behind SFA, who they swept convincingly in their last match. UT Arlington is looking to finish conference play strong and improve their position in the WAC tournament standings. The Mavericks will face Utah Tech on Thursday before facing Southern Utah on Saturday.
Brianna Ford leads the Mavericks in kills per set, averaging 3.39. Ford has surpassed 15 or more kills nine times this season, including an outing against Sam Houston where she racked up 25 kills through four sets. Sophie Skinner has been excellent at the setter position, collecting 7.11 assists each set.Â
The Mavericks have several players who excel on the defensive side of the game. Alli Wells records 4.33 digs a set for UT Arlington. Meredith Fisher protects the net by averaging 1.06 blocks a set, while Kortney Puckett isn't far behind with nearly one block per set (0.96).Â
UT Arlington is coached by J.T. Wenger, who is entering his sixth year as the coach of the Mavericks.
This will serve as the final conference game for the Thunderbirds and the Mavericks.
The match is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. MT.
Last Time Out
Southern Utah is coming off of a pivotal win against California Baptist, where the Thunderbirds earned a victory in five hard fought sets.
Makenzie Templeton racked up a career-high 29 kills against CBU. Templeton has been on a hot streak lately, recording 15 or more kills in each of her last three outings. The Thunderbirds will rely on Templeton's offensive prowess through the last two games.
Raegen Beeson had an impressive match as well, posting a career-high 16 kills along with five blocks. The senior has been a vital part of the team's success.
With a 6-6 record in WAC play, Southern Utah sits as the sixth ranked team in the conference. These last two conference games will be critical as the Thunderbirds look to punch their ticket to the WAC tournament.
Follow Us
Stay up to date on the Thunderbird Volleyball program by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
