CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team will be back in action this weekend as the team begins their longest road trip of the season. The Thunderbirds will start with a matchup against the Seattle University Redhawks on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. MT before heading to St. George for their second game of the season against the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Monday, Oct. 21 at 6:00 p.m. MT.

Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:

"This week we are looking to focus on who we want to be, which is hungry to fight to win. Seattle and Utah Tech have respectable weapons that will come out firing and we look forward to that challenge."

T-Bird Tidbits

• Andrea Spasojevic leads the club in kills with 2.95 per set, ninth in the Western Athletic Conference.
• Teniyah Leuluai consistently charges the offense, now up to 516 total assists on the year, third in the WAC.
• Defensively, Carissa Richie protects the front net, compiling 64 total blocks on the season.

Last Time Out

On Saturday, Oct. 12, the Thunderbirds fell at home in a five-set thriller to Grand Canyon.

Set number one was a game of runs for both teams, where after a 4-0 run out of the gate for GCU, the Thunderbirds responded with six of eight to tie it up early. The Antelopes responded with another 5-0 run, but Southern Utah held steady and chipped into the lead before holding a slim 15-14 lead going into the media timeout. Out of the break, the scoring runs continued, with four straight from SUU giving them a 22-19 lead. Grand Canyon looked to gain momentum trading points with their opponent, but a kill from Molly McDermott ended their chances to give the Thunderbirds a 25-21 set win.

The second frame was all Antelopes early on, with GCU taking a 15-5 advantage at the set's halfway point. After a quick timeout, the Thunderbirds began to storm back, scoring six straight and 10 of 12 to find themselves down only two points, 17-15. Coming down the stretch, both teams exchanged blows, with Grand Canyon holding a slim 22-21 lead. However, this would be as close as Southern Utah would find themselves as the Antelopes fired off three straight to claim the set 25-21 and tie the match 1-1.

Grand Canyon opened the third set similarly to the previous, capitalizing on two different scoring runs to find themselves up 16-8 halfway through the period. As Southern Utah looked to respond, the Antelopes held serve, responding to each Thunderbird point with a kill of their own to hold a 24-16 lead on the brink of a win. A 3-0 scoring run from the 'Birds looked to turn the tide, but it wasn't enough, as a quick strike gave GCU the 25-19 win and a 2-1 lead.

The fourth was a back-and-forth affair for both clubs, with a 4-0 run and two separate 3-0 runs from the Thunderbirds giving them the 19-14 lead going down the stretch. However, the Antelopes refused to die, capitalizing on a 3-0 run of their own and responding to each SUU attack to give themselves a slight three-point deficit late, 23-20. Looking to ice the set, a kill from Kennady Charlton and Victoria Zibecchi gave their team a 25-21 win and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.

GCU came out firing to start the fifth, scoring five straight to give the club a 6-2 lead. A few points later, Southern Utah found their response, firing off a 4-0 run of their own to tie the set at seven before a quick point from the Antelopes forced the teams to switch sides. On the opposite end of the court, Grand Canyon continued to attack, scoring five of six to find themselves on the verge of the win, 13-8. The Thunderbirds looked to respond with three of four, but it wasn't enough as the road team would claim the fifth 15-11 and a 3-2 victory.

Scouting Report

Seattle Redhawks

• The Redhawks are 3-13 on the season and 1-5 in conference play, dropping their last matchup at UVU on Monday.
• Arianna Bilby (187) and Merima Smajlovic (151) lead the team in total kills.
• Elif Teksoy dishes a team-high 6.92 assists per set.
• Katlyn Sipes brings the defensive hustle with 4.17 digs per set.

Utah Tech Trailblazers

• The Trailblazers are 10-16 and 4-2 in the WAC, sweeping California Baptist on Saturday.
• Kennedi Knudsen charges the offense with a team-high 3.54 kills per set.
• Marley Roe (335) and Meg Carter (248) lead the club in assists.
• Casidy Fried protects the net with 83 total blocks on the year.

History

• Thursday marks the fourth all-time matchup between the Thunderbirds and Redhawks, with Seattle leading 2-1.
• The Thunderbirds lead the Trailblazers 5-3 all-time. Southern Utah took the first match of the season 3-1 over Utah Tech back on Oct. 5.

Tickets

For single-game tickets, be sure to visit tbirdtickets.com.

Follow Us

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