CEDAR CITY, Utah - It's tournament time for the Western Athletic Conference, and the Thunderbirds are in. Southern Utah finished the regular season in sixth place in the WAC and qualified for the postseason tournament. The tournament is being held in Arlington, Texas, at UT Arlington. Southern Utah will open up the tournament on Thursday, November 21, by playing in the first match against the #3-seeded Utah Valley Wolverines. The match will begin at 9:00 a.m. MT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Head Coach Kacey Nady Said:
"Our team is excited to enjoy the process this week. It started in film on Monday: they came ready with ownership knowing what we will continue and what needs to improve to be successful on Thursday against a respected, consistent opponent."
The Bracket
As a six-seed, the Thunderbirds sit opposite the top-seeded Mavericks from UT Arlington. For Southern Utah to earn a spot in the Championship match, the T-Birds will have to take down the Wolverines and the winner of the match between #2 Grand Canyon and #7 Seattle. The semifinals of the WAC tournament will take place on Friday, November 22, at 2:00 p.m. MT, with the Championship match coming on Saturday, November 23, at 5:00 p.m. MT. You can catch all the tournament action on ESPN+, the broadcast partner of the Western Athletic Conference.
Top T-Birds
Last Time Out
Southern Utah concluded its regular season with a 3-0 loss to Utah Valley on the road, finishing the season 10-17 overall and 6-10 in WAC play. Despite strong performances from Finley Charapata, who led with 11 kills, and Teniyah Leuluai, who contributed 23 assists and ten digs, the Thunderbirds struggled to counter the Wolverines' aggressive serving and powerful front line.
In the match, the Thunderbirds faced relentless pressure from Utah Valley's standout players, including Avery Shewell and Alyvia Jaffa, whose serving and net presence proved pivotal. After dropping the first two sets 25-16 and 25-17, Southern Utah showed resilience in the third set with crucial contributions from Victoria Zibecchi and Andrea Spasojevic. However, despite closing the gap and creating bright moments, a series of UVU service aces and SUU errors ultimately sealed the set 25-22, handing the Wolverines the victory and leaving the Thunderbirds just short of a late comeback.
Scouting Report
Utah Valley Wolverines
- Utah Valley finished the regular season 19-9 with a 10-6 record against WAC opponents.
- Sami Blackett leads UVU in kills with 410, followed by Avery Shewell with 366.
- Evalyn Chism is the primary setter with 1046 assists, while Lani Matavao contributes 82.
- Avery Shewell has the most service aces with 50, and Sami Blackett follows with 35.
- Lani Matavao leads in digs with 392, and Bella Wooden dominates in blocks with 164.0.
History
The Thunderbirds are 2-13 all-time against the Wolverines. The Thunderbirds dropped both home and away matches against Utah Valley this season. SUU will look to take home the victory in potentially the most critical match of the series this week.
Tickets
For single-game tickets, be sure to visit tbirdtickets.com.
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