CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Southern Utah travels to Moscow, Idaho for a battle with the Vandals on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:00 pm MT. The Thunderbirds will be eager to earn their first conference win back in the Big Sky as they face a reeling Idaho squad that has lost three of its last four matches.

The Thunderbirds

Southern Utah's offense fell just one kill short of extending its season-best streak of matches with 40+ kills to four in a row, but did record 30+ for the fifth consecutive match despite facing one of the toughest defenses in the conference on Thursday. Thunderbirds hitters will look to take advantage of an Idaho defense that, while not performing badly with 1.9 blocks per set, is certainly not as difficult to break through as the one they just played.

Audrey Atwood continues to lead Southern Utah's offensive surge after leading all Thunderbirds with 12 kills against Eastern Washington. The junior now has double-digit kills in three of her last four matches and has led the team in kills in four of the last five. Freshman Talea Berry has been making a name for herself lately by recording at least 15 assists in each of her last five matches, leading all Thunderbirds in every one of those outings.

On defense, the Thunderbirds have now recorded at least 40 digs in each of their last five matches after a 52 dig performance against Eastern Washington. The defense will be looking for another strong outing against a Vandals offense that has hit below .200 in seven of its last nine performances while surrendering two blocks and 12 digs per set to opponents this season.

Zorana Stankovska led all Thunderbirds with 13 digs against Eastern Washington for her second straight match with a baker's dozen in that category. Meanwhile, Talea Berry has been showing off her two-way ability by averaging exactly 10 digs per match over her last three performances. At the net, Natalie Moore continues to lead the defense in blocks after reaching 50 for the season with a solo rejection against the Eagles on Thursday, marking her fifth straight match with a block.

Looking at the Vandals

Idaho currently sits just above .500 for the season at 11-10, but is 2-7 in conference play after being swept by Utah Tech on Thursday. On offense, the Vandals are hitting below .200 for the season while averaging 12.1 kills per set. In a fascinating turn of events, Idaho's defense has allowed an identical 12.1 kills per set as the Vandals have only one more kill than they have allowed for the season.

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