CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah Women's Volleyball team travels to Seattle this week as it ends a season-opening series of matches on the West Coast. Still looking for their first win as a team, the Thunderbirds will look to continue their early-season trend of rapid improvement.
The Thunderbirds will play two teams from the Evergreen State over the weekend:
- Friday, September 11, 7:00 PM MT - vs. Seattle (Record: 2-4)
- Saturday, September 12, 3:00 PM MT - vs. Washington State (Record: 4-1)
- Both games available to watch on ESPN+
Southern Utah is coming off of a season-best offensive performance against Fresno State on Saturday, which saw Maya Banks and Kaitlyn Hoelker become the first Thunderbird teammates to record double-digit kills in the same match. The Thunderbirds will need to keep that offensive momentum going as they face two defenses that each average over two blocks per set this season.
Maya Banks leads the team offensively with 49 kills, and Kaitlyn Hoelker is second with 29. Meanwhile, Emilia Zug has quietly established herself as a reliable scoring option for the Thunderbirds as well, scoring at least five kills in each of the team's last four outings, now sitting at 27 total for the season.
Southern Utah's frontline defense is led by middle blocker Natalie Moore, who has 16 total blocks this season, including two solo blocks, while Maya Banks has been pulling her weight on defense as well, with 13 assisted blocks to her name. On the backline, the Thunderbirds are led by Celeste Uruena Jensen with 39 digs, and Zorana Stankovska is close behind with 35. Freshman Talea Berry has added 30 digs of her own to give Coach Danielle Jensen three solid options to place on defense.
Seattle
The Redhawks won their first two matches of the season but have since lost four straight, including a sweep by Montana and Oregon State. Head coach Dan Behnke's squad will look to awaken a struggling offense that's hit below .150 in three of its last four matches. Senior Teagan Melton leads that offense with 54 kills on a hitting percentage of .315 for the season. On defense, the Redhawks will look to sophomore middle blocker Lexi Jones to thwart the Thunderbird offense, as she currently has six solo and 27 total blocks this season.
Washington State
The Cougars have started the season red hot, winning their first four matches convincingly before stumbling against Oregon in their last outing. Head coach Korey Schroeder's side is led by an intimidating defense that has recorded at least 12 total blocks in each of their last four matches, and currently averages over 3.6 blocks per set. Naomi White, Kryssa Moerman and Whitney Dewicki are the three-headed monster that fuels that defense, with 33, 24 and 17 blocks respectively. Offensively, the Cougars have shown some vulnerability lately, with their offensive hitting percentage falling to .215 after sitting at .273 through their first two matches. Washington State is led offensively by Eliana Tia with 68 kills and Mary Healy with 40. Middle blocker Naomi White has also proven herself to be an extremely effective offensive option, with 30 kills on a mind-boggling .348 hitting percentage.
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Single-game and season tickets for the upcoming Southern Utah Volleyball season are now available. For more information and to purchase tickets for SUU Volleyball, visit tbirdtickets.com.
