CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Southern Utah Women's Volleyball travels to Fresno this week to play in the Bulldog Invitational, hunting a first team win in the 2026 season. After getting their feet wet in the Gael-Bear Classic last week, the Thunderbirds will look to continue growing as a team and build on the positive momentum from their near-win vs Pacific.

The Thunderbirds will play three games as part of the tournament:

• Thursday, September 3, 7:00 PM MT - vs. Fresno State (Record: 0-3).
  • Watch the Fresno State game on YouTube.
• Friday, September 4, 2:00 PM MT - vs. UC Irvine (Record: 0-3).
• Saturday, September 5, Noon MT - vs. New Mexico State (Record: 1-2)

After an offensive outburst saw the Thunderbirds record a season-high 52 kills on Saturday, the hitters are sure to play with extra confidence this tournament. Sophomore Maya Banks leads all Thunderbirds with 24 kills on the young campaign and will look to continue being a difference maker as Southern Utah faces three defenses averaging at least 1.8 blocks per set. Defensively, the Thunderbirds are led by Natalie Moore's eight total blocks and Zorana Stankovska's 20 digs. Watch for defense to play a big role in this tournament as two of Southern Utah's three opponents are hitting below .200 offensively on the season.

Fresno State

The Bulldogs host this early-season tournament after going 0-3 at the Jim Stone Challenge in Columbus, Ohio, including being swept by both Ohio State and Bowling Green. Redshirt Senior Jenna Legault leads the team offensively, with an astonishing 42 kills, averaging nearly four per set. Outside of Legault, Fresno State's offense has struggled, with all other players combining for a hit percentage of only .108, so look for the Thunderbirds to try and take Legault away as an offensive option. The Bulldogs are much better rounded on defense, where they have two players with double-digit blocks, and three with 20 or more digs on the season.

UC Irvine

The Anteaters played in the Husky Invitational last week and managed to scratch out one set win in a loss to Washington before being swept in back-to-back games by IU Indy and San Diego State. Look for a pesky backline defense to keep UC Irvine in contention for every point, as the Anteaters have five separate players with at least 10 digs on the season, three of which have at least 19. Offensively, the Anteaters have struggled, with a team hitting percentage below .100.

New Mexico State

The Aggies started the season hosting the NMSU Volleyball Jamboree, where they lost 1-3 to Tulsa before bouncing back with a sweep of California Baptist. They finished their weekend with a trip to El Paso, where they dropped a five-set thriller to UTEP. The best offensive team the Thunderbirds will face this weekend, New Mexico State has five players with at least 15 kills on the season, led by Redshirt Junior Tess Fuqua with 36 and Sophomore Jaelynn Kohli with 33. Defensively, the Aggies average nearly two blocks per set, with Mia Fox and Ashley Herman making a formidable defensive duo, totaling 18 blocks between them.

Follow Us
Stay up to date on the Thunderbirds Volleyball program by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.

Donate
To help support Thunderbirds athletics, consider donating today! To learn more about how you can support, click here. 

Tickets
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.