CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Thunderbirds are set to compete at the GCU Tournament this weekend. The tournament will consist of three games against Grand Canyon University, Boston College, and Jacksonville State University.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds recently competed in Las Vegas at the UNLV Invitational where they fell to LIU Brooklyn, UNLV, and Indiana University. Despite their loss at the tournament, the Thunderbirds still had some strong performances.
Miahna Waters proved to be a strong player for the Thunderbirds. At the end of the tournament, Waters was named to the UNLV Invitational All-Tournament Team with 39 digs over the course of the three matches.
Over the course of the tournament, Janet Kalaniuvalu led the T-Birds with 28 kills.
Opponent Preview: Grand Canyon University
The Antelopes of Grand Canyon University have started out the season strong. They will be coming into the match with a 2-1 record overall. The Lopes have only lost to the Idaho State Vandals.
In their last tournament, the Lopes compiled a total of 178 kills and 243 digs. Kayla Mathews currently leads the team in digs with a total of 38. Teagan DeFalco leads in kills with a total of 73.
This will be the first time since the 2014 season that the Lopes compete against the Thunderbirds. In their last match, the T-Birds defeated the Lopes 3-1.
Opponent Preview: Boston College
The Boston College Eagles have started out the season undefeated. In their last competition the Eagles managed to come out victorious against University of Hartford, Providence College, and Sacred Heart University.
The Eagles faced their biggest competition against Sacred Heart University. They fell by four points to Sacred Heart in the first match but proved victorious in the following three matches.
McKenna Goss currently leads the team with 31 kills. Her teammate Makenzie Morrison leads in digs with a total of 49.
The Thunderbirds will face the Eagles for the first time in program history.
Opponent Preview: Jacksonville State University
Southern Utah University will also be facing the Jacksonville State Gamecocks for the first time in program history this weekend.. The Gamecocks already own a 3-1 record on the season so far.
In their most recent tournament, the Gamecocks finished victorious against University of Northern Alabama, Lamar University and Mercer University. However, they fell short to the Little Rock Trojans. The Trojans defeated to Gamecocks 3-0.
Sadie Anderson currently leads the team in kills with a total of 37 while Kaylie Milton leads in digs with a total of 38.
Live Stats/Live Stream
A link to a live stream of the Thunderbirds against the Grand Canyon Lopes will be posted to suutbirds.com as will live stats for all three games.
The Thunderbirds will play Grand Canyon at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The match against Boston College will start at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday followed by the match against Jacksonville at 4:30 p.m.
Story by: SUU Athletics Strategic Communication
Photo Courtesy of: SUU Athletics Strategic Communication
