The Southern Utah University women’s volleyball team is back in action this Friday for a two-game tournament in California.Their first game of the series will be against Fresno State University at 12 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13th. That same evening, SUU will face-off against Santa Clara University at 7 p.m. All games can be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
After winning all three games in the Southern Utah invitational, the SUU women’s volleyball team looks to keep their winning streak in the Santa Clara Invitational. The Thunderbirds are 3-3 overall sitting tied for fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference.
Andrea Spasojevic and Victoria Zibecchi are leading the attack with 52 and 49 kills respectively. Zibecchi is No. 8 in the WAC with 2.88 kills per set. Spasojevic is tied for the team-high in service aces with five. Setter Teniyah Leuluai has continued her great season with her team-leading 158 assists.
Carissa Richie leads SUU’s defensive front with 19.0 blocks this season. She is followed by Amaya Tobias who has 12.0. Arianna Rossi has the most digs on the team with 49 and is closely followed by Spasojevic with 46.
It was an intense match the last time the TBirds faced off against Fresno State, with the Thunderbirds winning in the fifth set. This weekend will be the first time they face Santa Clara.
Fresno State
The Bulldogs are ninth place in the Mountain West Conference with a record of 2-4, and are on a three game losing streak headed into the tournament.
Two-way leader Ella Rud boasts impressive stats on both offense and defense. She leads the team with 103 kills, 10 service aces, and placed third in digs with 42. Addison Haluska and Jenna Legault are additional offensive threats with 58 and 51 kills each.
Brooke Cowie is another two-way threat for Fresno State. Cowie has 237 assists this season to lead the team. She is tied-second in service aces with seven, holds the second-most blocks with 17.0, trailing Kasey Purry who has 24.0.
Santa Clara
The Broncos hold a record of 3-2, placing them fourth in the West Coast Conference.
SCU has a well-rounded offense. Alayna Crabtree leads in kills with 53, closely followed by Oren Abutbul with 48, and Cate Shanahan with 47. Setter Nive Tuileta has 133 assists to lead the team. Rounding out the offense is Grace Flanagan, who is a force serving the ball with a team-high of 12 aces.
Tuileta, Shanahan, Abutbul, Crabtree and block leader Layla Truitt are strong defensive players for Santa Clara. Truitt has 19.0 blocks this season and is followed by Abutbul with 12.0. Tuileta holds the most digs on the team with 44, and Shanahan and Crabtree are both top five on the team in digs and blocks.
Author: Jacob McQueary
Photographer: Katie Anderson
Editor: Jack Paul
