The Southern Utah University women’s volleyball team opens the Western Athletic Conference with two games at home this week. They will play against Tarleton State University on Thursday, Sept. 26th at 6:30 p.m., followed by Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Sept. 28th at 1 p.m. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds enter this week with a record of 4-7, placing them 7th in the WAC.
Andrea Spasojevic has been the player to watch, seeing as she leads the team in kills and service aces with 114 and 10 respectively, places second in digs with 86, and second blocks with 18.0. Other notable offensive players for SUU include Victoria Zibecchi and setter Teniyah Leuluai.
Carissa Richie has been a wall on defense for Southern Utah. She leads the team placing 7th in the WAC for 43.0 blocks this season. Ariana Rossi is another great defensive contributor with her team-leading 124 digs.
The Thunderbirds dominated in a 3-1 victory last time they faced Tarleton State, but were swept in their previous matchup against Abilene Christian.
Tarleton State
The Texans currently sit with a 5-8 record and are 6th in the WAC. TSU has yet to win on the road this year.
Tarleton State has a well rounded team with many standout stat leaders. Allison Bryant is the kill leader with 191, Megan Hodges holds a team-leading 340 assists and Yuna Ansquer leads the team with 16 service aces. Ansquer holds the second most assists with 175.
Emma Halcomb and Emma Burke are the leaders on defense for the Texans. Halcomb is first on the team in digs with 202. Burke has been a reliable leader up front and has gathered a team-high of 41.0 blocks. Addison Goss and Hodges are additional solid defensive contributors as they each hold over 100 digs this year.
Abilene Christian
The Wildcats are hot on a three-game winning streak with a 5-6 record, placing them 5th in the WAC.
Bryley Steinhilber leads ACU with 116 kills and 14 service aces. Setter Madeline Guffy does a good job setting her teammates up with 264 assists. Izabelle Larson is a great two-way player, ranked top five on the team in all major stats except for assists.
Hannah Gonzalez holds a team-leading 27.0 blocks. She is followed by Avery Thaler who has 18.0. Sara Carrizales is first in digs with 109. Guffy and Steinhilber follow closely with 91 and 90 respectively.
SUU is 1-1 against both Tarleton State and Abliene Christian all-time.
Author: Jacob McQueary
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Jack Paul
