Southern Utah University’s volleyball team will host conference opponent University of Texas at Arlington in the American First Event Center on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. They will then travel to Orem to play Utah Valley University on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m.
You can stream both games on ESPN+.
Southern Utah University
SUU is 10-15 on the year and 6-8 in the Western Athletic Conference, which puts them fifth overall. UT Arlington will be Southern Utah’s toughest matchup yet, as they rank No. 1 in the WAC. Southern Utah lost their previous match to them 3-1.
As for their matchup against Utah Valley, they lost their last game to them on Halloween night 3-1.
Andrea Spasojevic has had a season for the record books. Spasojevic leads the team in service aces with 29 which makes her seventh all-time for aces in a season. Along with that, she also is leading the team in total kills with 258. The anchor of the team, Teniyah Leuluai, has been on a tear, leading the team with 811 assists. This puts her top ten all-time in a season.
Thursday’s game will be a red-out game, as it will be senior night and a final home game to prepare them for the tournament.
UT Arlington
The Mustangs are the 2024 WAC regular season champions, being 14-0 in the conference play and 24-2 in the regular season. Their accrued 15-game win streak will be tough for SUU to stop. UT Arlington is currently ranked the 49th best team in the nation, and they will be looking to sweep the SUU series.
Brianna Ford has led the team on this rampage, being in the top five in every statistical category. Cooling her off will be a major focus for the Thunderbirds.
Utah Valley University
UVU is 17–9 on the season and 8-6 in WAC play. SUU will need to win out against them in order for Southern Utah to jump ahead of Utah Valley.
Both teams are gearing up for the upcoming tournament. UVU will be led by Avery Shewell, who has been very consistent offensively. These last few games are all must-wins for the teams involved.
Author: Preston Ferry
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Jack Paul