With the first round of the Western Athletic Conference starting up this week, the Southern Utah University women’s volleyball team faces off against Utah Valley University on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m. This game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Utah Valley won both matchups against Southern Utah in the regular season.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds finished the season 10-17 overall and 6-10 in the Western Athletic Conference. This is the best finish to a season under head coach Kacey Nady, who took over in 2021.
SUU has three outside hitters with more than 200 kills on the season. Andrea Spasojevic leads the team with 274 kills, followed by Finley Charapata; who is second with 232 and Victoria Zibecchi with 201.
Arianna Rossi ranks No. 8 in the conference and first on the team, with 320 digs, averaging 3.3 per set. Carissa Richie leads the team on the front line with 84 blocks on the season, followed by Kennady Charlton with 43.
Utah Valley
The Wolverines ended the year 18-11 overall and 10-4 in conference play, finishing third. Just like Southern Utah, Utah Valley recorded their best season finish since 2021. In their two matches against SUU, UVU went 6-1, dominating both matchups.
Sami Blackett and Avery Shewell have been some of the WAC’s best outside hitters. Blackett ranks No. 3 in the conference with 410 kills while Shewell ranks No. 4 with 366. Shewell is also first in the WAC with 50 service aces.
Defensively, Utah Valley is a force to be reckoned with on the front-line. The Wolverines rank No. 1 in the WAC in team blocks with 299.5 and an average of 2.85 per set. Bella Wooden leads the team with 174 blocks.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Copy Editor: Isaac Allen