The Southern Utah University women’s volleyball team will return to Cedar City after a two-game losing streak to play Utah Valley University in the America First Event Center on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 12:30 p.m.
The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
SUU has had a difficult season, sitting at 2-14 with a conference record of 1-4. Both of their wins came from teams who currently have losing records.
UVU are 7-9 on the year but have had a stellar start to conference play, going 3-1 in the Western Athletic Conference with three sweeps.
Southern Utah
SUU is at the bottom of most stats compared to Western Athletic Conference opponents. They rank last in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, digs and kills.
However, they still have a talented roster. Setters Asya Akbulut and Swayzee Mason are top 10 in assists in the WAC. Libero Aleeya Jones leads the WAC in service aces since the start of conference play. Akbulut is 14 assists away from becoming the seventh player in the WAC this season to eclipse 300 assists.
The Thunderbirds have struggled with closing out games recently. They recently had back-to-back matchups where a 2-0 set lead turned into a fifth set. They won one 15-10 but lost the other 15-6.
Their only other win was a nail-biter, as both teams got 20 or more points in each set and the fourth and final set went to a narrow score of 27-25.
SUU’s offensive star continues to be opposition hitter Victoria Zibecchi. The senior from Villa Angela, Argentina is the team leader in kills and points. She also averages a dig every other set and is third on the team in blocks, making an impact all over the floor. Zibecchi also leads the team in errors, but she’s still the Thunderbirds’ most aggressive attacker.
Utah Valley
The Wolverines have been on fire lately. After ending non-conference play on a 1-6 streak, they took three of their next four games. The loss was against Utah Tech, who are 14-3 with a perfect conference record.
UVU claimed the most recent WAC Player, Setter and Libero of the Week awards. Sami Blackett, Evalyn Chism and Lani Matavao were given the honors, with Matavao earning hers for the second consecutive time.
UVU is the best blocking team in Division One women’s volleyball. They have nine more solo blocks and 46 more block assists than second-place Georgia. The Thunderbirds will have to be mindful of the Wolverines’ presence at the net if they want to get ahead.
Blackett and senior outside hitter Avery Page are two of the best attackers in the WAC. The pair have combined for 412 kills.
To round out UVU’s talent across the board, setter Natalie Riggs is among the top servers in the WAC, averaging a service ace every two sets.
Given UVU’s top-level talent in blocking, attacking, setting and defense, SUU will have to pull out all the stops to cool their red-hot momentum.
Author: Payson Davis
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Jack Paul
