After losing all eight of their matches on the road to begin the year, the Southern Utah University volleyball team will be making their home season debut on Friday, Sept. 18 as they host the SUU Tournament.
The T-Birds will be hosting Chicago State University on Sept. 18 in the America First Event Center at 6 p.m. Following Chicago State, the Thunderbirds will take on the University of California, Riverside on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m.
Southern Utah
SUU has started the year with an 0-8 record, with five of those losses being 3-0 shutout victories. It’s been a rough couple of years for the team, seeing as how their last winning season was the shortened 2020 campaign. Even then, their record was only 9-8.
Southern Utah also only has one game where they won more than one set this year. That was in their matchup with University of the Pacific, who held an 8-21 record last season.
This is the first chance all year for SUU fans to see the team in action, including standout T-Birds Maya Banks, Celeste Uruena Jensen, Talea Berry and Natalie Moore. Banks leads the team in kills with 64, while Jensen and Berry are still the frontrunners for assists.
Moore is leading the team in blocks with a grand total of 28. Banks is not far behind with 20 of her own.
Chicago State
Chicago State is coming to town with a record of 0-9. Their most recent match was against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where they lost 3-0.
The Cougars have had about as rough a season as the Thunderbirds, with one of the teams poised to finally record a win in this 2026 campaign. If Chicago State wins this game, they will match their win total from last year where they went 1-25.
UC Riverside
UC Riverside is entering today with a record of 2-6, making them the most successful team in this tournament. They are coming off of a four game skid, with their last loss coming against University of Nebraska at Omaha.
The Highlanders are looking to break their losing streak here in Southern Utah, which will allow them to jump back on pace to beat their 9-19 win-loss record from last season.
Where to watch?
SUU will face Chicago State on Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. before hosting UC Riverside the following day at 2 p.m. Both games will be in the America First Event Center and available to stream live on ESPN+.
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Author: Mitch Wilson
Photograph by SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis