Following a short road trip to Montana, the Southern Utah University volleyball team will be returning to the Western U.S. for its next few games. They’ll return home to Cedar City to host Eastern Washington University on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m. before heading to Moscow, Idaho, to take on the University of Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SUU and EWU are no strangers to each other, having faced off 18 times since 2011. The Eagles lead the all-time series 10-8, but the T-Birds won the last match in 2023 in five sets.
The Vandals lead the all-time series 9-5 against the Thunderbirds, but SUU swept the teams’ last three meetings, including matches on back-to-back days in 2024.
Southern Utah update
The Thunderbirds hold a 1-17 record on the year. They’ve lost nine matches in a row and have yet to win a conference match or road match this season. Their lone win came on Sept. 18 in a sweep of Chicago State University, who also stand at a 1-17 record so far this year.
Despite their struggles, there are positives to point to for the T-Birds. They’ve avoided getting swept in their last three games, and have only lost 3-0 in three conference matches compared to six before Big Sky play.
Their road trip against the University of Montana and Montana State University was also one of the more promising stretches of the year. The T-Birds pushed the Bobcats to two extended sets, including the match’s final set that ended 33-31 in favor of Montana State.
SUU’s offensive leaders are Audrey Atwood with 115 kills, Natalie Moore with a 23.1% hitting percentage, Maya Banks with 2.02 kills per set and Talea Berry with 17 service aces. Berry is also second on the team with 107 digs, while she and Celeste Urueña Jensen are neck and neck in the race for the assist lead with 247 and 242 respectively.
Zorana Stankovska leads with 118 digs while Moore has a squad-leading 14 blocks and 35 block assists. Finally, Atwood is first on the team with a 95.1% reception percentage and ranks No. 3 in digs.
Examining Eastern Washington
The Eagles stand at 8-12 on the year and possess a 2-6 conference record. They’ve lost five matches in a row and have only won one match out of eight in their home stadium.
EWU had an impressive five-set loss to Northern Arizona University recently, the latter ranking near the top of the Big Sky. They also defeated Weber State University, another Big Sky contender, in their first conference match this year. It was their first and only home win so far.
The Eagles boast the best attacker in the Big Sky Conference. Senior outside hitter Kalista Lukovich has 339 kills, 64 more than NAU’s Hanah Stoddard in second place. Sophomore setter Jailyn Davenport has also made a name for herself this year, as she ranks No. 4 in assists in the conference.
Eastern Washington has three other players that rank top-10 in Big Sky statistical rankings. Sophomores Sidney Gray and Judith Bolomboy rank No. 5 and No. 9 respectively in blocks while senior Elle Bruegman ranks No. 2 in the conference with 322 total digs.
Checking up on Idaho
The Vandals have recorded an 11-9 record this year but are tied with EWU for a 2-6 conference standing. All of their pre-conference play matches were a part of invitationals, so they have a 1-3 record in both home and away matches but went 9-3 at neutral sites.
After starting Big Sky play 0-4, including three sweeps, Idaho has gone 2-2 since. Despite allowing more kills than almost any other Big Sky team, the Vandals have allowed fewer assists than almost any other Big Sky team. They’ve also played 80 sets, more than anyone else in the conference so far.
Idaho has one of the best servers and attackers in the conference. Sophomore Kiana Greer is both No. 3 in total kills in the Big Sky as well as No. 3 in service aces per set. She records an ace in 40% of her serves. Hungarian sophomore Csenge Krakoczki is also on that second list, ranking No. 6 in aces per set in the Big Sky.
On the defensive side, senior Koen Makaula ranks No. 6 in blocks per set while junior Keira Kleidon ranks No. 9 in digs per set. Even when accounting for a shaky defense, those two will be important to look out for when SUU is crafting their gameplan.
Match details
SUU will take on Eastern Washington in Cedar City, Utah, in the America First Event Center on Thursday, Oct. 22. The match will start at 6:30 p.m.
They’ll then face Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, in the Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday, Oct. 24. The match will start at 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Previous volleyball article ——– Next volleyball article
Author: Payson Davis
Photo by SUU Athletics
Editor: Lainey Porter
sports@suunews.net
