CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird volleyball team will return to the court inside the America First Event Center this weekend for a pair of rematches against the Portland State Vikings (Thursday, October 25; 6:30 p.m.) and the Sacramento State Hornets (Saturday, October 27; 1:00 p.m.).

"We're looking for a home victory, we want to win on our home court," SUU head coach Pete Hoyer said. "We're trying to develop a culture here that this is a difficult place to play. We haven't accomplished that yet, but it's something we're striving for. Portland State has struggled a little bit this year but they've got a good volleyball team. Sacramento State is playing really well, especially the last four matches, so these are tough matches put they're in our building and I know the entire team is really motivated to bring home some victories this weekend."

Last Time Out

The Thunderbirds picked up a big victory last week, as they knocked off the Idaho State Bengals 3-2 in Pocatello, before falling to the Weber State Wildcats in Ogden.

Against the Bengals Janet Kalaniuvalu racked up 25 kills for the T-Birds to lead the offensive attack. Alexis Averett dished out 54 assists and Miahna Waters finished the match with 25 digs to lead the team.

The result against the Bengals was a big one for SUU, as the team from Pocatello swept them earlier in the season.

Opponent Preview: Portland State (3-19, 2-8 Big Sky)

After splitting a weekend series at home, the Vikings will travel to Cedar City looking to stay in contention for the Big Sky Tournament.

They were able to sweep the Montana Grizzlies before getting swept by Montana State.

Jenna Mullen leads the Vikings in kills with 176, followed by Toni McDougald and Katy Wilson who both have 165.  

The Thunderbirds topped the Vikings to pick up their first Big Sky victory of the season behind 22 kills from Kalaniuvalu.

Opponent Preview: Sacramento State (13-11, 8-1 Big Sky)

Looking to keep pace with the top teams in the Big Sky Conference, the Sacramento State Hornets will head to Flagstaff before making their way to Cedar City. They'll go to Arizona in a tie atop the Big Sky Conference with Idaho.

The Hornets have won five-straight matches dating back to October 6, which have all been sweeps over Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Weber State, Montana State and Montana.

Sacramento State was able to top the T-Birds earlier in the season 3-1, despite 19 kills from Kalaniuvalu.  

Special Gameday Info

Thursday night will be the Faculty & Staff Appreciation game. All staff and faculty are encouraged to come to the game with their loved ones. 
Saturday afternoon will be the Halloween game. Fans are encouraged to come dressed in their costumes as their will be a contest and awards. 

Live Stats/Live Stream

A live stream for Southern Utah's matches will be available on PlutoTV and WatchBigSky.com.

Live stats will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to first serve.

Follow Us

Stay updated on the Thunderbirds 24/7 by following @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram along with liking the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.

Fans can visit www.tbirdtickets.com to purchase tickets for the 2018 Thunderbird volleyball season.