CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah volleyball team will finish out their four-game road trip this week against Montana and Montana State. With the end of the season in sight, these will be critical matches for the Thunderbirds to improve their conference standings.

Last Time Out

Last week, Southern Utah squared off against Sacramento State and the Vikings of Portland State. Sacramento State continued their dominance in the Big Sky conference as Southern Utah gave a valiant effort but ultimately fell in three sets.

The match against Portland State came down to a couple pivotal points in the second and third sets. The Vikings won those points to squeak out those sets and win the
match.

Currently, Southern Utah is 6-14 overall for the season and 1-7 in conference play. With only eight more regular season matches left, the Thunderbirds are looking to make a late season run to gain a bid into the Big Sky Tournament at the end of the season.

MaCail Evans still has been a dominant blocker for Southern Utah as she is currently 20th in the nation for her 103 blocks on the season.

Opponent Preview: University of Montana

Montana comes into this match with an identical record to the Thunderbirds. Their singular conference win of the season thus far came on the road against the Wildcats of Weber State.

Junior, Mykaela Hammer, has been the leading offensive force for the Grizzlies this year. She averages 3.23 kills per set and a .174 hitting percentage. Hammer has also
been a factor defensively with 154 digs and 54 total blocks for the year so far.

Opponent Preview: Montana State

Montana State also has a similar record to Southern Utah so far. They are 6-11 for the season with a 2-6 conference record. Their conference wins have come against Weber State and their in-state rival, Montana.

Outside hitter, Natalie Passeck, has the led the way for the Bobcats this season. She averages 2.93 kills per set and a .186 hitting percentage.

Defensive specialist, Allyssa Rizzo has stifled attackers this year with 288 total digs and an average of 4.3 per set. Middle blocker, Kelsie White, has also been a defensive force this year with 80 total blocks for the season.

Live Stats/Live Stream

A live stream of both matches will be on PlutoTV. The PlutoTV app can be downloaded to access PlutoTV programming, or visit pluto.tv/watch. The match against Montana can be found on channel 237 of PlutoTV, and the match against Montana State will be available on channel 238.

Live stats will be available on suutbirds.com prior to the start of the match

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