Trailblazers close non-conference slate with two matches vs. Southern Utah

Dixie State hosts SUU in 2021 home opener on Saturday

2021 DIXIE STATE VOLLEYBALL
(0-6, 0-0 WAC)

MATCHES 7-8 - VS. SOUTHERN UTAH
Friday, Sept. 17 - at Southern Utah - 6 p.m.
America First Event Center | Cedar City, Utah

Saturday, Sept. 18 - vs. Southern Utah - 6 p.m.
Burns Arena | St. George

After a 13-day break between matches, Dixie State volleyball will close the non-conference portion of its 2021 fall schedule this week with a Friday/Saturday home-and-home against Southern Utah.

The Trailblazers will travel to Cedar City for the first matchup on Friday at 6 p.m. inside the America First Event Center. The two teams will both head to St. George for DSU's home opener inside the Burns Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Live video coverage will be provided for both matches, with both matches on ESPN+ . Live stat information can be found at DixieStateAthletics.com.

ALL-TIME VS. SOUTHERN UTAH: Friday's match will mark the second meeting between Dixie State and Southern Utah on the volleyball court. The Trailblazers earned a 3-0 sweep over the Thunderbirds on January 22 in the first-ever meeting between the teams. The match also marked DSU's first as an NCAA Division I program. Seven players from the current Trailblazers active roster saw action in the match, with Whittnee Nihipali (12 kills, 13 digs) and Megan Treanor (11 kills, 17 assists) leading the way with double-doubles.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Southern Utah has played to a 3-6 overall record through its first nine matches of the season, including wins over Long Island (3-2), George Mason (3-2), and New Orleans (3-1). The Thunderbirds share two common opponents with DSU, falling to BYU (3-0) to open the season and later dropping a 3-1 decision to Boise State. SUU will host Utah State on Wednesday before the two weekend matches vs. DSU.

Stacey Hone leads the SUU attack with 66 kills (1.89 k/s), while Isabella Saucedo (61 kills; 1.85 k/s) and Carissa Richie (60 kills; 1.67 k/s) have also recorded at least 60 kills over the first three weeks of the season. Corrin Peterson leads the Thunderbirds and ranks seventh in the Big Sky Conference with 199 assists.

Richie is also one SUU's defensive leaders with a team-high 44 blocks (7 BS/37 BA) to rank second in the Big Sky in total blocks. Raegen Ashby has added 41 blocks (4 BS/34 BA) to rank sixth in the Big Sky in total blocks, while Calli Johnson ranks fourth in conference with 120 digs.

ALL-TIME VS. UTAH SCHOOLS:  For the second consecutive week, Dixie State will take on an in-state opponent. The Trailblazers have played to an overall record of 7-7 (.500) against in-state foes, including matches vs. BYU (0-1), Southern Utah (1-0), Utah Valley (0-3), Weber State (0-1), and Westminster (6-2). DSU has posted a 3-2 record (.600) vs. in-state opponents at home, while recording a 4-4 (.500) record on the road vs. Utah Schools.

HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE: Since joining the NCAA in 2006, Dixie State has posted a 106-46 (.697) overall record at home and has logged a winning record at home 11 times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, spring 2020), including eight consecutive home winning seasons. Until 2018, the Student Activities Center served as the main home venue for DSU Volleyball. The Trailblazers hosted season-opening tournaments inside the Burns Arena in 2018 and 2019, before making the arena its main home venue in Spring 2021. Dixie State has played to a 10-6 (.625) overall record inside the Burns Arena.

ON THE ROAD: The Trailblazers have recorded an 87-82 (.515) record in true-road games during its NCAA era, and have logged a winning record on the road nine times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). Additionally, DSU has posted a 34-47 (.420) record in neutral-site games.

WEEK IN REVIEW: It's been nearly two weeks since Dixie State last took the court. The Trailblazers traveled to Provo, Utah, for the BYU Invitational on September 3-4. DSU opened the weekend with 3-0 losses to Michigan State and tournament-host BYU on Friday, Sept. 3. Dixie State claimed the first set against Weber State the following day, before the Wildcats rattled off three straight set wins to earn a 3-1 victory in the match.

A NEW ERA: For the first time since 2012, the Trailblazers are opening the season with a new head coach. After two seasons serving as an assistant coach, Camilla Hafoka begins her first season as the new head coach of the Dixie State Volleyball program.

During her time on the Trailblazer sidelines, Coach Hafoka helped lead Dixie State to a 29-16 overall record. In her first season as an assistant coach, Dixie State played to a 20-8 overall record in the program's final year of NCAA Division II competition.This past spring, Hafoka helped guide DSU to a 9-8 overall mark in its debut NCAA Division I season, which included an 8-8 mark (t-4th) in its first season in the Western Athletic Conference.

Whitnee Tupe returns for her eighth season as a DSU assistant coach, while Julia Smith (Texas A&M, 2002) joins the staff after coaching last season at Snow College. Former DSU player To'a Faleao also joins the staff as a volunteer assistant coach, and Riley Lyman (BYU, 2020) will serve as Director of Volleyball Operations to round out the staff.

LET'S RUN IT BACK: After posting a 9-8 overall record in its first season as an NCAA Division I member, Dixie State is ready to pick up where it left off in year two.

The Trailblazers return 13 players from the Spring 2021 season, including five starters. Senior outside hitter Megan Treanor (First Team All-WAC, 171 kills, 168 assists, 127 digs, 34 blocks, 25 service aces) headlines the returners and was named to the Preseason All-WAC team.

DSU returns three others who posted at least 100 kills in the spring, including junior outside hitter Whittnee Nihipali (149 kills), junior middle blocker Lauolive Tonga (116 kills), and freshman Kate Hardy (WAC All-Freshman team, 103 kills). Despite playing in only nine matches in the spring, senior setter Jordyn Nelson returns as DSU's spring leader in assists (249). Defensively, Hardy posted a team-high 52 blocks in the spring, while Tonga added 42.

YEAR TWO IN THE WAC: The Trailblazers enter their second season as a member of the WAC in 2021. DSU recorded an 8-8 mark in WAC play in the spring to finish in a fourth-place tie with Tarleton State.

With the addition of the four Texas schools (Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin) the conference standings have been split into two divisions: Southwest and West. Dixie State will play in the West Division, alongside California Baptist, Chicago State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Seattle U, and Utah Valley, while the Southwest Division will feature Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, and UT Rio Grande Valley.

The Trailblazers were picked to finish fifth in the West Division in the recent WAC Preseason Coaches Poll. DSU will play a 14-game WAC slate with a home-and-home against each member of the West Division, while traveling to Abilene, Texas, for matches against ACU and Tarleton.

TEAM NOTES:        After traveling just seven active players to Boise on opening weekend, the Trailblazers returned closer to full-strength at the BYU Invitational as 11 players took the court throughout the weekend.
Head Coach Camilla Hafoka made her debut as Dixie State head coach in August, marking the first time since 2012 the Trailblazers opened the season with a new head coach.
            Junior outside hitter Whittnee Nihipali notched her third double-double of the season against Weber State on September 4, finishing with 13 kills and a career-high 15 digs. Nihipali leads DSU with a team-high 57 kills (2.59 k/s).
            Senior middle blocker Lizzy Clark posted five total blocks at the BYU Invitational to push her team-high block total to 16.
            Sophomore libero Mykenna Nelson posted a career-high 33 digs vs. Weber State and finished the weekend with 56 total digs. Nelson leads DSU with 105 total digs (4.77 digs/s).
            Freshman middle blocker Kate Hardy recorded six kills and five total blocks against Weber State. Hardy finished the weekend with 12 total kills and leads the Trailblazers with a .247 hitting percentage (minimum 10 total kills).
            Senior setter Jordyn Nelson made her 2021 fall season debut and posted a team-best 55 assists, 17 digs, and five kills. Nelson finished one dig shy of a double-double with 25 assists and nine digs against Weber State. Additionally, Nelson moved up to No. 3 on the All-Time DSU Sets Played list with 348 sets played.
            Sophomore outside hitter Bridgett Talia made her Trailblazer debut at the BYU Invitational and finished the week 10 kills and five digs. Talia posted a team-high six kills against nationally-ranked BYU.
            Sophomore outside hitter Chayse Daugherty made her 2021 fall season debut and recorded 14 total kills, 13 digs, and one block. Daugherty finished one dig shy of double-double with 10 kills and nine digs vs. Weber State.
            Senior outside hitter Megan Treanor made her 2021 fall season debut in Provo and immediately made her presence known with nine kills against Michigan State on September 3. Treanor finished the weekend with 19 total kills, six digs, two assists, and two blocks. Additionally, Treanor moved up to No. 6 on the All-Time DSU Total Attacks list with 1,942 career attacks.

UP NEXT: The Trailblazers open WAC play next week, hosting Grand Canyon on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#9 Lizzy Clark: MB; 6' 1"; Senior

#11 Chayse Daugherty: OH; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#6 Kate Hardy: MB; 6' 0"; Freshman

#1 Jordyn Nelson: S; 5' 6"; Senior

#7 Mykenna Nelson: L; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#15 Whittnee Nihipali: OH; 6' 2"; Junior

#16 Lauolive Tonga: MB; 5' 10"; Junior

#13 Megan Treanor: OH/S; 6' 1"; Senior

#5 Bridgett Talia: OH; 5' 11"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#9 Lizzy Clark
: 6' 1"; Senior
: MB

#11 Chayse Daugherty
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: OH

#6 Kate Hardy
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: MB

#1 Jordyn Nelson
: 5' 6"; Senior
: S

#7 Mykenna Nelson
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: L

#15 Whittnee Nihipali
: 6' 2"; Junior
: OH

#16 Lauolive Tonga
: 5' 10"; Junior
: MB

#13 Megan Treanor
: 6' 1"; Senior
: OH/S

#5 Bridgett Talia
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: OH