- Southern Utah volleyball is 1-16 in its first season back in the Big Sky, but Audrey Atwood's 101 kills, Natalie Moore's 45 blocks and several sets decided in the final points mark Danielle Jensen's Thunderbirds' season so far.
- Southern Utah Volleyball connect back to Southern Utah University and the wider volleyball picture.
- The story is backed by 13 sources and a visible last-verified date.
October 17, 2026
October 17, 2026
4 min / 883 words
13 official links
Southern Utah volleyball is 1-16 overall and 0-7 in the Big Sky Conference as of October 16, 2026, its first season back in the league. Inside that record are players producing every night: junior outside hitter Audrey Atwood leads the Thunderbirds with 101 kills, junior middle blocker Natalie Moore has 45 total blocks, and freshman setter Talea Berry has 226 assists and a team-high 16 service aces through 17 matches, according to Southern Utah's season statistics.
The Thunderbirds play at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, and their team page is Southern Utah volleyball.
Who coaches Southern Utah volleyball?
Danielle Jensen, whom Southern Utah named its head volleyball coach in 2025. Before Cedar City she spent 10 seasons at USU Eastern in Price, her hometown and her alma mater, where she went 190-88 and reached three NJCAA national tournaments, including 2022 and 2024, according to her SUU biography. Her 2024 Eagles went 25-8 and reached a seventh-place national ranking, and she was named Scenic West Conference Coach of the Year. Her biography says many of her USU Eastern players went on to NCAA Division I and II programs. See the USU Eastern school page for that program today.
The first win: a sweep of Chicago State
Southern Utah's first win of 2026 came in its home opener on September 18, a 25-11, 25-22, 25-22 sweep of Chicago State. The Thunderbirds built a 17-5 lead in the first set and finished with 11 service aces, six of them from Berry. Moore had 11 kills on .600 hitting, Southern Utah held Chicago State to a .101 hitting percentage, and junior libero Zorana Stankovska tied her season high with 13 digs.
"We've been working on that for a while now, and it felt good to see the progress, and to have the confidence that we can finish the set," Jensen said of closing out sets.
Sets that came down to the final points
Several sets have come down to the final points. On August 30, Southern Utah won its first two sets against Pacific, 25-22 and 25-21, before losing in five; sophomore Maya Banks had 20 kills on 42 attempts, and six different players recorded blocks. In the fifth set the Thunderbirds cut a 13-9 deficit to 13-12 on kills by Banks and freshman Molly Mitchell and an Atwood ace.
Against Idaho State on October 8, Southern Utah rallied from 7-1 down to tie the first set 24-24 before losing it 26-24. Two days later against Weber State, the Thunderbirds won the second set 25-23 and lost the fourth 28-26, and Atwood had 18 kills on 57 swings with eight digs and two solo blocks. Southern Utah set season highs that afternoon with 63 kills, 59 assists, 64 digs and 73 points.
At Montana on October 15, junior Emilia Zug hit .321 with 11 kills and junior Ryen Smith added 10 as Southern Utah took the second set 25-22, holding the Grizzlies to .125 hitting in that frame.
Defense against Utah Tech
At Utah Tech on September 29, Southern Utah held the Trailblazers to a .187 hitting percentage, the first time in Big Sky play it kept an opponent under .200, and won the third set before losing in four. Sophomore libero Amanda Mendoza had a season-high 17 digs, junior Cala Cooper, whom Southern Utah's recap calls a Utah State transfer, had five blocks, and the team recorded 58 digs. Utah Tech's season is on our Utah Tech volleyball page.
Who leads Southern Utah volleyball in 2026?
Through October 15, Southern Utah's season statistics list these leaders:
- Kills: Audrey Atwood, 101 (Idaho Falls, Idaho), followed by Maya Banks (85), Natalie Moore (78) and Ryen Smith (77)
- Points: Atwood, 121
- Blocks: Moore, 45, including 14 solo; Emilia Linden, 30; Banks, 28
- Digs: Zorana Stankovska, 105; Talea Berry, 96; Atwood, 89
- Assists: Berry, 226; Celeste Uruena Jensen, 223
- Aces: Berry, 16; Smith and Amanda Mendoza, 13 each
The roster has Utah roots too. Smith is from Smithfield and played at Skyview High School, Cooper is from Lehi and played at Skyridge, junior libero Kaitlyn Barnes is from Pleasant Grove, and Mitchell is from Lindon and played at Pleasant Grove High School. Smith reached five or more kills in six straight matches through October 3, according to Southern Utah's recap of that match.
What is next for Southern Utah volleyball?
As of October 16, the schedule lists a match at Montana State in Bozeman on October 17 at 7 p.m. MT, then Eastern Washington at the America First Event Center on October 22 at 6:30 p.m. MT. The schedule, checked the same day, has Utah Tech in Cedar City on November 10 and the Big Sky Conference Championships in Flagstaff, Arizona, on November 23-25.
Key facts:
- Record: 1-16 overall, 0-7 Big Sky (as of Oct. 16, 2026)
- Coach: Danielle Jensen, named head coach in 2025; 190-88 in 10 seasons at USU Eastern
- First win: 3-0 over Chicago State in the home opener, Sept. 18
- Biggest kill nights: Maya Banks, 20 kills against Pacific (Aug. 30); Audrey Atwood, 18 kills against Weber State (Oct. 10)
- Kills leader: Atwood, 101
- Blocks leader: Natalie Moore, 45
- Digs leader: Zorana Stankovska, 105
- Assists and aces leader: Talea Berry, 226 assists and 16 aces
- Team hitting percentage: .100, against .256 for opponents