Cedar City • The Southern Utah University women's volleyball team will open the second half of its Summit League slate this weekend, traveling to the University of South Dakota Friday and UMKC Sunday. The Thunderbirds will enter the weekend with an overall record of 5-15 and a 2-7 mark in conference play.

"We have a brand new season starting this weekend," head coach Debby Baker said. "This is a league where anybody can beat anybody on any given night. We just need to come out and compete consistently for the rest of the season."

SUU opened conference with a three-set victory over UMKC, but have lost seven of eight matches in Summit League action, including a recent five-game skid. One of the losses came against South Dakota in Cedar City after the Thunderbirds had rolled to victories in the first and second set, 25-21 and 25-20.

Analaine Pelaez-Mailoto has led the Thunderbird attack all year with a team-best 325 kills and an average of 4.01 per set. The junior eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark earlier this year and could surpass the 1,500-kill plateau before season end with 1,257 to this point of her career. Freshman Gabi Mirand directs the offense with a team-best 656 assists.