TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (August 27, 2018) - A 4-0 start to the season brings about a variety of adjectives for the No. 15 Salt Lake Community College volleyball program.

After all, the Bruins deserve to be encouraged, positive and proud at their start. However, after several matches that included tense moments, Salt Lake also has reason to be cautious, motivated and eager to improve in the coming days and weeks. 

This week will serve as the second week of the 2018 season for SLCC, and it will feature their heaviest load of matches as they will play five matches in five days. First, Salt Lake will host Eastern Arizona in their home opener on Tuesday, before settling in for four matches in the "Crystal 'Inn'vitational" at the Lifetime Activities Center over Labor Day weekend.

The opportunity to play so many matches in a compressed time frame will help the Bruins cure the few ails they have found so far, said Bruins coach Sue Dulaney.

"Based on our performance this past weekend, it is clearly evident that we need to strengthen our serving," she said. "We had way too many service errors. Five of our six starters are freshmen, so lessons need to be reinforced and Monday's practice will refocus on the mental aspects of serving."

While Dulaney constantly pushes her team towards perfection, the veteran coach said she saw many impressive signs in Salt Lake's 4-0 start, including a 3-2 thriller over Northeastern Junior College.

"I was pleased with our 4-0 finish in Casper not just because we went undefeated but because we showed grit," she said. "Two of the four teams we faced were in their respective Region championships last year and were solid performers. When we lost the first two sets against (Northeastern) we changed a couple of things and were at three match points in the third to finally capture the set.  This team showed they can adapt under fire and that our bench is solid."

Turning attention to this week, the Bruins will host Eastern Arizona on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Lifetime Activities Center. Salt Lake will also play two matches on Friday and Saturday. The Bruins play New Mexico Military Institute at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, followed up by a 4:00 p.m. matchup with Western Nebraska. Saturday's matches include an 11:00 a.m. matchup with Central Wyoming and a 3:00 p.m. match with Missouri State University-West Plains. 

With several quality programs entering the Wasatch Front this week, Dulaney said there will be an urgency to how her team operates.

"I know we are excited to host all five matches and I hope our families and fans can come support this program," she said. "We are young, which at times shows, but we are learning and growing every practice and we want to be playing our best volleyball in November."