TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (September 25, 2018) - When a team competes in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, they know they are in for a long season that is filled with both opportunities and challenges.

The No. 5 Salt Lake Community College Bruins know that story well, with three of the nation's top-five ranked teams playing in the league. Adding to that, the Bruins have one of the most geographically-diverse leagues in the country, bringing an entirely new set of challenges with it. 

Travel won't be an issue for the Bruins this weekend, as they play inside the Lifetime Activities Center for just the second weekend this season. However, with the program set for its league home-opener on Friday, the challenger happens to be none other than No. 4 Snow College, setting the stakes for the match even higher.

"This week we are healthy and we are excited to be home for the next three weeks," said SLCC coach Sue Dulaney. "Every conference match is important and brings with it a different game plan.  We will be prepared."

Salt Lake will have much to prepare for with Snow, as the Badgers will enter the LAC with a record of 18-1 and a 10-match winning streak. Snow opened league play last weekend with a 3-1 victory over Southern Nevada. The Badgers play a defensive style that frustrates attacking opponents like the Bruins, with Snow leading the league in blocks-per-set at 2.87.

Saturday's match against Southern Nevada will bring a different set of challenges with it, as the Coyotes sit at 7-10 and an 0-2 record on the road. Still, CSN sits just behind the Bruins in service aces, averaging 2.15 aces-per-set.

Even with the tough opponents coming into the LAC this weekend, Salt Lake has much going for it, including a much-healthier squad than last weekend. Several SLCC players struggled with health issues as the Bruins defeated USU Eastern and Colorado Northwestern - an issue that won't happen as the team is much healthier this weekend.

"We had a few illnesses and injuries last week but we have a solid bench that stepped right in and got the job done this past weekend," said Dulaney. "We will continue to work on being an efficient team and making our opponents earn their points."

Salt Lake's match against No. 4 Snow College will start at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, with Saturday's match against Southern Nevada starting at 3:00 p.m. Both matches will feature live stats at www.slccbruins.com. 

NOTES: Salt Lake's Dawson Day was named as the Scenic West Athletic Conference's Co-Player of the Week last week, leading the Bruins to a 2-0 weekend in league play. She shared the award with Southern Idaho's Airi Miyabe.