Southern Utah campus briefs

SOUTHERN UTAH

MEN'S BASKETBALL: The Thunderbirds will hold its annual Varsity Preview Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Centrum.

The team will conduct a full-game Red-White intra-squad scrimmage to introduce fans to the team as it continues to prepare for the 2009-10 season. There is no charge for the event and the public is encouraged to attend.

The Thunderbirds will also host a pair of exhibition games, Nov. 2 against Mesa State and Nov. 6 against Adams State, before officially tipping off against Hawaii, Nov. 13 at the Rainbow Classic.

FOOTBALL: Cornerback Erron Vonner has been named this week's Great West Conference defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Thunderbirds' 35-10 win over North Dakota on Saturday.

Vonner, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound sophomore from Toledo, Ohio, had seven tackles, including three solo stops, a half-tackle for loss and led the team with a pair of pass break-ups but his big play was a fourth-quarter interception and return for a touchdown which iced the victory for the Thunderbirds.

His 12-yard return was SUU's first interception return for a touchdown since 2004. Among Vonner's additional highlights Saturday were a touchdown-saving tackle on UND's Ismael Bamba at the SUU 5-yard line, which helped prevent the Fighting Sioux from scoring any points on the drive, which ended with a failed field goal attempt. Vonner also drew responsibility for covering UND leading receiver Bamba – who had passed the 100-yard receiving mark in three of the previous four games– and helped keep him without a reception.