HENDERSON, Nev. (September 21, 2021) – The College of Southern Nevada Athletic Department will have a full schedule this upcoming week.
 
CSN will have home contests in Men's-and-Women's Soccer, along with Volleyball. Southern Nevada Cross Country will also compete in a weekend invitational.
 
For more information on CSN Athletics, visit csncoyotes.com.
 
Cross Country: After strong performances in the College of Southern Idaho and BYU meets, Southern Nevada will prepare for this upcoming weekend's TMC XC Invitational, hosted by The Masters University in California.
 
CSN coach Bryan Astudillo said his team has continued to improve throughout the preseason.
 
"Our team has improved since preseason by running a faster race pace," he said. "Our men are getting used to the increase in race mileage from a 5K to an 8K. They are working hard, and we are starting to see their race pace get faster. Our women saw their times decrease from the preseason to our last meet by at least a minute each. They are working real hard and I'm very proud of the improvement so far."
 
Astudillo said this weekend's competition will be a good benchmark for the improving CSN program.
 
"We will be at The Masters University and will be at our first meet competing against NAIA and other NJCAA programs since our first couple of meets were mainly against NCAA Division I-and-II schools," she said. "There are going to be about 28 schools competing this upcoming weekend."
 
Men's Soccer: Southern Nevada had another strong outing last weekend, earning an impressive win over Community Christian College.
 
The Coyotes are now 3-0-1 in Scenic West play, setting up a clash with the NJCAA's top program in No. 1 Salt Lake Community College. CSN will host the match with SLCC on Thursday, followed up by a Saturday match with USU Eastern. 
 
Southern Nevada coach Yancey Tisdale said the team's results have come from the individual growth of players.
 
"The biggest improvement for the Men's Soccer team has been figuring out how to play as a full team and not as individuals," he said. "We are very good technically and work well across the field in small groups, but we were having a very difficult time playing together as a full team.  We have now worked through some formation and tactical issues and are starting to play a much better game as a full unit."
 
Tisdale said the Coyotes will have a full test with Salt Lake.
 
"We have a very difficult but important week ahead of us," he said. "We will be facing the top-seed team in the country on Thursday, who are obviously very good across the field; they are big in the back, fast up front and play very well together.  We then turn around and play a very good USUE team on Saturday, who has shown they can score goals if you make mistakes across the back. A result is important and a near must for conference standings."
 
Women's Soccer: Southern Nevada is on a two-game winning streak in Scenic West play, looking to make a national splash with the NJCAA's No. 3 program.
 
CSN is coming off back-to-back wins over Truckee Meadows and Community California College, with No. 3 Salt Lake coming to town Thursday. The Lady Coyotes will also host USU Eastern on Saturday, with all of the weekend's matches taking place at Cristo Rey St. Viator.
 
Southern Nevada coach Jocelyn Roach said the team's recent success has proven the talent her team has.
 
"The last two games have proven we can score goals," she said. "That is a huge difference from where we started, and it's not just one person scoring goals; it's multiple players."
 
Roach noted how the match against Salt Lake is setting up for a strong clash.
 
"We know SLCC could potentially be our toughest opponent yet, and there's a lot for this sophomore class to prove as they shut us out three times last year," she said. "I believe our players are ready for Salt Lake, though. Then, with us losing to USU Eastern twice last season in very close matchups, and one even ending in OT, I think the sophomores have a little chip on their shoulder with both opponents this week."
 
Volleyball: After a much-needed off-week, the Lady Coyotes will open Scenic West Athletic Conference play this week with a pair of matches inside the CSN Sports Center.
 
Southern Nevada will host Colorado Northwestern to open Scenic West play on Thursday, with a match against USU Eastern on Saturday. CSN is 2-3 at home this season.
 
Lady Coyotes coach Jessica Diehl said her team used practice last week to improve on fundamentals.
 
"We spent the last week really focusing on the basics," she said. "Our goals this week focus around playing well to give ourselves a good foundation for all of league play."