PROVO, Utah – No. 11 seed BYU women's volleyball will play No. 6 seed Purdue in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament Regional Semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 9 in the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The match between the Cougars and Boilermakers will begin at 11 a.m. EST. BYU earned its ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 10 seasons after overpowering both Boise State (3-0) and Utah (3-1) in the Smith Fieldhouse last weekend.
In program history, the teams have only faced each other on five occasions. The last time the teams battled was during head coach Heather Olmstead’s first season as head coach, in 2015. In that match, BYU swept Purdue.
Thursday's match can be viewed live via ESPNU.
No. 11 Seed Brigham Young University Cougars (30-1, 18-0 West Coast Conference)
- The Cougars are on a 23-match winning streak
- Since Olmstead took over in 2015, this is the third time the Cougars broke the 30-win threshold
- The WCC honored Olmstead as Coach of the Year, graduate opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber as Player of the Year and junior setter Whitney Bower as Setter of the Year.
- Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon, graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg, junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting, sophomore outside hitter Erin Livingston and sophomore libero Madi Allen all received All-WCC honors
- Graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg is a Senior CLASS Award finalist
- Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 4 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .445 clip
- BYU currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage (.120), No. 2 in match winning percentage (.968), No. 3 in hitting percentage (.338), No. 9 in kills per set (14.23) and No. 18 in assists per set (12.92). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.
No. 6 Seed Purdue University Boilermakers (25-6, 15-5 Big Ten Conference)
- Purdue topped both Illinois State (3-0) and Dayton (3-2) in the First and Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
- Purdue’s position as the No. 6 seed is the program's highest since 2011
- The Boilermakers closed out the regular-season tied for third in the Big Ten standings, its best since 2011
- This is Purdue’s seventh consecutive and 23rd overall postseason appearance
- Head coach Dave Shondell was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second time of his career
- Five athletes received conference honors. Hayley Bush, Grace Cleveland and Caitlyn Newton were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Jena Otec earned All-Big Ten Second Team and Raven Colvin earned All-Freshman team.
- Purdue ranks No. 2 in the NCAA in team total blocks (349.5), No. 3 in blocks per set (2.99) and No. 21 in match-winning percentage (.806).
BROADCAST INFORMATION – Dec. 9
- Time: 11 a.m. EST
- Live Stream: ESPNU
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
TICKET INFORMATION
Purchase tickets online by clicking here.
MASK REQUIREMENT
Masks are required for all those in attendance, regardless of vaccination status.