PROVO, Utah — No. 12 BYU women’s volleyball welcomes in-state rival Utah to the Smith Fieldhouse for a Wednesday night matchup at 7 p.m. MDT.
BYU vs. Utah Match Information
The Cougars (8-1, 0-0 Big 12) dropped four spots to No. 12 in the American Volleyball Coaches Poll (AVCA) this week after going 2-1 at Washington State’s Cougar Classic last weekend.
BYU has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 155-consecutive polls, including 146-straight weeks in the top 18, dating back to the final AVCA poll of the 2013 season.
Picking up a four-set win against Towson and a sweep of UC Irvine before falling to then-No. 13 Wazzu, the Cougars had outside hitter Erin Livingston and opposite hitter Kate Prior named the Cougar Classic all-tournament team.
Together the pair teamed up to total 65 kills across BYU's three matches, just under 50 percent of the team's offensive productivity in the Palouse. Livingston led the team with 42 kills in Pullman, while Prior’s 23 kills came on a .340 clip.
Outside hitter Elyse Stowell also added 23 kills after starting all three matches of the tournament, her first three starts of the season. Middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas contributed 20 kills, while setter Whitney Bower tallied 10.
Bower finished with 99 assists and 24 digs on the weekend, with libero Kamaile Hiapo carding a team-high 50 digs. McEwan-Llarenas and Prior paced the Cougars at the net defensively, posted 11 and 10 total blocks, respectively.
After three weeks of play, BYU ranks nationally in three statistical categories as a team. The Cougars are No. 17 in total blocks (89), No. 21 in blocks per set (2.78) and No. 21 in opponent hitting percentage (.140).
Individually, Livingston 3.88 kills per set and Mia Lee’s 1.28 blocks per set both rank 59th in the country. Livingston 124 total kills are good for No. 6. Lee and McEwan-Llarenas both have 37 total blocks this season, which sits at 77th nationwide.
Facing the Utes on Wednesday night, BYU gets set for the 106th matchup between the two teams and 53rd in Provo. The Cougars are 41-11 against Utah at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Utah (4-4, 0-0 Pac-12)
- The Utes beat former WCC foe San Francisco and Tennessee State in their home tournament last week, also falling to UC Santa Barbara in five sets
- Head coach Beth Launiere has been at Utah since 1991, posting a 642-404 (.614 record) during her tenure
- BYU leads the all-time series, 76-29. Head coach Heather Olmstead is 8-2 against Utah and 4-2 in Provo.
The Cougars will continue their in-state slate after hosting Utah, playing at Utah Valley and Utah State on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16.