PROVO, Utah — Fresh off a 3-1 win over Utah in front of a record-setting crowd on Wednesday night, No. 12 BYU women's volleyball continues its in-state slate with matches at Utah Valley and Utah State on Friday and Saturday night.
| Match Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| No. 12 BYU @ Utah Valley | Friday, Sept. 15 | 6 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 12 BYU @ Utah Valley | Saturday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. MDT | Mountain West Network | Sidearm Stats |
The Cougars (9-1, 0-0 Big 12) are ranked No. 12 in the American Volleyball Coaches Poll (AVCA) this week, marking 155-consecutive polls in the AVCA Top 25, including 146-straight weeks in the top 18, dating back to the final AVCA poll of the 2013 season.
Backed by double-digit kills from outside hitter Erin Livingston (16 kills, hitting .684), outside hitter Claire Little (14 kills, .393 clip) and opposite hitter Kate Prior (10 kills, .350 clip), BYU beat in-state rival Utah in four sets on Wednesday night with a crowd of 5,528 at the Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars hit .345 on the match and recorded eight service aces, both the second most this season.
Libero Hannah Billeter led the team with three aces against the Utes. Both she and setter Whitney Bower have 16 total aces on the season. Billeter and fellow libero Kamaile Hiapo paced the team with 12 digs each, while middle blocker Mia Lee had a team-high eight blocks, the fifth time this season that she's led the team in blocks.
As a team, BYU ranks No. 6 nationally in total blocks (101.5), No. 19 in blocks per set (2.82 and No. 20 in opponent hitting percentage (.142). The Cougars lead the Big 12 in total kills, with 461, and are also second in conference in attacks (1,142) and total blocks (101.5).
Livingston leads the league in total kills (140) and points (157), marks that rank 27th and 33rd nationwide. Lee's 45 total blocks on the year are good for No. 25 in the country, while middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas' 40 rank No. 51. Bower's 311 total assists are 64th. Her and Billeter's 16 service aces rank 71st.
Utah Valley will play host to Utah State on Thursday evening before BYU makes the trip down University Parkway to face the Wolverines and to Logan for a road matchup with the Aggies.
Utah Valley (3-6, 0-0 WAC)
- The Wolverines beat both Idaho State and Gonzaga in four sets last week, before being swept at Weber State earlier this week.
- Sam Atoa has been the head coach at Utah Valley for 21 seasons, posting a 334-259 (.653) record.
- BYU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 19-0. Head coach Heather Olmstead is 7-0 against UVU during her tenure and 4-0 in Orem.
Utah State (6-3, 0-0 Mountain West)
- The Aggies fell to Texas A&M and TCU before beating Northern Iowa last week.
- Rob Neilson is in year four, going 55-35 (.625) since 2020.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 52-15. Olmstead is 1-0 against USU, having coached against the Aggies for the first time last season, a 3-0 win in Provo.
The Cougars open up Big 12 play in their inaugural season as league members next week, hosting Houston on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. MDT. The match will be televised on ESPN2.