PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball heads to the Palouse this week for Washington State’s Cougar Challenge, facing Towson and UC Irvine before a top-15 matchup with Wazzu.
| Cougar Challenge Match Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| No. 8 BYU vs. Towson | Thursday, Sept. 7 | 10:30 a.m. PDT | WSU Live Stream | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 8 BYU vs. UC Irvine | Thursday, Sept. 7 | 5:30 p.m. PDT | WSU Live Stream | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 8 BYU @ No. 13 Washington State | Friday, Sept. 8 | 7 p.m. PDT | Pac-12 Insider/WSU Live Stream | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars (6-0, 0-0 Big 12) moved up a spot to No. 8 in the American Volleyball Coaches Poll (AVCA) this week after jumping up eight positions last week from No. 17 in the preseason poll to No. 9 after opening weekend.
BYU has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 154-consecutive polls, including 145-straight weeks in the top 18, dating back to the final AVCA poll of the 2013 season.
Improving to 6-0 on the year with a trio of sweeps last week, the Cougars picked up a win over former WCC foe Loyola Marymount before winning their home tournament, the dōTERRA Classic, after victories against McNeese and UC Davis.
BYU setter Whitney Bower and middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas were named to the Classic’s all-tournament team, with libero Kamaile Hiapo honored as the tournament MVP.
Bower dished out 69 assists on the week, also adding 21 digs, nine blocks and eight kills on a .250 clip. McEwan-Llarenas hit an efficient .368 with 20 kills, nine blocks, three digs and one assist. Hiapo finished with a team-high 24 digs across the three matches, contributing 19 assists, four service aces and one kill.
Outside hitter Erin Livingston leads the team with 82 kills, hitting .265. McEwan-Llarenas, posting a .383 clip on the year, is second with 43 kills. Libero Hannah Billeter has a team-high 12 aces, while McEwan-Llarenas (26) and middle blocker Mia Lee (23) pace the team in blocks. Hiapo and Bower have 65 and 55 digs, respectively.
Through two weeks, the Cougars rank No. 8 in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.107) and No. 19 in blocks per set, averaging 2.9. BYU is second in the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage and total blocks (61), ranking third in both service aces (39) and aces per set (1.86).
The Cougars have never played Towson in any sport and have faced UC Irvine just twice in program history. BYU and Washington State have also met just twice previously, including at last season’s dōTERRA Classic in Provo.
Towson (6-1, 0-0 CAA)
- The Tigers went 4-0 in their home tournament last weekend, picking up wins over Fairleigh Dickinson, Dartmouth, Temple and Rider
- Towson split a two-game set at South Carolina during opening weekend, earning a 3-0 sweep of the Gamecocks to begin the 2023 season
- The Tigers’ winningest coach in program history, Don Metil, is 227-77 (.747) in 11 seasons at Towson. He is 457-207 (.688) overall.
- This is the first meeting between BYU and Towson in any NCAA sport
UC Irvine (2-4, 0-0 Big West)
- The Anteaters went 2-1 at Chicago State’s Windy City Invitational last week, beating the host Cougars and Jacksonville State before falling to Boston College in four sets
- Ashlie Hain is in her ninth season with the UCI, going 110-104 (.514) since 2016
- BYU leads the all-time series, 2-0. The Cougars won the last matchup between the two teams, a 3-0 sweep at home on Sept 12, 2023.
No. 13 Washington State (5-1, 0-0 Pac-12)
- The Cougars are 5-1 to start their 2023 campaign, with their lone loss coming at then-No. 5 Louisville
- Wazzu beat Northwestern State, Drake and Tulsa in its first home invitational last weekend
- Head coach Jen Greeny is in her 17th season with WSU, going 214-168 (.560). She is 326-192 (.629) overall
- BYU leads the all-time series, 6-2-1, and won the battle of the Cougars in Provo last year with a 3-0 sweep
The Cougars will return to the state of Utah next week for matchups with in-state opponents Utah, Utah Valley and Utah State.