PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball heads out on its third Big 12 road trip of the season, visiting Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. for a pair of matches this week.
| No. 8 BYU @ Kansas State | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Television/Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, Oct. 26 | 6:30 p.m. CDT | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Friday, Oct. 27 | 6:30 p.m. CDT | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars moved up a spot to No. 8 in the AVCA poll this week, tied for their highest ranking this season after also being ranked 8th in week 3. This marks 161-straight polls that BYU has been ranked in the Top 25 and 152-consecutive weeks inside the top 18.
Picking up a pair of sweeps over Iowa State last week, the Cougars hit .370 on night one before following up that performance with a .387 clip on night two. Three BYU hitters finishes in double-figures in the second match: outside hitter Erin Livingston had 12 kills, while both outside hitter Elyse Stowell and middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas tallied 11.
Halfway through conference play, the Cougars are led offensively by Livingston, whose 277 kills have come on a .258 clip. Four Cougars are hitting above .300: setter Whitney Bower (.382), Stowell (.355), McEwan-Llarenas (.341) and freshman middle blocker Mia Lee (.311).
Lee and McEwan-Llarenas pace BYU’s defensive efforts at the net, averaging 1.31 and 1.17 blocks per set, respectively. Lee ranks No. 28 nationally in blocks per set, and No. 48 in the country in total blocks, with 92. Averaging 3.58 digs a set, libero Kamaile Hiapo has 258 total digs on the year, a team-high. Bower’s 160 digs are second-best, good for a 2.19 digs per set average.
BYU ranks in the top-10 nationally in both opponent hitting percentage (No. 9, .149) and blocks per set (No. 10, 2.79). The Cougars also rank 22nd in team hitting percentage, at .270, and 29th in total blocks, with 203.5. Posting 3.85 kills per set, Livingston sits at No. 50 nationwide. Her 4.32 points per set average comes in at No. 60.
Now on a five-match win streak, BYU takes its undefeated October record into Manhattan, set to play the Wildcats in their new Morgan Family Arena.
Kansas State (11-8, 5-5 Big 12)
- The Wildcats split their series at Oklahoma last week, falling in five in game one and sweeping the Sooners in game two.
- K-State has also split series with TCU and Baylor, picking up single-match wins at West Virginia and against Iowa State
- Head coach Jason Mansfield is in year one at Kansas State and has an 11-8 record overall.
- BYU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 3-1. The Cougars took the last and only matchup in Manhattan, a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 3, 2011. Current BYU head coach Heather Olmstead was an assistant coach on the staff from 2011-14 before being named head coach in 2015.
Returning home for two of their final three home games next week, the Cougars will host Cincinnati in a two-game set on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3-4.