BYU earns No. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament, to host first & second round

PROVO, Utah — No. 4-seed BYU women’s volleyball will remain in Provo and host in-state foe Weber State at the Smith Fieldhouse in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament on Friday night.

"We're thrilled to be hosting the first and second rounds and to be able to play at home," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "Our team put together a great season and played great matches. I think we did what we needed to do to have the opportunity to host, so we're grateful for that. We're excited to play a Weber State team that we're familiar with. We didn't play them this year in preseason, but we're familiar with their players, their coaching and their style of play, so I think that'll be a great first round matchup. We're also excited to host the other match in Arizona State and Georgia. I think it'll be a great weekend of volleyball. We hope the community and Cougar Nation can come out and support. I'm excited for our seniors to be able to host these matches and our team in general. I think they've done a great job this season, so we're thrilled."

FULL BRACKET

The Cougars (24-6, 13-5 Big 12) will take on the Wildcats (21-9, 11-5, Big Sky) on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. MST. Earlier that evening, Georgia will play No. 5 seed Arizona State at 4:30 p.m. The winning teams from Friday's matches will then play a second Round contest on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. Further details on ticket information will be announced at a later date.

This year marks the 12th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 36th overall for BYU, who finished third in its inaugural season in the Big 12. The Cougars have finished third or better in league in each of Olmstead’s nine seasons at the helm, earning a trip to the Tournament and advancing at least to the second round each time.

BYU last hosted the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament in 2021 after a year off during the spring 2020-21 covid postseason that was played entirely at a neutral site. Last season was the first in the Olmstead era in which the Cougars did not host the first and second rounds.

"It is always exciting when we have the chance to play in the Smith Fieldhouse because it’s home and we have the most incredible fans and atmosphere," senior outside hitter Erin Livingson said. "We are extremely grateful and excited that we get to host Weber State this Friday. They are a great team and it’ll be fun to match up against them. There’s going to be great energy and we are just thankful we get to play the start of the Tournament at home!"

Finishing the regular season ranked No. 16 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, BYU also ranking No. 22 nationwide in blocks per set (2.63), No. 24 in team hitting percentage (.275) and No. 33 in opponent hitting percentage (.170).

Teams winning both matches this weekend will move on to regional play on Dec. 7 and 9. The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and national championship on Dec. 14 and 17 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with the championship match being broadcast on ABC.