PROVO, Utah — No. 12 BYU women’s volleyball travels to Orlando this week for a pair of matches with new conference foe, UCF.
| No. 12 BYU @ UCF | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Television/Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, Nov. 9 | 7 p.m. EST | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Friday, Nov. 10 | 7 p.m. EST | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars remained at No. 12 in this week’s AVCA poll, marking 163-straight weeks that BYU has been ranked in the Top 25, and 154-consecutive polls inside the top 18.
Picking up two sweeps of Cincinnati at the Smith Fieldhouse last week, BYU was led by outside hitter Erin Livingston, who finished with 38 kills, 19 in each match, on a .552 hitting percentage.
Livingston was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season after averaging 7.08 points per set and 6.33 kills per set, both conference highs.
It was the Cougars’ sixth weekly conference honor of the season with Livingston and middle blocker Mia Lee each earning awards twice previously, and middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas winning once.
Setter Whitney Bower tallied 61 assists for a 10.17 assist per set average during the two-game set against the Bearcats. Libero Aria McComber paced the team with four service aces as BYU posted 16 on the week, averaging 2.67 aces per set.
The Cougars got eight blocks from opposite hitter Kate Prior, and seven from McEwan-Llarenas. Libero Kamaile Hiapo carded a team-high 14 digs, with Bower and libero Hannah Billeter each recording 11.
BYU has five hitters with percentages of .250 or better on the season: Bower (.359), McEwan-Llarenas (.346), middle blocker Mia Lee (.299), Livingston (.270) and outside hitter Elyse Stowell (.265).
With five game remaining in conference play, the Cougars lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.162), and are second in the Big 12 in blocks per set (2.71), total blocks (230) and service aces (138).
As a team, BYU ranks No. 13 nationally in blocks per set, No. 24 in opponent hitting percentage and No. 33 in team hitting percentage, at .266.
Individually, Livingston averages 4.04 kills per set and 4.53 points per set, marks that rank 34th and 40th in the country, respectively. Lee ranks No. 51 in blocks per set, averaging 1.23.
The Cougars look to build upon their two-game win streak as they head out on their four conference road trip this season. BYU is 4-5 on the road the season, including 1-4 in Big 12 matches away from Provo.
UCF (17-7, 8-5 Big 12)
- The Knights have lost their last three matches after beating TCU in four the last week of October
- UCF has swept conference series with Cincinnati and Oklahoma, also picking up single game wins over Texas Tech, West Virginia and Kansas State
- Jenny Maurer is in her first season as head coach in Orlando. She is 99-179 (.356) in her career.
- BYU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 2-0. The Cougars are 1-0 at UCF, with the last matchup occurring on Aug. 26, 2006, a 3-0 BYU win in Orlando.
Following BYU's road trip to Florida, it will return to Provo for the final home game of the regular season with a senior night matchup against No. 14 Kansas.