PROVO, Utah — No. 17 BYU women's volleyball continues Big 12 play and its three-game homestand this weekend with a Saturday matinee match against Texas Tech.
The Cougars take a four-game win streak into the meeting with the Red Raiders and will look to extend that streak to a season-high five matches.
| No. 17 BYU vs. Texas Tech | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 | 1 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU beat new Big 12 member Colorado in four sets on Thursday night to open conference play as three Cougars finished with double-digit kills, led by Claire Little's 15. Elli Mortensen added 13 and Brielle Kemavor had 10.
Alex Bower posted the fifth double-double of her freshman season, tallying 40 assists and a team-high 13 digs. Hannah Billeter recorded nine digs to go along with a career-high six assists, and Kemavor carded a game-high nine blocks.
Hitting .306 on the contest, BYU held Colorado to a .231 hitting percentage, backed by a 15 block output, the Cougars' second best defensive effort at the net this season.
The Buffaloes out-aced BYU, nine to three, but also had 14 service errors, including the match's final point. The Cougars out-dug Colorado, 47 to 44, while both teams had 54 total kills.
Upping its season hitting percentage to .289, BYU now ranks No. 11 nationally. The Cougars also rank No. 15 in blocks per set (2.82), No. 23 in total blocks (124) and No. 29 in opponent hitting percentage (.157).
Kemavor leads the league in both blocks per set (1.41) and total blocks (62). She ranks 20th and 22nd in both statistics, respectively. Little is second in the Big 12 with 4.48 points per set, and Kjersti Strong's 1.28 blocks per set rank third.
Continuing conference play, the Cougars and Red Raiders will meet for the seventh time in series history, and third in the last two seasons.
Texas Tech (8-5, 0-1 Big 12)
- The Red Raiders won five straight earlier this season, but are currently on a three-game losing streak.
- Head coach Tony Graystone is in his ninth season at Texas Tech. He is 124-125 (.498) in Lubbock and 564-290 (.660) in his career.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 4-2 and has won the last four, with all six matches in series history being played in Provo.
- The two teams met on back-to-back nights last season, with the Cougars winning in five on Oct. 13 and sweeping the Red Raiders on Oct. 14.
- Prior to those matches, BYU and Texas Tech had not met since 1998. The Cougars and Red Raiders also faced off in 1981 and twice in 1980.
BYU heads to the Grand Canyon State next week for matches at Arizona and No. 14 Arizona State on Wednesday and Friday, Oct 2 and 4.