PROVO, Utah — No. 14 BYU women's volleyball concludes a five-game homestand to open the 2024 campaign this week, welcoming Lipscomb and No. 19 Georgia Tech to Provo for the BYU Nike Invitational.
| BYU Nike Invitational Match Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Lipscomb at No. 14 BYU | Thursday, Sept. 5 | 7 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 19 Georgia Tech vs. Lipscomb | Friday, Sept. 6 | 7 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 19 Georgia Tech at No. 14 BYU | Saturday, Sept. 7 | 7 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) moved up two spots from No. 16 in the preseason poll to No. 14 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll this week, marking 169-consecutive polls that they have been ranked in the Top 25 and 160-straight within the top 18.
BYU went 3-0 during opening weekend, winning its dōTERRA Classic with a pair of sweeps against Southeastern Louisiana and Fairfield and a four-set win against High Point. Outside hitter Claire Little was honored as the tournament MVP, with true freshmen setter Alex Bower and outside hitter Elli Mortensen being named to the all-tournament team.
Little landed 12 kills in the Friday afternoon opener, following it up with back-to-back 17-kill performances. Mortensen recorded double-digit kills in all three matches, pouring in 10, 12 and 17 kills, respectively. Bower notched two double-doubles in her first three career starts, posting 42 assists and 10 digs twice.
The Cougars started the same seven over the weekend: opposite hitter Kate Prior, Mortensen, libero Hannah Billeter, Bower, Little and middle blockers Kjersti Strong and Brielle Kemavor, marking the first-career starts for Mortensen, Bower and Kemavor.
Kemavor recorded 21 kills on a .436 clip and tallied nine blocks, while Strong posted 21 kills to go along with 16 total blocks. Strong led BYU in blocks during the dōTERRA Classic, finishing with game highs in each of the Cougars' three matches.
As a team, BYU hit .407 on the week, a mark that leads the nation. The Cougars averaged 14.6 kills per set, good for No. 17 in the country, and 13.2 assists per set, which ranks No. 23.
Individually, Bower's 11.4 assists per set sit at No. 15 nationwide and Little's .500 hitting percentage is 18th. Little is also averaging 4.6 kills per set, which ranks 28th, and Strong's 1.60 blocks per set rank 30th.
Looking to build upon its 3-0 start, the Cougars get set for their first all-time matchup with Lipscomb and just the second meeting with Georgia Tech in program history.
Lipscomb (2-1, 0-0 ASUN)
- The Bisons picked up wins against California Baptist and Butler, sandwiched with a three-set loss to new Big 12 opponent Arizona State.
- Heach coach Brandon Rosenthal enters year 22 with Lipscomb. He is 384-246 (.610) in his tenure.
- This is the first all-time meeting between the Cougars and Bisons.
No. 19 Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
- The Yellow Jackets dropped a five-setter to UCLA on opening night before picking up wins against New Mexico State and Coastal Carolina.
- Head coach Michelle Collier enters her 11th season at Georgia Tech. She is 199-108 (.648) in Atlanta and 239-136 (.637) in her career.
- This is the second meeting between the two teams in series history. The Yellow Jackets took the only previous matchup, a 3-0 sweep in Atlanta back in 2022.
Following the BYU Nike Invitational, the Cougars will head to San Diego for matchups at former WCC foe USD and a neutral site match against No. 12 Oregon.