PROVO, Utah — No. 23 BYU women's volleyball plays its third-consecutive Top 25 matchup on Saturday night, welcoming No. 17 TCU to the Smith Fieldhouse.
The Cougars (10-5, 3-2 Big 12) snapped a two-game skid with a sweep of No. 18 Baylor on Thursday night, winning two close sets before running away with a 25-13 third-set victory to move into a four-way tie for third place in the Big 12.
| No. 23 BYU vs. No. 17 TCU | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | TV/Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU was led by Elli Mortensen, who finished with a career-high 18 kills. Claire Little continued her double-digit dominance, adding 14 kills of her own, her 13th match this season in double figures. Kjersti Strong and Brielle Kemavor contibuted seven kills apiece, with Kemavor hitting .778 for the contest.
Alex Bower totaled 41 assists, while Lulu Uluave, starting at libero for the sixth time this year, had a game-high 15 digs. Hannah Billeter dropped in three aces, included a back-to-back ace stretch in the second set. Kemavor recorded six blocks on the night, with Strong and Little each adding four of their own.
Strong surpassed 300-career total blocks in the match, doing so on a solo stuff that put the Cougars up 11-4 in the third set, part of an 8-0 run that eventually gave BYU a commanding 10-point cushion. The Cougars hit .411 for the match, their second-best clip in 2024. BYU held the Bears to a .234 percentage, improving to 10-3 when keeping its opponents below a .250 clip.
The victory over the Bears marked the Cougars' first Top 25 win this season. BYU was previously 0-3 after falling to No. 19 Georgia Tech and No. 12 Oregon, both in five sets, and dropping a three-setter at No. 15 Arizona State last week. With the win, Cougar head coach Heather Olmstead improved to 30-28 (.517) in ranked matchups, and 16-7 (.696) in Top 25 meetings at home.
Upping its season hitting percentage to .271, BYU now ranks No. 23 in the nation. The Cougars are also No. 25 in blocks per set (2.68) and No. 29 in total blocks (155.5). BYU leads the Big 12 in both blocking metrics.
Kemavor continues to pace the conference in the same statistics, posting 1.38 blocks per set and 80 total blocks. She ranks 18th and 21st nationally in those categories. Little is No. 48 in points per set (4.59), No. 50 in kills per set (3.98) and No. 51 in total points (266.5). Bower is also 50th in both total assists (575) and assists per set (9.91).
The Cougars prepare for their fifth Top 25 matchup this season, and third in a row, with the Horned Frogs coming to Provo over the weekend.
No. 17 TCU (11-4, 3-2 Big 12)
- The Horned Frogs beat then-No. 14 Baylor, BYU's Thursday night opponent, in four sets last weekend, but were swept at Utah on Thursday night.
- Head coach Jason Williams is in his third season at TCU, posting a 45-30 (.600) career record in Fort Worth.
- The Cougars lead the all-time series, 15-3, and have won the last three matchups, including a sweep at TCU on November 25 last season. BYU is 7-1 against the Horned Frogs in Provo.
With a quick road trip to Ames next week, the Cougars will visit Iowa State on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CDT before returning home to host Utah on Saturday, Oct. 19.