PROVO, Utah — No. 24 BYU women's volleyball heads back out onto the road for a quick Big 12 road trip at Iowa State this week.
Meeting for just the third time in series history, and in the last two seasons, the Cougars (10-6, 3-3 Big 12) make their first ever trip to Ames for their match against the Cyclones.
| No. 24 BYU @ Iowa State | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | TV/Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU dropped one spot from No. 23 to No. 24 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, marking 175-straight polls that the Cougars have been ranked in the Top 25. All 10 of BYU head coach Heather Olmstead's seasons have been spent inside the Top 25.
Splitting a Big 12 homestand last week, BYU swept No. 18 Baylor before dropping a five-set match to No. 17 TCU, the Cougars' fifth five-set loss by two points. BYU hit .280 on the week, but their .411 night against the Bears, the Cougars' second-best clip this season, was overshadowed by a .207 performance in the match with the Horned Frogs.
Led by a career-high 18 kills on a .467 clip from Elli Mortensen, BYU took two close sets before running away with a 25-13 third set in its sweep of Baylor. The Cougars also received 14 kills by Claire Little and seven each from Brielle Kemavor and Kjersti Strong.
The duo of middle blockers recorded six and four blocks, respectively, as BYU outblocked Baylor, 10 to five. Lulu Uluave led the way with 15 digs, while Hannah Billeter posted a team-high three service aces. Alex Bower had 41 assists.
The Cougars took the opening set against TCU, 25-18, before dropping sets two and three by a combined four points. BYU stormed back to force a fifth, winning the fourth frame, 25-17. The Cougars fought off a pair of Horned Frog match points, even earning one themselves, but ultimately dropped set five, 18-16.
Little landed 23 kills and was joined by Kemavor's career-high 18 and Prior's season-high 10, combining for roughly 74-percent of the team's offense, but BYU came up just short for the fifth time in the fifth set this season.
Bower posted her seventh double-double of the year in the match as she, Uluave, Mortensen and Billeter all tallied double-digit digs. Kemavor again led the team with five total blocks, including four solo stuffs.
With their season hitting percentage dropping to .266, the Cougars now rank No. 26 nationally in the statistical category, as well as No. 38 in blocks per set (2.61) and No. 42 in total blocks (164.5).
BYU leads the Big 12 in total blocks and it second in blocks per set. Individually, Kemavor paces the conference in the same metrics, averaging 1.35 blocks per set for a total of 85 blocks. She is 29th in the nation in blocks per set and 30th in total blocks.
Little ranks second in the league in four different categories: total kills (254), kills per set (4.03), total points (293.5) and points per set (4.66). She is No. 43 in the country in points per set, No. 46 in kills per set and No. 48 in total points.
After meeting twice on back-to-back nights in Provo last season, the Cougars head to Ames for the first matchup at Hilton Coliseum in series history on Wednesday night.
Iowa State (8-7, 2-2 Big 12)
- The Cyclones took Houston to five sets last week before ultimately falling, 3-2, one of their five five-set losses on the year.
- Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch is 20 years into her tenure in Ames. She has posted a 378-208 (.645) record since 2005.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 2-0. The Cougars took both matchups in Provo last season, the only previous meetings in series history.
Following the quick trip to Ames, BYU will return to Provo to host No. 20 Utah at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. MDT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.