PROVO, Utah — No. 21 BYU women's volleyball heads up to Salt Lake City this week for a match at No. 23 Utah on Friday night.
| No. 21 BYU @ No. 23 Utah | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Friday, Nov. 8 | 7 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars (14-7, 7-4 Big 12) look to sweep the season series with the Utes after they beat Utah by three points in a fifth set back on Oct. 19 in Provo, their fifth-conseuctive win over the in-state rival.
BYU dropped a spot from No. 20 to No. 21 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, marking 178-straight polls that the Cougars have been ranked in the Top 25. All 10 of head coach Heather Olmstead's seasons have been spent inside the Top 25.
Splitting its contests last week, BYU led 2-1 before falling in five to then-No. 13 Arizona State but swept Arizona two days later. The Cougars hit .275 on the week, led by 20 kills in each match from Claire Little, who hit .330 between the two matches.
Little was joined by Kjersti Strong and Elli Mortensen, who added 18 kills apiece. Kate Prior tallied 14 kills and Brielle Kemavor had 12. Alex Bower dished out 82 assists, averaging 10.25 assists per set across the eight sets.
Bower and Lulu Uluave recorded 24 digs each, with Hannah Billeter (21), Little (16) and Mortensen (15) joining them in double figures. BYU's blocking efforts slowed last week, but Brielle Kemavor led the way with five total blocks. Strong tallied four, while Prior and Mortensen contributed three apiece.
The Cougars' .267 season hitting percentage remains just inside the Top 25 nationally, ranking No. 24. Now past the halfway point of Big 12 play, BYU leads in the conference in total blocks (212.5), and is second in blocks per set (2.53), metrics they rank 50th and 42 in, respectively.
Kemavor continues to pace the conference in the same statistics. She is also No. 19 nationwide in total blocks (117) and No. 21 in blocks per set (1.39). Little is second in the Big 12 in both points (380.5) and points per set (4.53).
Facing off for the second time in three weeks, this is the first time the Cougars and Utes will meet twice in the same season since 2021, when BYU hosted Utah in the regular season and in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 23 Utah (17-5, 7-4 Big 12)
- The Utes play at Colorado on Wednesday night. They beat the Buffaloes at home in five sets the opening week of conference play.
- Head coach Beth Launiere is in her 35th season at Utah. She is 666-424 (.611) in her career.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 78-29, and has won the last five meetings between the two teams. The Cougars are 27-15 against the Utes in Salt Lake City. BYU head coach Heather Olmstead is 10-2 against Utah during her 10-year tenure, and is 6-1 when facing a ranked Ute team.
The Cougars will hit the road for the second-to-last time in the regular season next week, visiting UCF and Houston for matches on Thursday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 16 next week.