PROVO, Utah — No. 19 BYU women's volleyball hits the road for the first time this season, visiting Los Angeles for the LMU Invitational.
The Cougars (6-0, 0-0 Big 12) will face No. 16 USC, a familiar WCC foe in LMU and Western Michigan at the tournament hosted by the Lions.
| LMU Invitational | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| No. 19 BYU vs. No. 16 USC | Thursday, Sept. 11 | 6 p.m. PDT | N/A | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 19 BYU @ LMU | Friday, Sept. 12 | 6 p.m. PDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 19 BYU vs. Western Michigan | Saturday, Sept. 13 | Noon PDT | N/A | Stat Broadcast |
BYU dropped a spot from No. 18 to No. 19 in this week's AVCA poll despite remaining undefeated as it swept its BYU Nike Invitational last week. The Cougars beat Northern Colorado in five and Wichita State in four before sweeping Incarnate Word.
Freshman outside hitter Suli Davis was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week after posting 40 kills on a .301 clip, averaging 3.33 kills per set. She posted double-digit kills in all three of BYU's victories, highlighted by 17 kills, hitting .533, against Northern Colorado. Davis recorded a pair of solo stuffs in the match, totaling 19 digs, six blocks, three assists and two service aces across the tournament.
She was joined by Claire Little Chambers (49 kills, averaging 4.08 per set), Brielle Kemavor (26 kills on a .476 clip), Sophia Callahan (20 kills) and Mia Lee (16 kills) offensively, with Alex Bower commanding the attack, averaging 10.92 assists per set while accumulating 131 assists on the week.
Emma Barbero tallied 40 digs for a 3.33 digs per set average. Little Chambers (22 digs), Bower (20 digs), Davis (19 digs), Lulu Uluave (14 digs) and Callahan (10 digs) also finished in double figures.
Lee led the way with eight aces, included three in a row during the Cougars' opening set against Wichita State. She also posted a team-high 11 blocks. Bower and Kemavor tallied eight apiece.
Through two weeks of play, BYU ranks No. 15 nationally in aces per set (2.27) and No. 19 in the country in total aces (50). The Cougars are also 24th in team hitting percentage (.296), 37th in opponent hitting percentage (.143) and 44th in kills per set (13.73).
Bower paces BYU on the individual side, with the nation's 15th-best assist per set average (10.83) and 18th-highest assist total (236).
Returning to Gersten Pavilion, the Cougars make their first trip to LMU since November 19, 2022, their final season as members of the WCC.
No. 16 USC (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
- The Trojans, also undefeated, are coming off a sweep of then-No. 13 Creighton on Sunday.
- USC has wins over Denver, LMU, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego this season.
- Brad Keller is in his sixth season as head coach of the Women of Troy. He is 90-57 (.612) since 2020.
- BYU trails the all-time series, 7-13, but is 7-6 against USC at neutral sites. The last meeting between the two teams was a neutral site matchup. The Cougars beat the Trojans 3-1 as part of the Marquette Invitational.
LMU (0-4, 0-0 WCC)
- The Lions are winless on the year, falling to Denver, then-No. 21 USC, FGCU and Arizona State.
- LMU faces Western Michigan on Thursday afternoon before hosting BYU in Friday evening.
- Head coach Kolby O'Donnell is in his first year with the Lions.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 25-2 and are 10-2 against LMU in Los Angeles. The Cougars swept the Lions in Provo during the 2023 season, and took the two teams' last meeting at LMU in four sets.
Western Michigan (1-6, 0-0 MAC)
- After winning their opening match against Oakland, the Broncos have dropped six-consecutive matches.
- WMU plays LMU and No. 16 USC before facing the Cougars on Saturday afternoon.
- Head coach Colleen Munson is in her 21st season at Western Michigan. She is 401-242 (.624) in Kalamazoo, and 453-341 (.571) in her 26-year career.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 2-0, and is 1-0 against WMU at neutral sites. The Cougars swept the 19th-ranked Broncos in the series' only neutral previous matchup, one also held in California (San Diego) on Sept. 12, 1986.
Up Next
BYU will return to Utah for a trio of in-state matchups next week. The Cougars will host Weber State on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. MDT before visiting Utah State and Utah Valley later in the week.