PROVO, Utah — No. 19 BYU women's volleyball welcomes No. 7 Arizona State to the Smith Fieldhouse this week, hosting the Sun Devils on Thursday night.
The Cougars (15-2, 3-2 Big 12) have played just one Top 25 opponent previously this season, sweeping then-No. 16 USC at LMU on Sept. 11.
Head coach Heather Olmstead is 33-31 (.516) against ranked teams during her tenure. She is 18-9 (.667) against Top 25 opponents at home and 8-7 (.533) against top 10 teams overall, with a 4-2 (.667) against top 10 opponents at the Smith Fieldhouse.
| No. 19 BYU vs. No. 7 Arizona State | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, Oct. 16 | 6 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU had a single game week last week, picking up a four-set win agaisnt Houston, led by Alex Bower's third double-double in a row. The setter finished with 42 assists and 14 digs, setting up both Claire Little Chambers (21 kills) and Suli Davis (15 kills) for their 16th match in double figures.
The Cougars also saw productivity from Brielle Kemavor (six kills) as well as Sophia Callahan and Anna Blamires, who added four kills apiece. Dropping in 11 aces on the contest, Lulu Uluave, who started at libero, finished with a match-high three. Elli Mortensen, Little Chambers and Abby Hoybjerg (career high) all contributed two.
Uluave also tallied a season-high 16 digs to go along with six assists. Kemavor posted a game-high four total blocks. Little Chambers and Hoybjerg carded two. BYU hit .233 in the match to Houston's .173, just its third win this season when hitting below .250. The Cougars are 3-2 in such matches.
Through three weeks of Big 12 play, BYU continues to lead the Conference in both kills per set (14.26) and assists per set (13.28). The Cougars rank No. 10 nationally in both metrics. BYU also ranks No. 20 in the country in team hitting percentage (.279) and No. 43 in aces per set (1.82).
Individually, Bower paces the Cougars with the nation's fifth-best assist per set average, at 10.85. She also sits at No. 12 in total asissts (662). Little Chambers (4.27) and Davis (4.16) are No. 33 and No. 39, respectively, in kills per set. Kemavor's .385 hitting percentage is good for 38th.
Welcoming Arizona State to Provo for the third season in a row, BYU looks to snap a three-game skid against ASU in Thursday night's match.
Arizona State (14-2, 5-0 Big 12)
- The Sun Devils swept Baylor and beat then-No. 24 Colorado in four sets last week.
- ASU opened Big 12 play with a five-set win at then-No. 18 Kansas before sweeping Kansas State and Utah.
- JJ Van Niel is in his third season at the helm in Tempe. He is 72-12 (.857) with the Sun Devils.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 21-7, but Arizona State has taken the last three matchups. The Cougars are 7-3 against the Sun Devils in Provo.
Following its home match against Arizona State, BYU will make its' first-ever trip to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon.