PROVO, Utah — No. 17 BYU women's volleyball returns home this week to host a pair of matches against UCF and Kansas State at the Smith Fieldhouse.
The Cougars (17-4, 5-4 Big 12) will welcome the Knights to Provo on Wednesday night and the Wildcats on Friday night.
| No. 17 BYU vs. UCF, Kansas State | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| UCF | Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 6 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Kansas State | Friday, Oct. 31 | 6 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU remained at No. 17 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll after splitting its Big 12 slate for the fourth time, sandwiching two conference splits with a single game week where it beat Houston in four sets.
The Cougars dropped a five-set match at then-No. 19 Baylor before beating then-No. 10 TCU in four sets. BYU was led by Suli Davis, who had 41 kills, averaging 4.56 per set. Brielle Kemavor added 29 (3.22 per set) on a .418 clip, while also recording 15 total blocks for a 1.67 block per set average.
Sophia Callahan contributed 21 kills (hitting .367) of her own, and Claire Little Chambers had 15. Alex Bower dished out 90 assists across the two matches, averaging 10 per set, while Lulu Uluave (26 digs, 2.89 per set), Little Chambers (23 digs, 2.56 per set), Emma Barbero (20 digs, 3.33 per set) and Davis (19 digs, 2.11 per set) paced the Cougars defensively.
Davis posted her fourth double-double of the season in a 20-kill, 10-dig effort against the Horned Frogs, also just missing out on a fifth with 21 kills and nine digs at Baylor. She now has five matches with 20 or more kills, all in the last seven matches.
Halfway through Big 12 play, BYU continues to lead the league in assists per set (13.21) and hitting percentage (.273), statistics it ranks No. 14 and No. 19 in nationally. The Cougars are also second in aces per set (1.64), kills per set (14.14), total assists (1,030), total kills (1,103) and service aces (128).
Individually, Bower remains atop the Big 12 in assists per set (10.76) and total assists (839). She is No. 7 and No. 11 in the country in those statistics, respectively. Bower is joined by Kemavor's .393 hitting percentage, Davis' 370.5 points, and 339 kills, which all rank second in the league.
In conference play alone, Kemavor paces the Big 12 with a .403 hitting percentage, while Bower's 337 assists and 10.21 assist per set average are also a league high. Davis' 4.88 kills per set average is good for third in the conference.
After visiting the Knights and Wildcats twice in the last two seasons, BYU gets the chance to host both team in Provo for the first time since joining the Big 12.
UCF (12-8, 3-6 Big 12)
- The Knights split their slate last week, picking up a five-set road win at Houston before falling to Texas Tech in four at home.
- UCF has also beaten Cincinnati and West Virginia in conference, with losses to Colorado, Iowa State, TCU and Arizona.
- Head coach Matt Botsford is in his first year in Orlando. He is 12-8 (.600) with the Knights and 275-86 (.762) in his career.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 5-0, and is 1-0 against UCF in Provo. The Cougars have taken 15 of 16 sets against the Knights in series history.
Kansas State (11-6, 4-5 Big 12)
- The Wildcats upset then-No. 14 Kansas in Lawrence, 3-2 last week, snapping a two-match losing streak after dropping four-setters at Baylor and TCU the week before.
- KSU plays at Utah on Wednesday night before making the drive down to Provo for Friday night's meeting.
- Jason Mansfield is in his third season as head coach in Manhattan. He is 37-34 (.521) since 2023.
- BYU leads the series, 4-3, and is 2-1 against Kansas State in Provo. The Wildcats swept back-to-back meetings in Manhattan in 2023 before the Cougars avenged those losses with a 3-1 win last season.
Up Next
BYU will hit the road again for matches at Arizona and No. 6 Arizona State on Wendesday and Friday next week. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.