PROVO, Utah — No. 5-seed BYU women's volleyball opens NCAA Tournament action with a first-round matchup against Cal Poly on Thursday evening.
With No. 4-seed USC hosting the opening round pod, the Cougars (22-8, 10-8 Big 12) will travel to Los Angeles this week for their first meeting with Cal Poly in nine seasons. Tickets can be purchased through the Trojans' website.
| NCAA Tournament First Round | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Venue | Stream | Live Stats |
| Cal Poly | Thursday, Dec. 4 | 5 p.m. PST | Galen Center | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU jumped two spots from No. 24 to No. 22 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll after going 2-0 in Big 12 play for a second-consecutive week. The Cougars closed the year on a 4-0 run, beating Arizona, No. 13 Kansas, Utah and No. 23 Colorado in Boulder.
Receiving 26 kills from Suli Davis and 14 by Brielle Kemavor, BYU outlasted Utah in a five-set senior night thriller. Davis broke the program's all-time freshman kills record in the match, earning her sixth and final Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor on Tuesday afternoon.
Alex Bower, Claire Little Chambers and Davis each turned in double-doubles at No. 23 Colorado, helping dismantle the Buffaloes in four sets. Kemavor contributed 10 kills and was a block shy of a double-double of her own.
The Cougars, who finished sixth in the 15-team Big 12 for a second-consecutive year, finished the regular season leading the Big 12 in total aces (192), while coming in second in aces per set (1.68), assists per set (13.01), hitting percentage (.268), kills per set (13.97), total assists (1,483) and kills (1,593).
On the individual side, Bower led the league in both assists (1.217) and assists per set (10.68), while Kemavor's .374 hitting percentage was also a conference high. Davis was second in both total kills (523) and points (573).
Davis was honored as the Big 12's Freshman of the Year, to go along with an All-Rookie Team selection. BYU also picked up a trio of All-Big 12 First Team awards in Davis, Bower and Kemavor, tied for the most with conference champion Arizona State. Little Chambers earned an All-Big 12 Second Team nod.
Earning their 14th-straight trip to the postseason and 38th overall, the Cougars are 25-6 (.806) in NCAA Tournament First Round games, and 19-13 (.594) at neutral sites in the postseason. 36 of BYU's 56 tournament wins have been sweeps, including eight of its last nine opening round matches.
Leaving Provo for the Tournament for a second year in a row and third in the last four seasons, the Cougars get set for their first matchup with Cal Poly since 2016.
Cal Poly (25-7, 14-4 Big West)
- The Mustangs earned the Big West's automatic bid last week, clinching their conference title by beating top-seeded UC Davis, 3-1. Cal Poly also beat host and 3-seed Long Beach State in the tournament semifinal.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 11-6. Thursday will be the first meeting between the team in nine years, and the only postseason matchup in series history.
Should the Cougars advance to the Second Round, they would play the winner of Thursday night's USC-Princeton match. Their all-time records against the Trojans and Tigers are below:
No. 4-seed USC (24-6, 15-5 Big Ten)
- USC leads the series, 13-8, but BYU has won the last two matchups, including a 3-0 sweep as part of the LMU Invitational back in September. The Cougars are 1-3 against the Trojans in the Tournament, with a 1-2 record in LA.
Princeton (24-6, 15-5 Big Ten)
- BYU leads the series, 4-0. The Cougars are 2-0 against the Tigers in the Tournament. Both of those matches took place in Provo, including the two teams' last meeting in December 2016.