PROVO, Utah — No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball will host in-state foe Utah in a Big 12 matchup Friday night.
Looking to extend their 14-match winning streak, the Cougars (17-1, 9-0 Big 12) will face the Utes at 6:30 p.m. MDT.
| No. 9 BYU vs. Utah | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
BYU picked up a pair of ranked wins last week, defeating both No. 25 Colorado and No. 8 Arizona State in four sets.
The victories helped the Cougars clinch the Big 12’s inaugural In-Season Challenge, finishing October with an 8-0 record.
Middle blocker Kelli Jo Burgess also earned her fourth Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor after recording match-high block totals against both Colorado (nine) and Arizona State (seven).
The Cougars hit .291 across the two matches while holding their opponents to a .171 clip. Elli Mortensen led BYU with 25 kills and recorded two double-doubles, tying her career high with 14 digs against the Sun Devils.
Claire Little Chambers added 24 kills, while Brooke Hardy finished with 15 kills on a .600 hitting percentage. Burgess and Sophia Callahan each contributed 14 kills, and Kate Prior added 11.
Setters Alex Bower (5.88 assists per set) and Kaylie Kofe (4.88) combined for 86 of BYU’s 100 assists, helping the Cougars average 13.5 kills per set.
At the halfway point of Big 12 play, BYU leads the conference in hitting percentage (.307), ranks second in assists per set (13.09) and blocks per set (2.84), and sits third in opponent hitting percentage.
Nationally, the Cougars rank fourth in hitting percentage, 11th in assists per set and 12th in blocks per set.
Burgess continues to lead the nation in blocks per set (1.89) and ranks fourth in total blocks (117). Hardy’s .419 season hitting percentage ranks second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally.
As the Cougars prepare to face the Utes for the second time in two weeks, BYU is also set to play its 51st home match as the nation’s ninth-ranked team.
Utah (12-8, 4-5 Big 12)
- The Utes have dropped four straight matches, beginning with their last meeting against BYU and continuing through losses to Iowa State, then-No. 25 Colorado and then-No. 8 Arizona State.
- Utah’s four Big 12 wins have come at then-No. 21 Colorado and against then-No. 17 Baylor, Kansas State and West Virginia.
- Alyssa D’Errico is in her first season as head coach in Salt Lake City after spending the previous three seasons as the Utes’ associate head coach.
- BYU leads the all-time series 80-31 and holds a 44-11 advantage against Utah in Provo.
- The Cougars swept the Utes on Oct. 15, outhitting Utah .412 to .244. Mortensen and Little Chambers combined for 26 kills, while Burgess recorded a match-high seven blocks.
- The teams split last season’s series, with each winning a five-set match at home.
Up Next
BYU will begin a stretch of three consecutive road matches next week, visiting Colorado in Boulder and Iowa State in Ames.