PROVO, Utah — Riding an eight-match winning streak, No. 17 BYU women's volleyball prepares for a split Big 12 slate this week, visiting Houston before welcoming West Virginia to the Smith Fieldhouse.
The Cougars (11-1, 3-0 Big 12) will play at Houston on Thursday evening before returning home to host the Mountaineers on Saturday night.
| Week 7 Opponent Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Houston | Thursday, Oct. 8 | 6:30 p.m. CDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
| West Virginia | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
BYU moved up one spot from No. 18 to No. 17 in this week's AVCA poll after going 2-0 on its Kansas swing last week, taking a four-set match at Kansas State before sweeping No. 19 Kansas.
Outside hitter Elli Mortensen and middle blocker Kelli Jo Burgess were honored as the Big 12 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their performances in the Sunflower State.
Mortensen earned her first career weekly conference honor after leading the Cougars with 33 kills while hitting .467 on the week. She recorded her second career double-double in as many matches with a career-high 19 kills against the Wildcats before finishing with a career-high five blocks in BYU's sweep of the Jayhawks.
Burgess earned her third league defensive award of the season after recording a team-high 15 total blocks, averaging 2.14 per set. She finished with a match-high 10 blocks in Manhattan, her second double-digit block performance of the season and third of her career.
Claire Little Chambers followed Mortensen with 24 kills while hitting .306. Brooke Hardy added 14 kills while hitting .379, while Sophia Callahan and Kate Prior each had 13 kills. Burgess added eight kills while hitting .353.
Libero Lulu Po'uha averaged 4.86 digs per set, totaling 34 on the week. She was one assist shy of her first career double-double, posting a career-high nine assists in Lawrence.
Setters Kaylie Kofe and Alex Bower averaged 5.57 and 5.43 assists per set, respectively, as the Cougars hit .322 on the week and averaged 15.14 kills per set.
Nearing the halfway point of the season, BYU ranks fifth nationally in hitting percentage (.308), 13th in blocks per set (2.81) and 21st in assists per set (12.93).
The Cougars lead the Big 12 in hitting percentage and rank second in the conference in blocks per set.
Individually, Burgess remains the nation's leader in blocks per set (1.86) and ranks 17th nationally in total blocks (78). She leads the Big 12 in both statistical categories. Hardy ranks sixth in the conference, averaging 0.40 aces per set.
Off to their second-best start through 12 matches over the last 10 seasons, the Cougars (who are 11-1 for a fifth time during that span) head to H-Town looking to extend their eight-match winning streak.
Houston (10-5, 3-1 Big 12)
- Houston has won three matches in a row, all in four sets, against RV Kansas State, Cincinnati and West Virginia.
- Three of the UH's five losses have come against ranked teams: No. 14 Purdue, No. 3 Kentucky and No. 19 Kansas.
- Head coach David Rehr is in his eighth season with Houston. He is 134-85 (.612) with the Cougars and 282-165 (.631) in his 15-year career.
- BYU leads the all-time series 9-5 and has taken the last three meetings, including nine of the last 10 sets.
West Virginia (9-5, 2-2 Big 12)
- The Mountaineers visit Utah in Salt Lake City before making the drive to Provo for Saturday's meeting.
- West Virginia defeated then-No. 9 Arizona State in five sets two weeks ago.
- Now in her third season with West Virginia, head coach Jen Greeny is 32-41 (.438) in Morgantown and 329-240 (.612) in her 20-year career.
- BYU leads the all-time series 4-1. The Cougars are 2-0 against the Mountaineers in Provo, while WVU took last year's meeting in Morgantown, 3-2.
Up Next
BYU will have two road matches next week, staying in state to visit Utah on Thursday night before traveling to Arizona in Tucson on Saturday.