No. 3 BYU hits the road for Marquette Invitational

BG0Q7431aBG0Q7431a

PROVO, Utah – No. 3 BYU women’s volleyball hits the road this week for a trio of challenging matches against No. 10 USC, undefeated Syracuse and No. 25 Marquette in the Marquette Invitational.

Last Week

The Cougars (5-0) won the BYU Nike Invitational with victories against West Virginia, then-No. 1 Stanford and Wichita State. Roni Jones-Perry was named the tournament MVP and was honored as the WCC and AVCA Player of the Week.

No. 10 USC

  • BYU faces USC Friday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. CDT, at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
  • The Trojans lead the all-time series history against the Cougars 13-6. USC has won the last five meetings between the two squads, but the teams are 6-6 when playing on a neutral court.
  • The Trojans are 5-1 so far this season, picking up impressive victories against ranked opponents Kentucky, Creighton and Florida.
  • USC is led this season in his first year by former Portland head coach Brent Crouch.
  • The Trojans were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 this season, receiving one first-place vote. They finished 25-10, 14-6 last year and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse

  • BYU competes against Syracuse Friday, Sept. 7, at 5 p.m. CDT, at Marquette.
  • The Cougars won the only other meeting all-time in the history of the two squads, picking up a sweep in 1989.
  • Syracuse is a perfect 2-0 to start the 2018 season, with wins over New Hampshire and Connecticut.
  • The Orange were picked to finish ninth in the ACC this year after going 22-14, 12-8 last year.

No. 25 Marquette

  • BYU faces host Marquette Saturday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. CDT.
  • The Cougars are 2-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles, having last won a five-set matchup on a neutral court in 2013.
  • Marquette is 5-1 to start the year, only falling at ranked Baylor along the way.
  • The Golden Eagles are the favorite to win the Big East, according to the preseason coaches’ poll, after going 22-10, 15-3 a season ago.

Video/Stats

There will be a video stream for the match against Marquette. Live stats will be available for all three matches. Links can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.