PROVO -- In what has been dubbed the "Flood Special," No. 16 BYU women's volleyball will play both of its final two regular-season home matches at the Marriott Center this weekend due to flooding in the Smith Fieldhouse. The 20-1 Cougars will take on Colorado State Friday night at 7:30 before facing Wyoming Saturday at 7 p.m.
"This is an important and challenging weekend for our volleyball program," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "Of course, the challenge will be playing against two very well coached teams in an unfamiliar environment. I'm grateful to both Coach Rose and Coach Judkins for allowing us to compete in the Marriott Center this weekend."
Just two wins away from securing the regular-season Mountain West Conference title, the Cougars will honor their two seniors, Lauren Richards Evans and Lexi Brown Patterson, on Saturday. Admission to each of the contests will be just $1 for the public and free to All-Sport Card holders.
"While playing in the Marriott Center is a special event, Saturday is senior night and an opportunity for us to recognize the significant contributions of both Lauren Evans and Lexi Patterson," Watson said. "They are great examples of the quality of student-athletes at Brigham Young University."
The Cougar volleyball team has played several matches in the Marriott Center during its 36-year recorded history, including one entire season while the Smith Fieldhouse was renovated. BYU set a women's volleyball attendance record in the Marriott Center on Oct. 4, 1986, against Nebraska with 3,975 fans.
At 14-7 overall and 7-4 in the MWC, the CSU Rams are currently in fourth place in the league and lead the conference in both kills and assists. Wyoming sits in seventh place in the MWC with a 9-13 overall mark and 4-7 conference record. BYU leads the all-time series with both teams, owning a 45-18-1 advantage over the Rams and a 56-4 lead over the Cowgirls. The Cougars swept both teams earlier this season, including their first three-game win in Fort Collins since 1988.
BYU suffered its first loss of the season Friday night with a three-game loss at Utah. The Cougars were led by Chelsea Goodman, who had 17 kills, and Lindsy Hartsock who tallied six blocks. The loss dropped the Cougars to 20-1 overall and 11-1 in the MWC.
Fans of BYU can catch all the action of this weekend's matches in several ways. Friday's volleyball contest can be seen on BYUTV and KBYU in addition to being aired on BYU Radio. Live stats for both matches can be found by going to the schedule page of the BYU women's volleyball homepage at http://www.byucougars.com/volleyball_w/.