No. 8 Cougars host top-10 matchup against No. 7 Waves this weekend

PROVO, Utah — The No. 8 Cougars return to the Smith Fieldhouse after a bye week to host a top-10 conference matchup against No. 7 Pepperdine this weekend on Friday and Saturday.

Pepperdine currently averages 13.20 kills per set, the second highest average in the nation, and has the most kills this season with 1,082. The Waves are led by junior setter Bryce Dvorak who has 872 total assists this season, averaging the nation’s best of 10.77 assists per set.

BYU has a 36-35 overall record against the Waves. Just 22% of BYU’s total losses against Pepperdine have been at home, with a 23-8 home record.

After one week with no games, BYU held its spot at No. 8 in this week’s AVCA coaches poll. This is BYU’s ninth week in a row on the rankings, and its fifth week at number eight. Last season, the Cougars highest ranking at any point was eight.

BYU’s sophomore middle blocker Teon Taylor is currently the No. 2 blocker in the country, averaging 1.294 blocks per set. As a team, BYU is currently averaging 2.485 blocks per set, the sixth highest average out of all NCAA D1 men’s volleyball teams. Taylor also holds a 2023 NCAA single-match record with 13 total blocks against CUI on January 27th.

Miks Ramanis leads the Cougars in kills with 215, averaging a .322 clip. Middle blockers Teon Taylor and Gavin Julien are the only two players on the roster to have played in every single set this season, with 68 sets played each.

Series Information

• Series Record: 36-35
• Last Meeting: BYU lost 3-0 (22-25, 21-25, 19-25)
• Home: 23-8
• Away: 13-27
• Neutral: 0-0

Broadcast Information

• Friday: 7 p.m. MST
• Streaming: BYUTv
• Saturday: 7 p.m. MST
• Streaming: BYUtv app/byutv.org