Cougars on the road at LMU, Pepperdine

PROVO, Utah - The No. 12 BYU women's volleyball team begins the second half of the Cougars' West Coast Conference slate with a key road trip to LMU and Pepperdine this week.

BYU (16-3, 7-1) will take on the Lions (12-8, 6-2) on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. PT before facing the Waves (10-9, 6-2) on Saturday, Oct. 26, at noon PT. Both matches will be shown on the WCC Network.

The Cougars and LMU have played once already this season with BYU coming away with a five-set victory in Provo. BYU had four players with double-digit kills and hit .303 with freshman Whitney Bower finishing with 44 assists, 10 digs, five kills and four aces. Every set was close until BYU pulled away to win set five, 15-7.

This will be the first matchup of the season between BYU and Pepperdine. The Cougars have won their last 14 matches against the Waves, having not lost to Pepperdine in eight years. Last season, BYU swept both matches.

Senior McKenna Miller continues to lead the Cougars with 238 kills on a .271 average while also placing second on the team with 27 aces. Bower is averaging 9.76 assists and 2.59 digs per set with 33 aces on the year, while senior Mary Lake is averaging 3.54 digs per set. 

The Cougar middles' offensive and defensive numbers are currently almost identical, with junior Kennedy Eschenberg at 135 kills and 79 blocks and sophomore Heather Gneiting at 134 kills and 84 blocks so far.