No. 8 BYU hits the road to face LMU and Pepperdine

PROVO, Utah — On a nine-match winning streak, No. 8 BYU women's volleyball hits the road for a week of West Coast Conference play, facing both Loyola Marymount and No. 24 Pepperdine.

The last time BYU received a ranking this high was back in 2018.

On Thursday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. PDT, LMU will host BYU in the Gersten Pavilion. On a five-match winning streak, the Cougars hold a 20-2 all-time record over the Lions.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, at 12 p.m. PDT, BYU will face Pepperdine in the Firestone Fieldhouse. The Cougars have a record of 29-10 all-time against the Waves. The teams last met in February, where BYU narrowly escaped with a 3-2 win.

No. 8 Brigham Young University Cougars (16-1, 6-0 West Coast Conference)

The Cougars are on a nine-match winning streak, sweeping the last 27 sets and remain undefeated in WCC play
On Monday, the WCC dubbed junior setter Whitney Bower Offensive Player of the Week
Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 2 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .483 clip
As a team, BYU ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.337), No. 2 in opponent hitting percentage (.106), No. 3 in kills per set (14.50), No. 4 in match winning percentage (.941), No. 11 in assists per set (13.15) and No. 12 in aces per set (2.00). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.

Loyola Marymount University Lions (14-2, 5-1 West Coast Conference)

Last week, the Lions faced WCC opponents on the road, snagging wins against both Saint Mary’s (3-2) and Pacific (3-2)
LMU holds a 5-1 record in the WCC, only falling to Pepperdine on Oct. 2
As a team, LMU ranks No. 10 in the NCAA for match winning percentage (.875), No. 20 in hitting percentage (.269) and No. 28 in aces per set (1.82)
Within the WCC, the team ranks No. 1 in team assists (765). Isabella Bareford leads the conference with 649 assists and ranks No. 33 in the NCAA.

No. 24 Pepperdine University Waves (13-2, 5-1 West Coast Conference)

Last week, the Waves faced WCC opponents, Pacific and Saint Mary’s. Pepperdine posted a 3-2 loss against Pacific, but finished the week with a sweep over Saint Mary’s.
Pepperdine ranks No. 15 in the NCAA for match winning percentage (.867), No. 29 for aces per set (1.82) and No. 35 in hitting percentage (.255)
Rachel Ahrens ranks No. 4 in the NCAA for points per set (5.62), No. 6 in service aces (36), No. 7 in aces per set (.60) and No. 8 in total points (337). She leads the WCC in all four categories.

Broadcast Information – Oct. 14