No. 6 BYU prepares to face Gonzaga and Portland on the road

PROVO, Utah — No. 6 BYU hits the road to face West Coast Conference opponents, Gonzaga and Portland, on Nov. 4 and 6, respectively. 

On Thursday at 6 p.m. PDT,  the Cougars will face the Bulldogs for the second time this season. Most recently, BYU swept Gonzaga on Oct. 9 in the Smith Fieldhouse. Overall, the Cougars hold a 24-1 all-time record against the team.

On Saturday at 12 p.m. PDT, the Cougars will face the Pilots. On Oct. 7, the teams last faced each other in the Smith Fieldhouse. There, BYU swept Portland and increased its all-time record to 20-1.

No. 6 Brigham Young University Cougars (21-1, 11-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Cougars are on a 14-match winning streak
• The last time BYU was ranked No. 6 or higher was back in 2018
• This is head coach Heather Olmstead’s sixth season with 20+ wins 
• Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 4 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .464 clip
• As a team, BYU ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.345), No. 1 in opponent hitting percentage (.112), No. 4 in match winning percentage (.955), No. 5 in kills per set (14.46), No. 7 in assists per set (13.17) and No. 17 in aces per set (1.89). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.

Gonzaga University Bulldogs (7-16, 3-9 West Coast Conference)

• Last week, the Bulldogs traveled to face WCC opponents, Pacific and Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga suffered 3-0 losses against both teams. 
• Gonzaga ranks No. 36 in the NCAA in aces per set (1.73)
• Mckenna Marshall leads the team offensively, racking up 221 kills thus far. Kennedy Croft follows with 188 kills.
• The team averages 10.74 kills per set, 1.63 blocks per set and holds an average hitting percentage of .185

University of Portland Pilots (5-16, 2-10 West Coast Conference)

• Most recently, the Pilots posted two losses on the road against Pacific (3-0) and Saint Mary’s (3-1)
• Setter Paloma Bowman ranks No. 6 in the NCAA in triple doubles
• Offensively, Jayde Harris leads the team with 224 kills and 28 service aces
• Noelani Helm leads with 362 assists and 122 digs
• The team averages 11.1 kills per set, 1.5 blocks per set and holds an average hitting percentage of .160

Broadcast Information – Nov. 4

• Time: 6 p.m. PDT
• Live Stream: WCC Network
• Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

Broadcast Information – Nov. 6

• Time: 12 p.m. PDT
• Live Stream: WCC Network
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

TICKET INFORMATION

Purchase tickets online for Gonzaga here and for Portland here. Both venues require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for guests over the age of 11.