Cougars to face Utah in the second round of NCAA Tournament

PROVO, Utah – No. 11 seed BYU women's volleyball will play the University of Utah in the second round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 4 in the Smith Fieldhouse.

The match between the Cougars and Utes will begin at 7 p.m. MST. On Friday afternoon, Utah earned its spot in the second round after a 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 25-11) victory over Utah Valley University. Later that evening, BYU dominated Boise State University in a 3-0 sweep (25-6, 25-19, 25-10)

This is the second time this season that BYU and Utah will face each other. Back in September, the Cougars swept the Utes in the Smith Fieldhouse. That put the all-time record between the rivals at 74-29, favoring BYU.

This weekend’s matches are available to view live via ESPN+. ESPN has exclusivity rights for the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament. Those rights prohibit a simulcast from BYUtv.

Brigham Young University Cougars (29-1, 18-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Cougars are on a 22-match winning streak
• This is head coach Heather Olmstead’s sixth season with 20+ wins
• On Monday, the WCC honored Olmstead as Coach of the Year, graduate opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber as Player of the Year and junior setter Whitney Bower as Setter of the Year. 
• Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon, graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg,  junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting, sophomore outside hitter Erin Livingston and sophomore libero Madi Allen all received All-WCC honors.
• Graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg is a Senior CLASS Award finalist 
• Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 3 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .464 clip
• BYU finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage (.118), No. 2 in hitting percentage (.339), No. 2 in match winning percentage (.966), No. 5 in kills per set (14.38) and No. 16 in assists per set (13.03). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.

University of Utah Utes (22-8, 14-6 Pac-12 Conference)

• This is Utah’s sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance
• The Utes finished third place in the Pac-12 for the third year in a row. The 14 Pac-12 wins ties a program-best since joining the league, which was set in 2019.
• Utah has recorded six top-25 wins this season, which includes the two highest ranked program road wins of all-time (No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Washington).
• Four Utes received conference honors. Dani Drews and Madelyn Robinson were named to the All-Pac-12 First Team, while Stef Jankiewicz and Zoe Weatherington landed on the honorable mention list.
• Utah leads the Pac-12 in kills per set (14.26) and is ninth in the nation.
• Utah is the only team in the Pac-12 to rank in the top-five of the conference in every statistical category: kills per set (No. 1), assists per set (No. 3), opponent hitting percentage (No. 3), aces per set (No. 4), hitting percentage (No. 4), blocks per set (No. 5), digs per set (No. 5).

BROADCAST INFORMATION – Dec. 4

• Time: 7 p.m. MST
• Live Stream: ESPN+
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

TICKET INFORMATION

Purchase tickets online via byutickets.com.

MASK REQUIREMENT

Consistent with current Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU requirements, BYU Athletics will require masks in indoor venues when physical distancing isn’t maintained. This includes a requirement for those attending indoor athletic events, such as volleyball in the Smith Fieldhouse, basketball inside the Marriott Center and inside the loges at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Wearing a mask will be required for entry to indoor BYU venues. Masks will not be required for outdoor BYU venues.

BYU strongly urges students, employees and campus guests to follow recent counsel from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to get vaccinated and wear masks.

The university will continue to monitor the situation and will reevaluate mask requirements based on several factors, including the immunization rate of the campus community, COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization rates, and guidance from health and government officials.