BYU women’s volleyball faces No. 17 Kansas in senior night showdown
No. 13 BYU women’s volleyball is gearing up for an intense showdown against No. 17 Kansas on Friday at the Smith Fieldhouse.
This is the Cougars’ final regular-season match, and the stakes are high as they look to defend their 12-0 home record and extend their four-game winning streak. Texas clinched the Big 12 regular season title. BYU and Kansas are fighting for a second place finish.
Before the first serve, BYU will honor seniors Kamaile Hiapo, Aria McComber, Whitney McEwan-Llarenas, and Whitney Bower. These key players have been instrumental in BYU’s impressive season. The sold out match will also have posters of the seniors handed out before the game.
Despite securing two convincing sweeps at UCF last week, BYU saw a slight dip in the AVCA poll, landing at No. 13. Nevertheless, the Cougars have maintained an impressive streak, holding a Top 25 ranking for 164 consecutive weeks, with 155 straight polls within the top 18.
In their recent performance in Orlando, BYU impressed with a .330 hitting percentage across two matches, including an outstanding .400 in game two. Star player Erin Livingston led the charge with 34 kills at an impressive .438 rate and seven service aces, five of which were delivered in a career-high performance in game one.
Heading into the final stretch of Big 12 play, the Cougars lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.162) and rank second in aces per set (1.71), blocks per set (2.65), hitting percentage (.270), total service aces (156), and total blocks (241).
With the Kansas Jayhawks on the horizon, BYU faces a critical test in its seventh ranked matchup of the season. BYU looks to finish with a winning record against Top 25 opponents. They are currently 3-3 in those matches this season.
Kansas (19-5, 10-4 Big 12) arrives in Provo after hosting No. 23 Baylor on Wednesday night and hopes to challenge BYU. The Jayhawks, riding a six-game win streak, recently split a series at Iowa State.
Under head coach Ray Bechard, in his 26th year with KU, Kansas looks to make a statement against BYU. The Cougars currently lead the all-time series 3-1, with a 2-0 record against the Jayhawks in Provo. However, Kansas claimed the last matchup between the two teams with a 3-0 sweep on September 7, 2006.
The Cougars aim to solidify their standing in the postseason, the match with Kansas serves crucial for them this season. Catch the action on Friday at 7p.m. MST on ESPN+.
