The BYU women’s volleyball team has qualified as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and will face Loyola-Chicago in the first round on Dec. 5 in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Cougars had a tumultuous season struggling to find a lot of consistency. In the last two weeks of the regular season, they were upset by Cincinnati in a home match on Nov. 21. With this loss they were knocked out of the top 25 for the first time in over 10 years. The last time the Cougars were not ranked in the poll was on Sept. 30, 2013.
BYU responded by going on the road for a two-game road trip in Kansas. BYU was able to beat No. 11 Kansas in four sets. Kansas was in a race for the number-one team in the Big 12. After that win, they went to Kansas State and took care of business winning in four sets there as well.
BYU has now qualified for 13 straight NCAA tournaments. The Cougars enter this tournament 19-9 and on a three-match winning streak. They have been strong in their defensive efforts leading the Big 12 in total blocks as well as having the block leader in Brielle Kemavor, who is the No. 6 blocker in the nation in overall blocks.
Loyola-Chicago also notched a notable win in recent weeks. In its conference tournament, it knocked out No. 18 Dayton to win the Atlantic 10 championship. The Ramblers are led by setter Bree Borum, who has over 1000 assists and also more than 200 kills.
The Cougars made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year before being swept by Arizona State in the second round.
With a win, BYU will play on Dec. 6, matching up against either No. 4 Purdue or Western Michigan.