Even after a recent conference loss, the No. 24 BYU women's volleyball team is still in the race for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Last week, Utah shut out BYU, winning 25-16, 25-15, 25-16. The Cougars have only been shut out one other time this season — against Arizona State.
BYU is currently 14-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play. This Utah game was significant not only because it has been a longstanding rivalry, but also because both teams are in the Big 12, one of the Power Four conferences.
In this game, Utah dominated all three sets. BYU had beaten the Utes earlier in the season, 3-2.
The Cougars have six games left in the regular season, all of which are against Big 12 opponents. Right now, BYU is sixth the Big 12 women’s volleyball standings, which leaves them behind Arizona State, Kansas, TCU, Baylor and Utah. BYU does have some potential to move up into the rankings if it can get some wins over these next few matches.
Last season, the Cougars finished 13-5 in conference play, so if they can pull off six straight wins, it will put them exactly where they left off from last season. In 2023 the Cougars earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Being their first year in the Big 12, this was quite a feat pulled off by the Cougars.
This season, BYU is still in the playoff race even with some recent losses to multiple conference teams. The NCAA volleyball tournament will consist of 64 teams. Thirty-two of those teams will be automatically selected, and then the other 32 teams will be selected by the Division 1 Women’s Volleyball committee.
The Cougars only have two more home matches this season against Cincinnati and No. 8 Kansas.
The Cougars have been to the NCAA playoffs for the last 12 years. Coach Heather Olmstead has led the Cougars every year to the NCAA tournament since she started in 2015. The NCAA tournament field will be announced on Dec. 1, which is the Sunday before the first round begins.
BYU next plays at UCF on Thursday.