PROVO, Utah — No. 5-seed BYU women's volleyball kicks off NCAA Tournament action with a first round matchup against Loyola Chicago on Thursday afternoon.
With No. 4-seed Purdue hosting the opening round quadrant, the Cougars (19-9, 12-6 Big 12) will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana this week for their first-ever meeting with the Ramblers. Tickets can be purchased through the Purdue website.
| NCAA Tournament First Round | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Venue | Stream | Live Stats |
| Loyola Chicago | Thursday, Dec. 5 | 3:30 p.m. EST | Holloway Gymnasium | ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
BYU jumped back into the rankings of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 poll this week, coming in at No. 24. Dating back to September 30, 2013, the Cougars had been ranked for 180-straight polls before dropping out of last week's rankings. All but one week of head coach Heather Olmstead's 10-year tenure has been spent inside the Top 25.
Earning its 13th-consecutive trip to the postseason and 37th overall, BYU is 25-5 (.833) in NCAA Tournament First Round games, and 19-12 (.613) at neutral sites in the postseason. 36 of the Cougars' 56 tournament wins have been sweeps, including their last eight opening round matches.
Closing out regular season and Big 12 play last week with a pair of four-set road wins, including in Lawrence at then-No. 11 Kansas, BYU hit .252 while holding the Jayhawks and Kansas State to a .194 clip on the week.
The Cougars tied a season high with 11 service aces against the Wildcats in Manhattan, also recording 15 total blocks, tied for second most this season.
BYU saw significant production from its middle blockers, with Brielle Kemavor tallying 15 total blocks and Kjersti Strong adding 11, both totaling three solo stuffs. The duo added 23 kills apiece, Strong hitting a team-high .525 on the week and Kemavor posting a .395 clip.
Finishing sixth in the 15-team Big 12 Conference, the Cougars finished the regular season leading the league in both blocks per set (2.60) and total blocks (286.5). BYU ranks No. 24 and No. 30 in the nation, respectively, in those metrics, as well as No. 33 in team hitting percentage (.261).
Kemavor paced the conference from start to finish in those same statistics, ranking No. 6 in the country in total blocks (164) and No. 10 in blocks per set (1.49).
Alex Bower (1,102 assists) and Hannah Billeter (42 service aces) both ended the year second in the Big 12, while Claire Little finished third in total kills (419), kills per set (3.92) and total points (473.5).
Bower received her second Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor on Tuesday morning, while she, Little, Kemavor and Elli Mortensen each received postseason All-Big 12 awards on Tuesday afternoon.
Leaving Provo for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, the Cougars get set for their first meeting all-time with Loyola Chicago.
Loyola Chicago (21-11, 13-5 Atlantic 10)
- As a 3-seed, the Ramblers upset No. 1-seed and host/No. 23 Dayton in straight sets to win the A-10 championship and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- Winning the A-10 for the second time in three seasons, Loyola heads to West Lafayette on a 12-match win streak.
- Head coach Amanda Berkley is in her seventh season with the Ramblers. She is 135-76 (.640) at Loyola and 239-135 (.649) in her career.
- This will be the first meeting between BYU and Loyola Chicago. The two schools have met 19 times, including 13 matchups in men's volleyball, but never in women's volleyball.
Should the Cougars advance to the Second Round, they would play the winner of Thursday night's Purdue-Western Michigan match. Their all-time record against the Boilermakers and Broncos are below:
No. 4-seed Purdue (25-6, 16-4 Big Ten)
- BYU leads the all-time series, 4-2, but lost the last meeting between the two teams, a Sweet 16 matchup in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Cougars held a 14-11 advantage over the Boilermakers in the fifth set before ultimately falling, 18-16.
- The two teams have met in two other postseason matchups, but as part of the AIAW Nationals in the 1978 and 1979 seasons.
- Of the six matches in series history, none have been played in West Lafayette. This will be the third-straight time that BYU has faced a ranked Purdue in series history.
Western Michigan (20-21, 13-5 MAC)
- BYU leads the all-time series, 2-0, but the two teams haven't played since 1986. The only other meeting was in 1982, an NCAA Tournament match held in Provo.