No. 20 Cougars hit the road for more conference play

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s volleyball team goes on the road this week to take on conference foes Portland and Gonzaga on Thursday and Saturday.

The Cougars (14-3, 7-0 WCC) extended their winning streak to 10-straight matches last week with wins at home against Santa Clara and San Francisco. BYU remains the sole undefeated team in conference play.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, the Cougars will face Portland (0-16, 0-7 WCC) at 7 p.m. PDT in the Chiles Center. BYU is undefeated against the Pilots, including a series sweep last season, and leads the overall series 4-0.

Portland returns three starters plus its libero to a team that finished 7-23 (1-15 WCC) in the 2012 season.

The Cougars will face Gonzaga (8-8, 4-3 WCC) on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 12 p.m. PDT at the McCarthey Athletic Center. This will be the ninth matchup between the two schools, with BYU leading the overall series 7-1. The Cougars swept the series in 2012 with 3-0 wins at home and on the road.

The Bulldogs finished 9-20 (1-15 WCC) in 2012 and return five starters to this year’s squad. Gonzaga tied Portland for an eighth-place finish in conference play last season.

BYU is ranked No. 20 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week. This is the second consecutive poll where the Cougars are among the top 25.

Links to live stats for both matches can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.