Natalie Orr | Posted: 29 Nov 2021 | Updated: 30 Nov 2021

Cougars set to begin NCAA Tournament Friday
Game this week

PROVO, Utah – No. 11 seed BYU women's volleyball will play Boise State in the first round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament on Friday, Dec. 3 in the Smith Fieldhouse.

The match between the Cougars and Broncos will begin at 7 p.m. MST. In the first match of the day, Utah and Utah Valley University will face off at 4 p.m. MST. The winners of each match will then play each other on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. MST in the second round of the tournament.

This weekend’s matches will be available to view live via ESPN+. ESPN has exclusivity rights for the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament. Those rights prohibit a simulcast from BYUtv.

Brigham Young University Cougars (28-1, 18-0 West Coast Conference)

  • The Cougars are on a 21-match winning streak
  • This is head coach Heather Olmstead’s sixth season with 20+ wins
  • On Monday, the WCC honored Olmstead as Coach of the Year, graduate opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber as Player of the Year and junior setter Whitney Bower as Setter of the Year. 
  • Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon, graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg,  junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting, sophomore outside hitter Erin Livingston and sophomore libero Madi Allen all received All-WCC honors.
  • Graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg is a Senior CLASS Award finalist 
  • Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 3 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .464 clip
  • BYU finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage (.118), No. 2 in hitting percentage (.339), No. 2 in match winning percentage (.966), No. 5 in kills per set (14.38) and No. 16 in assists per set (13.03). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.

Boise State University Broncos (24-10, 10-8 Mountain West Conference)

  • On Friday, the team secured a 3-1 win over UNLV and took home the Mountain West Conference championship.
  • On Wednesday, Paige Bartsch received MWC Freshman of the Year. Also, Lauren Ohlinger, Danielle Boss and Alyssa Wissinger all received All-MW accolades. 
  • In the NCAA, Boise State ranks No. 1 in team total blocks (355.5), No. 2 in team service aces (228), No. 7 in blocks per set (2.82) and No. 14 in team kills (1,605). The team leads the MW in all four categories.
  • Wissinger ranks No. 1 in MW in blocks per set (1.28), No. 1 in total blocks (139) and No. 3 in hitting percentage (.367)

BROADCAST INFORMATION – Nov. 29

TICKET INFORMATION

Purchase tickets online via byutickets.com. Tickets will be available starting on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. MDT.

10 a.m.

General Admission tickets go on sale 

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Season Ticket Holders

  • Must Call into the Ticket office by noon to secure seats for the 1st and 2nd Rounds
  • Only All Session tickets are available
  • Due to NCAA Seating Requirements for visiting teams, seats are not guaranteed and many season tickets holders will need to be relocated to different seats

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Cougar Club Members

  • Must call into the Ticket Office to purchase seats
  • Only All Session tickets are available

3 p.m. – All remaining reserved tickets go on sale to the general public online

MASK REQUIREMENT

Consistent with current Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU requirements, BYU Athletics will require masks in indoor venues when physical distancing isn’t maintained. This includes a requirement for those attending indoor athletic events, such as volleyball in the Smith Fieldhouse, basketball inside the Marriott Center and inside the loges at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Wearing a mask will be required for entry to indoor BYU venues. Masks will not be required for outdoor BYU venues.

BYU strongly urges students, employees and campus guests to follow recent counsel from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to get vaccinated and wear masks.

The university will continue to monitor the situation and will reevaluate mask requirements based on several factors, including the immunization rate of the campus community, COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization rates, and guidance from health and government officials.