On the Road Again For BYU Volleyball

PROVO -- After a brief one-match stay in the Smith Fieldhouse, the No. 23 BYU women's volleyball team will once again hit the road this week, playing at Wyoming on Friday and at Air Force on Saturday.

"This weekend will be another opportunity for us to improve our preparation to play on the road," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "As we close out the month of September, we want to put ourselves in a position to compete and succeed."

BYU has already played eight of 12 matches this year away from Provo, starting the season 8-4 overall and 1-2 in the Mountain West Conference. With the upcoming trip, the Cougars will have played 10 of 14 contests on the road by the end of September, the most since 1997.

Preseason MWC Player of the Year Chelsea Goodman has continued to lead the way for BYU as the senior outside hitter posts 4.35 kills per game and has tallied eight double-doubles. Her career mark of 42 double-doubles is just five off the all-time MWC record of 47. Junior middle blocker Rachel Dyer is 10th in the nation hitting at .436 and records 1.08 blocks per game.

The Cowgirls are 6-5 so far this year including a 1-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference after back-to-back losses at TCU and at New Mexico. Wyoming has recorded wins this year over fellow BYU opponents Utah Valley, who BYU will play on Oct. 9, and Weber State, who the Cougars defeated last week. The Cowgirls are led by senior outside hitter Rachel Smith, who ranks third in the league with 4.46 kills per game while adding 2.54 digs per contest, second on the team. BYU is 59-4 all-time against Wyoming.

The Falcons are 7-9 so far this year and 0-3 in the Mountain West Conference with losses to Wyoming and at New Mexico and TCU. Air Force began the year winning four of its first six to tie the second-best start in school history. At 7-9, the Falcons have already more than doubled their win total from last year (3-25). Air Force is led by sophomore outside hitter Katie Batchelder with 3.08 kills and 3.14 digs per game. The Cougars lead the all-time series, 18-1.

Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. and can be followed via live stats or All-Access. Links to both options can be found on the schedule page of the BYU women's volleyball homepage at http://www.byucougars.com/volleyball_w/.