BYU Set To Conclude Regular Season

Five Seniors To Be Recognized In Final Home Match On Saturday

PROVO -- After a resounding win over Utah last Friday, the BYU women's volleyball team will close out the regular season this weekend hosting San Diego State on Friday and No. 25 UNLV on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on BYUTV.

"We've worked hard throughout the season and especially in the month of November to be playing our best when it really matters," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "Our motto has always been to be good over time, which we have a chance to do this weekend."

The Cougars have won five straight matches, tying their longest winning streak of the year while improving to 18-6 overall and 10-4 in the Mountain West Conference. BYU has also gone 8-2 in the Smith Fieldhouse while averaging 1,807 fans per match, 17th in the nation. With the MWC Tournament set to begin next week and the NCAA Tournament on the horizon, the Cougars will be looking to finish strong and bolster their case for the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Saturday's match will honor five seniors who will be playing in front of the home crowd for the final time. Chelsea Goodman, Jenna Judkins, Erica Lott, Catherine Parker and Annie Pinegar will be recognized prior to the match for their contributions to the BYU women's volleyball program throughout their respective careers.

After getting off to their best start since 2001 at 7-2, the Aztecs are now 12-13 overall and 4-10 in the MWC, in eighth place after losing eight of their last nine matches. Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Darnall leads the team with 3.28 kills per game while senior libero Aime Cordeiro puts up a league-leading 6.19 digs per game, helping the Aztecs rank third in the MWC in that category. BYU defeated SDSU in five games earlier this season to earn its 1,000th program victory.

The No. 25 Rebels are 21-3 overall and 12-2 in the Mountain West Conference, tying the school record with wins in their last 10 matches. UNLV is currently in a tie for first place in the MWC with Colorado State. UNLV's duo of senior middle blocker Lauren Miramontes and junior outside hitter Maria Aladjova go 1-2 for the Rebels and 3-4 in the MWC averaging 4.52 and 4.46 kills per game, respectively. UNLV swept BYU earlier this season.

In addition to coverage on BYUTV, both matches will be available on BYU All-Access and GameTracker. Links for both can be found by going to the schedule page of the BYU women's volleyball homepage at http://www.byucougars.com/volleyball_w/.