Deseret Duel Matchup Friday

PROVO -- Coming off a seven-game losing streak, the BYU women’s volleyball team (3-11, 0-2 MWC) is ready to take on in-state rival Utah (6-8, 1-1 MWC) Friday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“We know our backs are against the wall and we are determined to break this losing streak,” BYU head coach Shay Goulding said. “Everyone is excited to play Utah. We feel very fortunate to have them at our place and see it as a great opportunity to get back on top of this season.”

In opening conference play, the Cougars dropped two home losses to No. 18 Colorado State and Wyoming last week, but University of Arizona transfer Stephanie Snow was a particular bright spot in a dismal weekend.

Snow played middle blocker at the U of A, but has played outside for the first 13 games of the season for the Cougars. Against Wyoming, Snow was placed in the middle and led the team in kills and blocks, earning season-highs in both with 18 kills and six blocks.

“I was very pleased with Stephanie in the middle,” said Goulding. “If we can afford to keep her there we certainly will. I thought she was a real bright spot for us this weekend.”

The Utes are coming off a 3-1 win over Wyoming and were swept by CSU in Salt Lake City. BYU leads the all-time series 64-25 with the last meeting giving the Utes a win at home in five sets.

Despite the rough start, the morale of the team is high.

“It is not an easy place to be in when you have had this many tough losses right in a row, but the attitude of the team is positive and I am very proud of how they are reacting,” said Goulding. “We came in and got after practice Monday in a very big way. I was pleased with how hard they worked. We reap what we sow and we simply must work harder and bring more fire to every practice and every match.”