Natalie Orr | Posted: 9 Nov 2021 | Updated: 22 Nov 2021

No. 5 BYU closes out regular season home schedule
Seniors

PROVO, Utah — No. 5 BYU women’s volleyball will play its final two regular season home matches in the Smith Fieldhouse, facing West Coast Conference opponents Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount on Nov. 11 and Nov. 13, respectively.

This is BYU’s highest ranking of the season and highest since 2018.

On Thursday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. MDT, the Cougars will face the Waves for the second time this season. The teams last faced on Pepperdine’s home turf where BYU snagged a 3-1 win. The current all-time record between the opponents is 30-10, favoring BYU.

On Saturday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. MDT, BYU will play its final home match of the season against LMU. Back in October, the Cougars posted a 3-1 victory over the Lions in Los Angeles. BYU holds a dominant 21-2 all-time record against the WCC foe.

Prior to Saturday’s match, seniors Taylen Ballard-Nixon, Kenzie Koerber, Tayler Hifo, Whitney Llarenas, Kennedy Eschenberg and Gretchen Reinert will be honored for their careers at BYU. 

The Cougars have five total games remaining in the regular season. After this weekend’s games, BYU will play at Pacific, at Saint Mary’s and at San Diego. With BYU at 13-0 in WCC play and San Diego at 12-1, the WCC Championship could come down to the regular season finale against the Toreros, but the Cougars will need to get through some other tough tests first.

No. 5 Brigham Young University Cougars (23-1, 13-0 West Coast Conference)

  • The Cougars are on a 16-match winning streak
  • This is head coach Heather Olmstead’s sixth season with 20+ wins
  • 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 .472 clip
  • As a team, BYU ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.344), No. 1 in opponent hitting percentage (.111), No. 3 in match winning percentage (.958), No. 4 in kills per set (14.43), No. 9 in assists per set (13.14) and No. 16 in aces per set (1.88). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.

Pepperdine University Waves (18-4, 10-3 West Coast Conference)

  • Last week, the Waves racked up two wins at home against Saint Mary’s (3-1) and Pacific (3-0)
  • On Monday, the league announced that Pepperdine swept the WCC weekly honors. Rachel Ahrens became WCC Offensive Player of the Week and Madison Shields became WCC Defensive Player of the Week.
  • In the NCAA, Pepperdine ranks No. 17 in match winning percentage (.818), No. 23 in assists per set (12.84) and No. 29 in kills per set (13.82)
  • In the WCC, the Waves rank No. 1 in both team assists (1,091) and team kills (1,175)
  • Rachel Ahrens leads the WCC in the following eight categories: kills per set, total kills, attacks per set, aces per set, points, points per set and service aces. She ranks No. 6 in the NCAA for aces per set (.56) and total service aces (48).

Loyola Marymount University Lions (15-8, 6-7 West Coast Conference)

  • LMU is currently on a four-match losing streak, posting losses at home against Pacific (3-1) and Saint Mary’s (3-0)
  • In the WCC, the Lions rank No. 1 for team service aces (156), No. 2 in team total blocks (196), No. 2 in team kills (1,164) and No. 2 in team assists (1,070)
  • Kari Geissberger ranks No. 2 in the WCC in kills per set (3.96) and points per set (4.68)
  • The team averages 12.9 kills per set, 1.7 aces per set and 2.2 blocks per set

BROADCAST INFORMATION – Nov. 11

BROADCAST INFORMATION – Nov. 13

TICKET INFORMATION

Purchase tickets online via byutickets.com.

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.