Utah Volleyball Hosts #15 BYU and Utah State To Close Out Non-Conference Play
Match 10: Utah (6-3) vs. BYU (5-3)
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 7 p.m. MT
Salt Lake City, Utah | Jon M. Huntsman Center
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Watch: Pac-12 Networks
Match 11: Utah (6-3) vs. Utah State (6-2)
Friday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. MT
Salt Lake City, Utah | Jon M. Huntsman Center
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Watch: Live Stream
MATCH WEEK
Utah Volleyball returns to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center this week to wrap up non-conference play, hosting in-state rivals BYU and Utah State. The Utes will open action against BYU this Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. MT in Salt Lake City. The match will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk calling the action. There will be free rally towels and t-shirts in the concourse prior to the match, and fans are encouraged to wear red.
Utah will have a quick turnaround before hosting Utah State on Friday, Sept. 16, for its final non-conference match of the regular season. The Utes and Aggies will play at 7 p.m. MT and the match will be livestreamed. There will be free mugs given out to students in attendance on Friday night. Tickets for both matches can be found here.
QUICK HITS
• Utah is set to begin a four-match home stand this week. The Utes will play eight of their next 10 matches in Salt Lake City.
• Since 2019, Utah is 33-6 overall in the Huntsman Center.
• Madelyn Robinson has posted double-digit kills in every match this season, while Vanessa Ramirez has collected 10 or more digs in all but one match.
• Following the final non-conference tournament of the year, Utah has had Robinson (Utah Classic, Purdue Tournament), Allie Olsen (Utah Classic), Vanessa Ramirez (Purdue Tournament), Emily Smith (USD Invitational) and Megan Yett (USD Invitational) earn All-Tournament Team honors.
• Utah has recorded more digs than its opponent in every match this season.
• Against SMU, Madelyn Robinson surpassed the 1,000 career kills mark between her time at BYU and Utah. Heading into this week, Robinson has recorded 1,043 career kills (614 at Utah, 429 at BYU).
IN THE RANKINGS
• Madelyn Robinson is second in the Pac-12 Conference and No. 28 in the nation with 4.21 kills per set.
• Vanessa Ramirez is third in the Pac-12 with 4.00 digs per set, while Allie Olsen ranks third in the conference with a .400 hitting percentage, which is No. 36 nationally.
• Emily Smith is fifth in the Pac-12 with 9.80 assists per set.
• Utah is second in the Pac-12 and No. 25 in the nation with 13.83 kills per set.
• Utah is also No. 58 in the nation in hitting percentage (.251) and No. 72 in assists per set (12.22).
• Utah received votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the third-straight week. Before narrowly sliding out of the top-25, Utah Volleyball was ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll for 45 consecutive weeks, which tied a school-record for most consecutive weeks ranked set during the 2000-02 seasons.
SCOUTING BYU
BYU jumped out to a 5-0 record this season, but are heading into this week's match on a three-game losing streak. The trio of losses were all at the hands of top-10 teams in No. 10 Pitt (1-3), No. 5 Georgia Tech (0-3) and No. 8 Ohio State (0-3). The Cougars are led by outside hitter Erin Livingston, who averages 4.00 kills per set, along with Heather Gneiting, who posts 2.37 kills per set and a team-best 1.15 blocks per set. Whitney Llarenas is No. 20 in the nation with a .426 hitting percentage as well, while the team is No. 14 in the nation with a combined .289 hitting clip. BYU also ranks nationally in blocks per set at No. 39 with 2.59 blk/s.
SCOUTING UTAH STATE
Utah State earned a key win over No. 12 UCLA in four sets at its home tournament to highlight the non-conference slate. The Aggies have gotten off to a 6-2 start to the year with wins that also included Cal Poly, Cincinnati, and Oregon State. Utah State's two losses were sweeps to then No. 7 BYU and No. 10 Pitt. The Aggies have a pair of setters leading the balanced offense where six hitters record at least two kills per set. Shelby Capllonch and Tatum Stall lead the efforts with 3.17 and 3.09 kills per set, respectively. Kennedi Boyd leads the team with 1.26 blocks per set and is No. 64 nationally. Utah State ranks No. 15 in the nation with 2.22 aces per set, while the team is No. 44 with 2.56 blocks per set.
SEASON TICKET TIME
It is time to secure season tickets for the 2022 season to see all of the action in the Huntsman Center. Help Utah Volleyball make the Huntsman Center the best home court advantage in the nation and visit UtahTickets.com to purchase tickets for $25 to catch all of Utah's remaining home matches. Fans wishing to purchase single match tickets can also do so online or at the ticket office prior to the match. Looking to get more involved, join the Block U Club where you can receive benefits such as a t-shirt, team lanyard, concession coupons, autographed team poster and ball, subscription to Beth's Blast and more.
UP NEXT
Utah opens Pac-12 play against Colorado and Arizona next week at the Huntsman Center. The Utes will open the week's action against Colorado on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be aired on Pac-12 Mountain. Then, the Utes will host Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Insider before returning to road play the following week.