14 Byu Vs. #1 Wisconsin
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
@BYUWVOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL CONTACT Braden Taylor | [email protected] BYU VOLLEYBALL @bradenjtaylor | 385-230-4088 HIGHEST DIVISION I WINNING PERCENTAGE IN THE LAST FIVE SEASONS (.889, 144-18) | THIRD-MOST WINS IN NCAA HISTORY (1,324) #14 BYU #1 WISCONSIN 2020-21 SCHEDULE #14 BYU STAT COMPARISON H 7-0 | A 9-1 | N 1-0 VS. 17-1 W/L 14-0 JANUARY #1 WISCONSIN 60 SETS 45 K 26 at Portland W 3-0 APRIL 17, 2021 868 639 226 E 146 COUGARS CHI HEALTH CENTER ARENA BADGERS 27 at Portland W 3-0 2080 TA 1421 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 17-1 15-1 14-0 13-0 .309 HIT% .347 OVERALL WCC OVERALL BIG 10 FEBRUARY .181 OPP% .132 14.47 K/S 14.20 2 Santa Clara PPD 816 ASTS 583 3 Santa Clara PPD QUICK HITS 13.60 ASTS/S 12.96 98 SA 81 4 at Utah Valley W 3-1 • No. 16 seed BYU will play unbeaten, top-seeded Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 of the 2020 SE NCAA Tournament on Saturday, April 17 at 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN3. The Cougars are in the 146 115 midst of their ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance (33rd overall NCAA Tournament 1.63 SA/S 1.80 9 Gonzaga W 3-1 appearance), including the seventh time in those nine appearances that BYU has been 941 DIGS 640 seeded. The Cougars have also reached the Sweet 16 in eight of the last nine years. 10 Gonzaga W 3-0 15.68 DIGS/S 14.22 • BYU and Wisconsin have split the four matches played between the two programs since 21 BS 28 16 Loyola Marymount W 3-0 1990. The two teams met in the second round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament, with the BA Cougars winning the match 3-1 to advance to the Regional Semifinal. The Badgers came 261 187 TBLK 17 Loyola Marymount W 3-0 away the victors of a five-set thriller in the most recent matchup played in 2008. 151.5 121.5 2.53 BLK/S 2.70 • Going 15-1 in league play, BYU claimed the West Coast Conference title outright. The 23 at Pepperdine L 0-3 championship marked the Cougars’ fifth WCC title in Heather Olmstead’s six seasons as 1,117.5 PTS 841.5 head coach. Since joining the league in 2011, BYU has won seven WCC championships in 10 24 at Pepperdine W 3-2 years. • This matchup marks the second time in the rally era BYU has faced to top-seeded team in LAST 5 MATCHES (5-0) MARCH the tournament. The last time the Cougars faced the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament TOP OFFENSIVE PERFORMERS came in 2018 when the Cougars played top-seeded Stanford in the NCAA Final Four. HIT% K E TA A SA PTS 5 at San Francisco W 3-0 Kennedy Eschenberg .519 46 4 81 4 0 65 • BYU is ranked in the top 10 nationally in three major statistical categories: No. 4 in assists Whitney Bower .231 6 0 26 166 5 15.5 6 at San Francisco W 3-1 per set (13.60), No. 5 in hitting percentage (.309) and No. 6 in kills per set (14.47). Senior Taylen Ballard-Nixon .350 61 12 140 1 2 71 middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg ranks No. 5 in the NCAA Division I in blocks per set Erin Livingston .274 48 14 124 1 0 53.5 (1.59) and No. 7 in hitting percentage (.456). Sophomore setter Whitney Bower ranks No. 18 Kate Grimmer .289 37 13 83 1 0 46 12 Pacific CANC in assists per set (10.90). 13 Pacific CANC • Currently on a 10-match win streak, the one-loss Cougars have only lost nine of their 60 TOP DEFENSIVE PERFORMERS sets played during the 2020-21 season. The .941 regular season win percentage (16-1) Digs BS BA TOTB 17 at #21 San Diego W 3-1 marked the Cougars’ best since posting a .964 win percentage (26-1) in 2018 regular season. Kennedy Eschenberg 5 3 32 35 Madi Allen 67 0 0 0 • Sophomore setter Whitney Bower was named WCC Player of the Year and WCC Setter of Whitney Bower 53 0 9 9 20 #21 San Diego W 3-0 the Year while Olmstead collected her third WCC Coach of the Year honor. Bower was one of Taylen Ballard-Nixon 35 3 10 13 four Cougars named to the All-WCC First Team, joining senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard- Kate Grimmer 8 0 18 18 26 at Saint Mary’s W 3-0 Nixon, senior middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg and sophomore opposite Kate Grimmer. Freshman libero Madi Allen was named to the All-WCC Second Team and freshman outside 27 at Saint Mary’s W 3-0 hitter Erin Livingston received All-WCC honorable mention. Allen, Livingston and freshman middle blocker Leilani Dodson were named to the WCC All-Freshman Team. LAST 10 MATCHES (10-0) TOP OFFENSIVE PERFORMERS 30 Santa Clara W 3-0 • On Tuesday, the AVCA named Olmstead the Pacific South Region Coach of the Year, marking HIT% K E TA A SA PTS the second time (2018) she’s received the recognition in her six years as head coach. Taylen Ballard-Nixon .276 133 37 348 3 5 152.5 31 Santa Clara W 3-0 Ballard-Nixon, Bower, Eschenberg and Grimmer claimed All-Region honors. Eschenberg has Kennedy Eschenberg .443 90 12 176 7 0 125 received colleced the accolade the last three seasons. Whitney Bower .352 19 0 54 378 11 41.0 Erin Livingston .259 101 29 278 2 1 115 APRIL • The Cougars remained at No. 14 in the last AVCA national poll before the tournament. BYU Kate Grimmer .290 92 30 214 1 0 105.5 has now been ranked for 117-consecutive weeks dating back to Oct. 7, 2013. Under Heather 15 #15 UCLA W 3-0 Olmstead, the Cougars have never ranked lower than No. 17 nationally. TOP DEFENSIVE PERFORMERS Digs BS BA TOTB 17 #1 Wisconsin ESPN3 7 p.m. • BYU head coach Heather Olmstead and her staff entered the 2020-21 season with a Kennedy Eschenberg 10 7 56 63 .889 winning percentage (144-18) over the last five seasons, the highest of any Division Madi Allen 139 0 0 0 I program in the nation (min. of two completed seasons). The 2018 AVCA National Coach Whitney Bower 125 1 20 21 of the Year, Olmstead is the third-fastest Division I women’s volleyball coach in history to Taylen Ballard-Nixon 74 6 17 23 All times local to site reach 100 wins, doing so in just 111 matches. Leilani Dodson 14 2 32 34 WCC games in bold @BYUWVOLLEYBALL BYUCOUGARS.COM 2021 QUICK FACTS COACHING FAMILY TREE WINNING STATISTICS Head coach Heather Olmstead comes from a family of BYU has a number of different active winning streaks, volleyball coaches. Her father, Rick, is a well-known high including when the Cougars: GENERAL INFORMATION school and club coach in California who coached U.S. star School: ...............................................Brigham Young University and current National Team head coach Karch Kiraly at Santa Stat Wins Last Loss Barbara High. Record a higher hit % 134 LMU, 9/29/15 Location: ....................................................................Provo, Utah Record more kills 94 at Portland, 10/13/16 Founded: ................................................................................1875 Heather’s sister, Laci, played setter for the Cougars from Record more digs 82 Utah, 9/15/16 1994-95. Hit .300 or higher 64 at San Diego, 9/30/16 Enrollment: .........................................................................33,615 Outblocking opponent 35 at LMU, 11/20/18 Heather’s brother, Shawn, has been the BYU men’s Nickname: ........................................................................Cougars volleyball coach the last five seasons, winning three MPSF Colors: ........................................................Navy Blue and White titles. Previously, Shawn and Heather worked together on BYU’S RECORD IN 2021 WHEN... the women’s team for four seasons with Shawn as the Overall . 17-1 Conference: ............................................West Coast Conference head coach, helping BYU to two conference titles and three Conference. .15-1 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2014 national President: .........................................................Kevin J. Worthen Nonconference . .2-0 runner-up finish. Athletics Director: ...................................................Tom Holmoe Home . .7-0 Both Heather and Shawn have both been named AVCA Away. .9-1 National Coach of the Year as the head coaches of the Neutral. .1-0 BYU women’s program, the only two coaches to do so in program history. ARENA INFORMATION Day. .11-0 Night. .6-1 Home Court: ...................................................Smith Fieldhouse Capacity: ...............................................................................5,000 ALL-TIME GREAT COACHES Playing ranked opponents . 3-0 Three BYU coaches are found among the winningest in Playing unranked oppponents. .14-1 Surface: ............................................................................Taraflex the history of NCAA women’s volleyball. BYU is the only program with three coaches win an .800 or higher winning In three sets. .12-1 percentage. In four sets . .4-0 In five sets. .1-0 Elaine Michaelis (886-219-5, .800) is ninth in the NCAA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS history in career win percentage and 10th in career victories Winning the first set . 16-0 after coaching from 1969-01. When she retired, Michaelis Media Relations Director ......................................Braden Taylor Winning the second set . .14-0 was second on the career victories list and first among any Winning the third set. .15-0 Email ..................................................... [email protected] woman in collegiate volleyball. She is an AVCA Founders Winning the fourth set . .5-0 Award and USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach honoree. Phone ..................................................................385-230-4088 The Cougars’ home court is also named after her.