Every day at VolleyMob we will preview several of the most notable and interesting matches in NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball. We will offer an inside look at some of those top matchups each day as we carry along through the 2017 season.
We’re past hump day in week four as now the volleyball action ramps up as we close in on the weekend. In total, six ranked teams and another on the cusp of the latest VolleyMob Top 25 play. Of those seven teams, four will be involved in two matches that highlight Thursday, September 14th.
*Note: VolleyMob’s Top 25 is utilized for a team’s ranking
*The entire week’s schedule can be seen here.
THE BIG MATCH:
#17 BYU (8-1) at #14 Utah (8-1) – 9 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks/BYU Radio/Live Stats)
On the football field, the BYU-Utah rivalry is dubbed ‘The Holy War’. Regardless of what you call it, this in-state rivalry should be a barn-burner that features two of the nation’s top-20 teams off to 8-1 starts.
Utah, the host of this match, has faced two ranked teams this season. One was a five-set loss on the road to Kentucky while they earned a ranked victory last week in Salt Lake City against San Diego in five sets. Outside hitter Adora Anae will look to star in what could be her last rivalry bout with the Cougars as the senior is averaging 4.52 kills per set – almost two times more than second on the Utes.
BYU was rolling until they suffered its first setback last week in Honolulu to Baylor. They are 1-0 against ranked teams thus far though, as they took down Ohio State when they were ranked in the first week of the season. They’ll need senior middle blocker/opposite Cosy Burnett to have a big game in defense of Anae as she leads the Cougars with 1.58 blocks per set.
OTHER NOTABLE MATCHES:
#15 USC (7-2) at Maryland (9-0) – 7 pm ET (BTN Plus/Live Stats)
Maryland is off to an unbeaten start as their high-level recruiting classes the past two years look to be paying off. They haven’t had any ranked tests yet though, as a chance to knock off a top-15 team would work wonders heading into the rugged Big Ten. USC meanwhile can score another solid win as they’ve supplanted themselves in the polls after starting the year unranked.
RV Marquette (5-4) at #4 Wisconsin (7-0) – 8 pm ET (BTN Plus/UW Radio/Live Stats)
Two teams battle for not just a strong win but in-state supremacy as Wisconsin plays host to Marquette in Madison. Marquette is fresh off a road sweep of a solid UW-Milwaukee team and will look to carry that momentum against a Badgers squad that won every single set its played in thus far.
BEST OF THE REST:
#9 Washington (8-1) vs. Oklahoma (3-6) – 4 pm ET (Live Stats)
Texas Tech (8-1) at Georgia (8-2) – (SEC Network+/Live Stats)
Evansville (6-3) at Ball State (6-4) – 7 pm ET (ESPN3/Live Stats)
Chattanooga (7-4) at #25 Missouri State (6-3) – 8 pm ET (ESPN3/Live Stats)
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