Broncos to face BYU in NCAA Tournament opener

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Provo, Utah | Smith Fieldhouse (BYU)
Dec. 3-4, 2021

Friday, Dec. 3 | First Round

7 p.m. (MT) | Boise State vs. No. 5 BYU | Live Scoring | ESPN+

Saturday, Dec. 4 | Second Round (If win on Friday)

7 p.m. | Boise State vs. No. 16 Utah or Utah Valley | Live Scoring | ESPN+

THIS WEEK IN BRONCO VOLLEYBALL
WHAT'S HAPPENING: This week 2021 Mountain West Conference Tournament Champion Boise State is off to the NCAA Championship with a date against fifth-ranked and 11th-seeded BYU in the first round at 7 p.m. (Mountain) on Friday in Provo, Utah. The Broncos, who are competing in their second NCAA tournament in program history, take a 24-10 overall record with them when they face the 28-1 Cougars in BYU's Smith Fieldhouse. If the Blue and Orange prevails on Friday, it would face the winner of the No. 16 Utah versus Utah Valley contest at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Provo.

FOLLOW THE ACTION: If you cannot attend, the best way to follow the action is by going to the volleyball schedule on BroncoSports.com and clicking on the appropriate "Live Scoring" and/or "Live Stream" links for the particular match you want to follow. The NCAA tournament match versus BYU can be watched on ESPN+ Friday evening, a subscription is necessary.

BOISE STATE IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: This is Boise State's second trip to the NCAA Championship all-time following a berth in 2016 as the Mountain West regular season champion. That year the Broncos defeated 20th-ranked Western Kentucky 3-0 before falling 3-0 to eventual national champion and ninth-ranked Stanford at Stanford, Calif.

SCOUTING BOISE STATE: The Broncos enter the tournament coming off a big week in Las Vegas where they won the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament with victories over No. 3-seed San Jose State (3-0), No. 2 Utah State (3-1) and No. 4 and host UNLV (3-1).

Leading Boise State through 34 matches is Lauren Ohlinger — two-time All-MW, 2021 MW All-Tournament Team and MVP — who has recorded team highs for kills (443), service aces (49) and points (530). The junior outside hitter is ranked 35th in NCAA for kills (1st MW), 19th for total service aces (2nd MW) and 39th in total points (2nd MW). Alyssa Wissinger — All-MW Honorable Mention — is next with 204 kills and 139 blocks (1st MW / 17th NCAA).

The Broncos are 9-2 in their last 11 contests. As a team, Boise State hits .262 percent (2nd MW / 29th NCAA) and holds opponents to .194 percent (4th MW). The Broncos average 12.74 kills per set (5th MW), 2.82 blocks (1st MW / 7th NCAA) and 1.81 service aces (3rd MW / 22nd NCAA). Boise State leads the NCAA for total blocks with 355.5 and is second for total service aces with 228.

SCOUTING BYU: The Cougars are the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Championship and enter the tournament ranked No. 5 (AVCA) nationally with a 28-1 overall record. The West Coast Conference regular season champion is on a 21-match win streak with the lone loss coming on the road at the hands of current third-ranked Pittsburgh in September.

Middle blocker Heather Gneiting leads the Cougars and is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA for hitting percentage at .464 with 212 kills. Kenzie Koerber — WCC Player of the Year — leads in kills with 335 followed by Taylen Ballard-Nixon with 221. As a team, BYU is ranked second-nationally for hitting percentage at .339 and second for opponent hitting percentage at .118. The Cougars average 14.38 kills per set (5th NCAA), 1.74 aces (33rd NCAA) and 2.39 blocks (62nd NCAA).

THE BYU SERIES: This will be the 10th meeting all-time in the series with BYU leading 9-0. The two programs have met three times since 2016, all were 3-0 BYU victories with the last coming in Provo on Aug. 30, 2019.

SCOUTING UTAH: Utah enters the NCAA Championship ranked 16th nationally by the AVCA with a 21-8 overall record and a 14-6 Pac-12 mark, good for third place. The Utes are led by Dani Drews with 545 kills (5.24 kps) followed by Madelyn Robinson with 310. As a team, Utah hits .257 percent (4th Pac-12 / 34th NCAA) while their opponents have hit .203 percent (3rd Pac-12). The Utes average 14.26 kills per set (1st Pac-12 / 9th NCAA).

THE UTAH SERIES: If the two programs meet in the second round on Saturday, it would be the second encounter of the year between them with the Broncos defeating the then 10th-ranked Utes 3-1 in Boise on Sept. 13. The all-time series between them has Boise State owning a slim 5-4 advantage.

SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY: Utah Valley earned its berth into the NCAA Championship by winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with victories over New Mexico State (3-2), Stephen F. Austin (3-0) and Grand Canyon (3-0). The Wolverines enter the NCAA tournament with a 16-12 overall record. UVU is led by Kazna Tanuvasa with a team-high 382 kills followed by Kristen Bell with 231. As a team, Utah Valley hits .213 percent (5th WAC) while their opponents have hit .185 percent (4th WAC). The Wolverines are ranked ninth nationally for total blocks with 299 and 11th for blocks per set at 2.72.

THE UTAH VALLEY SERIES: If the two programs meet in the second round on Saturday, it would be the 13th meeting all-time in a series that the Wolverines lead 8-4. Boise State has won the last two encounters 3-1 on Nov. 1, 2011 in Boise and 3-1 on Aug. 31, 2019 on a neutral court at BYU.

NOTES: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BRONCO VOLLEYBALL
TEAM DEPTH AND STARTERS: Boise State features one of its best teams all time in terms of depth. The depth turned out to be much needed as injuries and illnesses mounted up throughout the year forcing the Broncos start 13 of the players on the roster at least once this season. Lauren Ohlinger is the only Broncos to start all 34 contests at outside hitter, followed by Alyssa Wissinger with 32 at middle blocker. Dani Boss is next, she has started the last 31 matches after missing the opening weekend.

STARTING LINEUPS: It is somewhat surprising that with all the setbacks in players missing matches because of injury and illnesses, that the Broncos have gone 24-10 this season. Thirteen different Broncos have started at least once, combining for 14 different lineups in 34 contests. The most any lineup has played is seven matches by two different groups. Boise State used the same lineup on its run to the MW tournament championship in Las Vegas, it also happens to be the most successful one at 7-0 (Ohlinger, Wissinger, Akima, Boss, O'Harra and Bartsch).

WINNING SEASON: At 24-10, Boise State is guaranteed its seventh-consecutive winning season and 10th during the 13-year tenure of head coach Shawn Garus.

WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY: The Broncos' frontline has recorded double-digit team blocks in 21 of 34 contests to date with a high of 18 against San Jose State (Sept. 30), tied for 12th all-time and tied for third during the rally scoring era (RSE).

THE BLUE WALL NATIONALLY RANKED: The Broncos lead the Mountain West and the nation in total blocks with 355.5. The Blue Wall also leads the MW and is seventh in the NCAA for blocks per set at 2.82.

BOSS AT SETTER: Senior Danielle Boss entered the season ranked ninth all-time and fifth in the rally scoring era (RSE) for career assists at Boise State with 2,151. She has recorded 1,145 to move into sixth place overall and third in RSE with 3,296.

WISSINGER LEADS MW AND NATIONALLY RANKED FOR BLOCKS: Alyssa Wissinger is ranked first in the Mountain West and 30th in NCAA for blocks per set at 1.28, she also leads the MW and is 17th nationally for total blocks with 139.

BOSS LEADS LEAGUE IN ASSISTS: Dani Boss is ranked first in the MW and 30th in NCAA for total assists with 1,145 and is second for assists per set at 10.13.

OHLINGER NATIONALLY RANKED: Lauren Ohlinger is ranked 18th in the NCAA for total service aces (49), 23rd for total points (530.0) and 35th for total kills (443).

SHAWN GARUS: Boise State head coach Shawn Garus, in his 13th season with the program, currently stands at 230-158, his career record stands at 338-278 in his 21st year. Garus ranks second in total wins in program history, out of 10 coaches all-time. At Boise State, he has recorded 10 winning seasons overall — including 2021 — and has an active streak of seven straight. He has four seasons with 20-plus wins (2010, 2015, 2016, 2021).

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Players Mentioned

Danielle Boss

Lauren Ohlinger