SALT LAKE CITY — For the second time in as many years, BYU women’s volleyball is set to take on rival Utah in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, should both teams get through the first round.

Brackets were announced on Sunday evening, with the Cougars (25-4) obtaining the No. 14 seed in the 64-team tournament, meaning they’ll host the first two rounds.

“We’re excited to host this weekend and play again in the Smith Fieldhouse against New Mexico State, as well as host Utah and Illinois. It’s going to be a great weekend of volleyball.” — BYU head coach Heather Olmstead

Only the top 16 teams are given seeds in the tournament, although Utah (22-9) could certainly be considered one of the top unseeded teams when considering its resume. The Utes enter the tournament ranked No. 17 nationally after winning three straight matches to end the season.

The Cougars are ranked No. 13 nationally and have reached the round of 16 on seven straight occasions while being one year removed from reaching the final four.

Tournament play at the Smith Fieldhouse starts Friday, Dec. 6. with BYU matching up versus New Mexico State (27-3) at 7 p.m. MT after a match between Utah and Illinois (16-13) in Provo’s other first-round matchup at 4 p.m. MT. The winning teams from Friday’s matches will then play a second-round contest on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. MT.

Brigham Young University players cheer after a point against the University of Utah in volleyball in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019.   | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

“We’re excited to host this weekend and play again in the Smith Fieldhouse against New Mexico State, as well as host Utah and Illinois,” said BYU head coach Heather Olmstead. “It’s going to be a great weekend of volleyball.”

BYU has largely dominated the rivalry with Utah on the volleyball court, although the Utes have proven more competitive in recent years, having most recently defeated the Cougars in 2016 in a five-set thriller. Last season saw BYU sweep both their regular season and NCAA Tournament matches with the Utes and take a four-set win earlier this season at the Huntsman Center.

BYU is led by standout seniors McKenna Miller and Mary Lake, while Utah will rely primarily on the play of Dani Drews, who leads her team with 560 kills on the season.