Boston College is stepping back into the ACC spotlight with a brutal two-match stretch at the Margot Connell Recreation Center, and the Eagles will get a fast read on where they stand. No.
2 Pittsburgh comes to Chestnut Hill on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., followed by No. 5 SMU on Sunday, Oct. 4 in the Morgan's Message Game.
Both matches will stream on ACCNX.
The Pittsburgh matchup is the 42nd all-time meeting between the programs, a series that dates to 1983. The Panthers have owned it, holding a 40-1 edge, with Boston College’s lone win coming on Oct. 1, 2000.
Pittsburgh arrives at 12-0 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, still unbeaten and ranked second nationally. The Panthers rolled through 10 straight non-conference wins to start the season, beating four ranked opponents along the way, then swept California in their ACC opener and No. 12 Stanford on Sunday.
SMU brings a different kind of heavyweight test two days later. The Mustangs and Eagles will meet for the third time, with the series starting in 2024 and SMU taking both previous matchups.
The Mustangs are 10-2 overall and 2-0 in the ACC, sitting fifth in the national rankings. Their resume includes early wins over No.
8 Texas A&M, CSU and UC Davis, a five-set loss to TCU, and bounce-back victories over No. 9 Texas and No.
3 Kentucky before ACC sweeps of Stanford and California.
Boston College enters the week coming off a split to open conference play. The Eagles beat Notre Dame 3-1 on Sept. 25 behind a huge night from Audrey Ross, who set a new career high with 25 kills.
Sam Hoppes added 10 kills, Ava McBride posted a double-double with a career-best 21 assists and 10 digs, and Brooklyn Yelland piled up 19 digs and nine assists. Marjanovic served four aces and added 13 digs, while Isabelle Poehlein and Dunkle each finished with four total blocks as BC held Notre Dame to a .161 hitting percentage.
A few days later, Louisville brought the Eagles back down to earth with a straight-sets win, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14. Ross again led the offense with 13 kills on a .270 hitting percentage, plus five digs and two blocks. Dunkle was efficient with five kills on a team-high .556 clip, Lucie Vesela served a match-high three aces, and McBride finished with 11 assists and eight digs.
Even before ACC play, Boston College had built a strong statistical base. The Eagles closed non-conference action at 9-2 and consistently controlled the net, out-blocking opponents 106.0 to 64.0 while averaging 2.79 blocks per set to the opposition’s 1.68.
Ross has been the engine all season. She leads BC with 165 kills, averaging 4.34 per set, and 5.05 points per set while hitting .277.
She has also contributed 87 digs and 28 total blocks. Hoppes has given the Eagles efficient production in the middle, hitting .370 on 211 attacks with 104 kills and ranking second on the team with 123.0 points and 33.0 blocks.
On the defensive side, Naomi Watson has anchored the front line with 52.0 total blocks, including 14 solo blocks and 38 block assists. Yelland has been the backbone of the back row with 131 digs and has also led BC with 17 service aces.
Those numbers now get tested against two of the league’s top teams in the span of three days. Boston College already knows the level of challenge in front of it; now it gets to see how much it can push back.
In Other News...
Boston College Heads To SMU With A Defensive Concern Growing
Boston College heads to No. 21 SMU on Saturday carrying a few familiar personnel questions, and the latest ACC availability report only sharpened the concern on defense. The Eagles are 2-2 as they prepare for the trip to Gerald J. Ford Stadium, but the list of unavailable players includes defensive back Cameron Martinez and defensive tackle Chris Marable Jr., leaving the group short on depth before it gets a major road test.
Linebacker Bodie Kahoun remains unavailable, continuing a stretch that has forced Boston College to adjust without one of its defensive pieces. The report also listed Torrence and Clough as questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty as the Eagles try to sort out who will be available against an SMU team ranked 21st and playing at home. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Has A Mason McKenzie Problem It Must Solve Fast
Four weeks into the season, Boston Colleges offense is still searching for answers, and Mason McKenzie has become one of the clearest signs of how much the Eagles are leaning on their quarterback to keep things moving. McKenzie ranks 12th nationally in rushing attempts and is second among quarterbacks with 74 carries, a workload that reflects both his ability to create with his legs and the pressure on BC to manufacture offense any way it can. Bill OBrien has already acknowledged the need for the unit to get better, and the numbers back up the concern: the Eagles have struggled to score, complete passes and pile up yards in ACC play.
The timing is tough, too, because Southern Methodist brings a very different kind of challenge. Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs have a passing game that can stress a defense quickly, which means Boston College may need its own offense to do more than simply survive drives and hope McKenzie can extend plays. For the Eagles, the immediate question is whether they can find a more balanced answer before the season slips further away. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Fans Get A Flutie Nostalgia Hit Before A Huge SMU Test
As Boston College heads into a major early test against SMU, there is at least a little nostalgia in the air for Eagles fans who remember when Doug Flutie was the standard for football celebrity in Chestnut Hill. Flutie Flakes are making a return to Tops Markets starting Oct. 4, a small but fitting reminder of one of the programs most recognizable alumni, with proceeds going to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.
The timing lands in the middle of a wider college sports conversation, too, after the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, which would create a federal framework for NIL compensation and put guardrails around conference size. For BC, the bigger immediate focus is still SMU and what the Mustangs have shown through four games on both sides of the ball, which is why the old Flutie buzz feels like a nice backdrop rather than the main event. [Read more 🡒]