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Provo • One would be hard-pressed to find a more enthusiastic player in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament — which begins Friday at 16 sites around the country — than BYU's Amy Boswell. It would be difficult to find a harder worker as well.

The Cougars' 6-foot-4 senior middle blocker not only has four All-America citations in her career, she's a First-Team Academic All-American and a two-time All-West Coast Conference First-Team selection. She holds a 3.90 grade-point average in one of the most rigorous majors at BYU, nursing.

"Amy is our Energizer Bunny," coach Heather Olmstead has said.

There have been times when Boswell, who is scheduled to graduate in 2017, has had to miss practices to do her clinicals at a nearby hospital. Nursing school requirements have at times also forced her to take separate flights from her teammates on road trips.

Through it all, she has become one of the best players in the country.

"She has brought leadership on the court and off the court," Olmstead said. "She is just a good example of hard work, selfless service to her teammates and good energy. You can see it when she plays. She is just fun to be around. She is fun to play with. She serves her teammates, and she is always looking for ways to get better on the court, offensively and defensively."

Having received a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season, the WCC champion Cougars (27-3) will host Ivy League champion Princeton (19-4) in a first-round match on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Smith Fieldhouse. Rival Utah (20-11) faces UNLV (23-7) in the other first-round match in Provo (5 p.m.), meaning the Cougars could get a chance to avenge one of their three losses this season, that five-set heartbreaker to the Utes back on Sept. 15.

However, nobody in blue is saying a word about Utah right now. Princeton has their full attention because the Tigers went 13-1 in conference play and feature outstanding players in senior outside hitter Cara Mattaliano, the Ivy League Player of the Year, and freshman Maggie O'Connell, the Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year.

The Cougars also have a conference freshman of the year, outside hitter McKenna Miller. Senior middle blocker Whitney Young Howard joined Boswell and Miller on the All-WCC First Team. Libero Mary Lake received a WCC honorable mention citation and made the all-freshman team with Miller.

Boswell said the Cougars are relishing a chance to play at least one more match in the Smith Fieldhouse.

"Our fan base is going to be unreal," she said. "I am so excited that we get to have two more games in the field house, knowing that these are really going to be my last two. So that's kinda fun."

The winner of Saturday's second-round match will advance to the regional semifinals on Dec. 9 at the University of Texas at Austin. The Cougars have advanced to the regional semifinals the past four years, and made it all the way to the championship game in 2014 as an unseeded team.

Ranked 10th nationally with an RPI of No. 7, BYU appears to be under-seeded again, but the Cougars aren't complaining.

"We are thrilled to be the No. 13 seed and we are excited about playing Princeton and the draw that we got," Olmstead said. "We are looking at it one match at a time. But we are excited to be home in front of Cougar Nation, and for our team to be able to play on Friday, and we will go from there."

Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU vs. Princeton

P NCAA Tournament first round

At Smith Fieldhouse, Provo

Start • 7 p.m.

Records • BYU 27-3; Princeton 19-4

Series history • BYU leads 3-0

Last meeting • BYU 3, Princeton 0 (Sept. 15, 2012)