PROVO, Utah – No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball pushed its winning streak to 10, sweeping Santa Clara (25-16, 25-12, 25-10) on Saturday at the Smith Fieldhouse.
"We came out today with great energy and served really tough," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "I liked our blocking and see us making improvements."
Senior McKenna Miller led the Cougars with an impressive .700 hitting percentage, collecting seven kills and notching three aces. Junior Kennedy Eschenberg recorded a team-high five blocks, while freshman Kate Grimmer added three aces as well.
BYU had nine aces and 10.5 blocks on the day, holding the Broncos to a -.074 hitting percentage.
Set 1
The two teams stayed within two points of each other until BYU went on a 7-0 run behind the serve of Grimmer to take a decisive 23-14 lead. A final kill by Heather Gneiting put the match away, 25-16.
Set 2
The second set was a different story as freshman Whitney Bower and Miller added early aces to the board to help the Cougars jump out to a 9-1 lead. Up 19-11, BYU scored six of the last seven points of the set, including two blocks anchored by Eschenberg, winning the set 25-12.
Set 3
BYU again got off to a quick start, taking an 8-0 lead behind Bower's serve. Kills by junior Taylen Ballard-Nixon and Gneiting put BYU ahead 13-2. Miller had three late kills as the Cougars coasted the rest of the set, 25-10.
The Cougars will continue at home next week in a big match against San Diego (14-4, 7-0) on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. MDT. The match will be televised on BYUtv.