PROVO, Utah — No. 14 BYU women’s volleyball fell to Utah (25-15, 25-15, 25-15) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday.
"I want to thank our fans for coming out tonight and for supporting us all year," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead. "Congrats to Utah on advancing; they played really, really well tonight. I'm proud of our team for an incredible season. They fought every day to get better and I couldn't be prouder of what this team accomplished."
Senior McKenna Miller had seven kills and a block while junior Kennedy Eschenberg also knocked down seven kills to go along with four blocks, including one solo. Senior Mary Lake also notched 14 digs in the match.
Set 1
BYU could not keep up with Utah’s attack as the Utes got out a 10-3 lead early. Miller led the way for the Cougars with four kills, but it was not enough as the visiting team took the first set, 25-15.
Set 2
The second set began tighter than the first, with a pair of Madelyn Robinson kills keeping BYU close at 11-9 midway through the set. But a subsequent 4-0 run gave the Utes the breathing room they needed the rest of the way to a 25-15 victory.
Set 3
A kill by Whitney Bower and an ace from Heather Gneiting gave BYU a good start, but Utah answered with a 6-0 run to take a 9-2 lead. The Cougars got as close as four at 12-8, but the visitors maintained their lead, downing BYU 25-15.
BYU finishes the year at 26-5 overall, the Cougars' sixth-straight season with 25 or more wins, and reached their eighth-consecutive NCAA Tournament.