PROVO, Utah – No. 11 BYU women’s volleyball erased an early third set deficit to sweep Saint Mary’s (25-18, 25-17, 25-18) on Saturday in the Smith Fieldhouse.
“We fought really hard," said BYU opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber. "They came out and went on a 6-0 run in the third set, and we could have either folded or fought back like we did. We take a lot of pride in focusing on one point at a time and not getting too ahead of ourselves.”
Koerber led the Cougars with 16 kills, five blocks and a hitting percentage of .500.
Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting and middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg each contributed eight kills, while Eschenberg complimented Koerber’s defense with five blocks of her own. Freshman opposite hitter Sophia Callahan hit .714 clip, tacking on five kills.
The Cougars exceeded their average with 16.3 kills per set and a .404 hitting percentage. Senior setter Taylor Hifo and sophomore libero Madi Allen recorded four of BYU’s six service aces.
Saint Mary’s middle blocker Jennifer Laird entered Saturday’s match as the West Coast Conference’s third-leading blocker, averaging 1.31 per set. BYU's defense left Laird block-less while holding her to three kills and a .125 hitting percentage.
SET ONE
An early 2-0 lead from the Gaels proved to be brief as the Cougars broke out on an 8-1 run, thanks to kills from Koerber and blocks from senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon and Gneiting. Even with five errors, BYU maintained its lead, boasting 19 kills over Saint Mary's five. A final kill by Eschenberg closed the set with the Cougars in front, 25-18.
SET TWO
Blocks from Eschenberg, Koerber and freshman outside hitter Elyse Stowell put BYU ahead, 7-3. However, a 5-0 run by Saint Mary’s put them in the lead 8-7. This was short-lived, as the Cougars tied it back up at 8-8.
One point later, BYU took the lead and never gave it up. BYU’s offense outplayed the Gaels, holding them to a .081 hitting percentage. A few digs by junior setter Whitney Bower and another block by Koerber and Eschneberg sealed the win, 25-17.
SET THREE
Saint Mary’s came out swinging, managing a 6-0 run. Two straight aces from Allen put BYU on the board. An 8-0 run by the Cougars followed. Callahan quickly contributed four kills to compliment blocks from Eschenberg and Koerber. Eschenberg put away the Gaels for good with a final kill that gave BYU the set, 25-18, and completed the sweep.
Next week, BYU (12-1, 2-0) hits the road for conference play at Santa Clara and San Francisco. First up, the Cougars will face the Broncos on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. PDT.