Photo Credit: Derek Johnson
Set 1
The opening set saw seven ties and two lead changes as the both teams went point-for-point early. Trailing 7-6, BYU went on a 3-0 run, taking six of the next eight points to lead 12-9. A pair of McEwan-Llarenas kills, the second on a slide, and another by Bower had the Cougars in font 15-12 at the media timeout.
Bower dropped in a dump before a Hannah Billeter ace, giving the Cougars an 18-13 advantage and forcing a UTRGV timeout. The Vaqueros went on two separate 3-0 runs to draw within one, at 20-19, before a solo block from Claire Little slowed their momentum.
UTGRV kept it close, but a couple double blocks from Kate Prior, Mia Le, McEwan-Llarenas and Bower, as well as a quick hitter from McEwan-Llarenas, closed out the first set for BYU, 25-22.
Set 2
Bower began the second with a dump kill, but after a Livingston kill, UTRGV reeled off five-straight to lead by three. Two 3-0 runs then put the Cougars in front, 8-6, before the two teams traded points, with the set seeing ties at 12- and 14-all.
Mia Lee landed a solo block out of the media timeout before two-straight by the Vaqueros tied the set again, at 16. McEwan-Llarenas ended a stretch of eight-consecutive side-outs with a quick hitter, fueling a 3-0 run that forced a Rio Grande Valley timeout with BYU ahead 22-19.
Fighting off nine ties and two lead changes in the frame, another Bower kill, along with a Prior and Lee double block, helped the Cougars finish the set on a 6-2 run, picking up the 25-21 set win and 2-0 match lead.
Set 3
Tied at 2-2, BYU scored three-straight, including a double block by Prior and Brielle Kemavor, seeing her first action with the Cougars, to lead 5-2. After ties at 6- and 7-apiece, a Little kill and Billeter’s second ace of the match paced BYU to a 10-7 advantage on a 3-0 run.
Kemavor got in on two of the next three points with another double block and one solo stuff, but five-consecutive points by UTRGV had the Cougars tailing by one, 14-13, leading to a timeout.
A 5-0 Vaquero run, part of a 10-1 run in the set, spanned BYU’s second timeout and had the Cougars down 19-14 before Little landed a cross-court kill to end the run.
McEwan-Llarenas scored on a quick hitter at 21-16, but Rio Grande Valley closed the set on a 4-2 run to earn a 25-18 set win.
Set 4
BYU opened up a 6-2 lead in the fourth on two kills by Livingston and one each from McEwan-Llarenas, Bower and Little, before Livingston and McEwan-Llarenas teamed up for a double block.
Another Bower dump kill, a kill from Little to finish a long rally, two kills from Prior and one from McEwan-Llarenas helped the Cougars maintain their lead, in front 12-9. Bower swung away for a kill before two more Livingston kills made it 15-12, BYU, at the media timeout.
The duo fueled a 3-0 run with another Livingston kill and Bower ace coming out of the break as the Cougars took five of six on kills from Lee and Little to go up 19-13 and force a Vaquero timeout.
Lee, McEwan-Llarenas and Little kills made it three-straight for BYU before two consecutive kills by Little gave the Cougars match point. A point later, Little finished off the match with the game-winner, her 17th of the afternoon, to earn the 25-16 set and 3-1 match win.
Up Next
BYU will conclude Ellesyn Invitational tournament play on Saturday night facing host Montana at 7pm MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
