Provo, Utah--No. 16 BYU women's volleyball battled Gonzaga at home on Saturday and earned their eighth-straight sweep and 11th of the season (25-17, 25-7, 25-14) to stay undefeated and 2-0 in conference play.
“Last match against Gonzaga here on our floor was a little disappointing for us,” head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “I’m excited and thrilled with the outcome. I think that’s a good team over there and I’m happy with the way we executed our game plan and put a lot of pressure on them throughout the match.”
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BYU is 14-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference. Gonzaga falls to 8-7 and 0-2 in conference.
Alexa Gray led the team with 12 kills, while Jennifer Hamson added 11. Heather Hannemann contributed 35 assists and Kathryn Lecheminant led the team with seven total blocks to tie her season high. Kimberly Dahl also set career highs for both solo blocks and block assists in the sweep with two and three, respectively.
BYU struggled to gain control early in the first set, but pulled away late to take the 25-17 victory. Hamson led the way with six kills and senior setter Heather Hannemann added 15 assists.
In the second set, BYU took a 17-2 lead early. Libero Ciara Parker served 15 points in the process, adding to her 17 digs on the night. In the end, BYU earned the 25-7 victory to hold their second opponent of the season to under ten points, with the last being against George Washington.
With the score tied 6-6 in the third set, Gray added three kills to help BYU gain a five-point lead on the Bulldogs. BYU pushed away from there to claim the sweep with a 25-14 win.
BYU’s defense took control throughout the game, adding 13 blocks to Gonzaga’s two and 29 digs to Gonzaga’s 12.
BYU will continue its undefeated season on the road next week as they travel to San Fransisco and Saint Mary’s for conference play on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.