OREM, Utah – Junior Tambre Haddock led the No. 25 BYU women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-8, 25-11) victory over in-state opponent Utah Valley University Tuesday night.
“I liked our composure,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “We lost some tight points there in the first set, but I thought the girls were able to pull it together for the last three. The girls made some adjustments and loosened up a bit. I was proud of our team.”
Haddock finished the match with 18 kills, 14 digs and six blocks, while sophomore libero Ciara Parker posted a season-high 24 digs in the Cougar victory. Sophomore Camry Godfrey contributed 56 assists, a career high. Haddock, junior Hannah Robison and freshman Amy Boswell combined for 17 blocks.
The Wolverines got off to a quick 7-4 start in the first set from a string of Cougar attack errors. Shortly after, BYU began to find a rhythm, tying the match multiple times. A Hannah Robison kill gave the Cougars their first lead of the match at 21-20, forcing a UVU timeout. After a series of BYU set points, the Wolverines came back to tie the match at 24-24. A pair of kills from Wolverine Kalani Norris ended the set with a 26-24 UVU win.
The second set began with both teams exchanging points until a Gray kill gave the Cougars a 5-4 lead. Haddock gave BYU its first four-point lead of the set, 12-8, from a trio of kills that forced a Wolverine timeout. The Cougars maintained a comfortable four-point lead throughout most of the set, and a Kathryn LeCheminant kill gave BYU a 20-14 lead that forced a UVU timeout. A series of Cougar errors soon put the Wolverines within striking distance, down just two points at 22-20. After three set points and a BYU timeout, the Cougars were able to put away the set 25-22 from a UVU attack error.
Boswell put the first points on the board in the third set with a kill, followed by a quick Cougar attack to put BYU up 16-3. The Wolverines struggled to find momentum early on, using both timeouts before the Cougars put up 15 points. BYU easily took the set 25-8, going 9 of 9 on sideouts. Haddock led the Cougars on offense in the third set with six kills, eight digs and a service ace.
Despite the third set blowout, UVU came out fighting in the fourth set. The Wolverines remained within two points of the Cougars until a Gray kill gave BYU a 9-6 lead. It was all Cougars from that point as BYU jumped ahead of the Wolverines by nine at 18-9. The match was won from a LeCheminant and Godfrey block, as the Cougars took the set 25-11.
The Cougars return to the court on Friday and Saturday against Portland State, Fresno State and Oklahoma in the Portland State Tournament. BYU first plays tournament host Portland State at 6 p.m. PDT on Friday. Links to live stats can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page. A live video feed will be available for the Portland State match.