PROVO, Utah – No. 13 BYU women's volleyball earned its second win of the BYU Doterra Classic, defeating Sam Houston State (24-26, 25-13, 25-16, 25-18) Friday at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Sophomore Madelyn Robinson had a game-high 16 kills with 11 digs while senior McKenna Miller was right behind with 15 kills, three digs and three blocks. Freshman Whitney Bower added 43 assists, eight digs, three aces, three blocks and two kills.
"I really liked our fight the entire match," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "We kept our focus after that first set and cleaned up our offense. Everyone contributed tonight and we'll need that going forward."
Set 1
The set went back and forth as the two teams traded points deep into the frame. Despite Miller’s fourth kill putting the Cougars up 24-23, Sam Houston State won the next three points to take the 26-24 win.
Set 2
BYU blocks and kills by Heather Gneiting, Miller and Robinson put the Cougars up 12-6 quickly in the second set. BYU’s advantage grew to as many as 10 points at 20-10 with Taylen Ballard-Nixon putting down back-to-back kills to give BYU the 25-13 advantage.
Set 3
The Bearkats again gave BYU a battle for most of the third set until a 10-1 Cougar run gave BYU the 19-10 lead behind two Bower service aces and a pair of kills by Kennedy Eschenberg. The Bearkats were unable to chip away at the Cougars, as BYU maintained its lead to a finishing score of 25-16.
Set 4
Down 6-4, BYU went on a run to build a 10-6 lead thanks in part to three aces by Tayler Tausinga and a rare kill by libero Mary Lake. Kills by Bower, Miller, and Robinson pushed the Cougars further ahead at 23-15, and a final Riley Lyman kill sealed a 25-18 win.
Weber State vs. LIU
Weber State claimed its second victory of the Doterra Classic with a 27-25, 25-15, 25-21 win over LIU. Weber State's Sam Schiess had 10 kills on 16 swings with no errors for a .625 hitting percentage.
The Cougars will face Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. MT in the final match of the BYU Doterra Classic.