PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball dominated No. 21 San Diego in a clean sweep (25-17, 25-13, 25-13) in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Both teams entered the evening undefeated in the West Coast Conference. The win puts BYU at a 19-1 overall record on the season and 9-0 in the WCC.
"I think we take a lot of pride in hitting high, using hands and using our toolbox," said BYU opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber. "We're trained to hit high and never into the block, so we just trust our strengths. We know when we're playing our best volleyball that we can compete with anyone in the WCC, if not the country."
With just three lead changes the entire game, the Cougars cruised to their 16th sweep, hitting .373 on the night. BYU's hitting percentage was the highest the Toreros have given up this season, surpassing No. 1 Texas’s .333 in the season opener. BYU held San Diego to a .115 clip.
Koerber led BYU with 17 kills on a .593 clip. This is her ninth match this season with double-digit kills. Junior setter Whitney Bower achieved a season-high kill count of seven along with 24 assists.
This stands as BYU's third-straight win over San Diego, holding a tight 13-10 overall record.
SET ONE
Led by two Bower dump-offs and Koerber kills, the Cougars opened up with a 6-2 lead. Three-straight kills by sophomore outside hitter Erin Livingston put BYU ahead 13-7. A Madi Allen ace started a 5-0 run for the Cougars, doubling up on the Toreros, 18-9.
San Diego ranks No. 3 in the NCAA for blocks per set, but BYU left the team blockless. Putting up a .429 clip, the Cougars secured the set win at 25-17.
SET TWO
San Diego took its first lead of the night, after two kills by WCC Offensive and Defensive player of the week Leyla Blackwell, leading 4-1. BYU followed with a 5-0 run, taking a 6-4 lead.
A 7-0 run by the Cougars widened the gap to 13-5. After two consecutive kills by middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg, the two teams traded points until 19-13. However, a 6-0 run by BYU allowed the team to clinch the set at 25-13.
SET THREE
Tied on separate occasions, the final set proved to be the tightest at 8-8. Breaking away, BYU benefited from four San Diego errors and two Koerber kills, taking a 15-11 lead.
Kills by four different Cougars and two aces by senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon gave BYU a 7-0 run. This run included Bower's seventh kill of the night, hitting her new season-high tally. Ultimately, San Diego failed to stop BYU's momentum, allowing BYU to solidify the sweep at 25-13.
Next up, the Cougars will remain home to host San Francisco on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. MDT. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv.