No. 24 Cougars hit .340 in sweep at Houston

HOUSTON — Three Cougars finished with double-digit kills as No. 24 BYU women’s volleyball swept Houston (25-16, 29-27, 26-24) at the Fertitta Center on Saturday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

The Cougars (16-8, 9-5 Big 12) received 15 kills (hitting .302) from Claire Little, 13 (hitting .333) by Elli Mortensen and 10 kills with zero errors by Kjersti Strong, who hit .667 on the afternoon.

Alex Bower distributed 38 assists in the contest, leading BYU to a .340 hitting clip while the Cougars held Houston to a .183 percentage. BYU out-blocked UH, nine to two, and out-aced Houston, five to four, despite 12 service errors to UH’s 10.

Hannah Billeter and Lulu Uluave both finished with double-digit digs, recording 13 and 11, respectively. Strong posted a game-high five blocks.

Set 1
Trading points in the early going, BYU went on three separate 3-0 runs to take a 15-10 lead into the media timeout. A Little-Brielle Kemavor double block then extended the run to four straight.

Kills from Kate Prior, Strong and Mortensen furthered the Cougar advantage to 20-14, forcing a Houston timeout. Two Mortensen kills and a Billeter ace made it a 5-0 run spanning the UH timeout.

The Cougars closed out the set with back-to-back blocks by Mortensen, Strong and Bower, finishing the frame on a 7-3 run, 25-16. Mortensen led the way in the opening set, tallying seven kills.

Set 2
Going back-and-forth to start the second, a Mortensen kill ignited a 3-0 run that gave BYU an 8-6 advantage. Two more 3-0 runs, capped off by a Mortensen ace, gave the Cougars a 14-8 lead and forced a UH timeout.

Kills by Little and Kemavor made way for a Kemavor-Prior double block, and Houston took its second timeout with BYU leading 17-10. The Cougars weathered two 3-0 UH runs with one of their own, but called timeout ahead 21-19.

Another 3-0 run by UH tied things up at 22, and the set would see five more ties as both teams earned multiple set points. BYU fought off two Houston set points, closing the set on a 3-0 run, 29-27.

Set 3
Facing a 6-3 deficit, the Cougars rallied to tie the set at seven on a Billeter ace before taking the lead on a Mortensen kill, capping off a 4-0 run with a slide kill by Strong.

Both teams traded points from there, and another kill from Mortensen put BYU ahead 15-14 at the media timeout. Two Strong kills preceded a 3-0 highlighted by a Kemavor-Bower double block, and UH took a timeout at 20-17, Cougars.

After a Kemavor quick hitter and Bower ace, Houston called its second timeout. BYU took a timeout leading 22-20, and another after a 5-1 Houston run tied the set at 23.

Then tied at 24, the Cougars forced a Houston error before a slide kill by Strong sealed the sweep for BYU, 26-24.

Up Next
The Cougars will return home for their final two home matches of the regular season, beginning with Cincinnati on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. MST.