PROVO, Utah — No. 19 BYU women's volleyball tallied 14 aces as it defeated Central Michigan in four sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.
The Cougars' 14 aces (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) tied a BYU rally-scoring era record for aces in a match, something they've done on three other occasions and not since 2003.
Sophia Callahan (five aces) and Claire Little Chambers (four aces) both set career highs in aces while Mia Lee matched her personal best with two.
Suli Davis recorded a match-high 19 kills in the matchup on a .395 clip. Little Chambers, hitting .393, added 15 kills of her own. Callahan finisehd with eight and Lee had seven.
The Cougars had 55 kills to the Chippewas' 46, out-aced them 14 to four, out-blocked them nine to seven and out-hit CMU, .313 to .250.
Set 1
After being down 2-0 to start the first frame, the Cougars fought back with a 5-1 run, bringing the score to 6-4 and forcing a Central Michigan timeout.
The teams traded points until the Chippewas tied it at 14-14. A kill from Davis, followed by two service aces from Callahan, forced another Central Michigan timeout with BYU up 17-15. The Cougars recorded back-to-back kills to extend their advantage to 19-15.
Another Cougar run, powered by two kills from Little Chambers, pushed the lead to 23-15. Central Michigan managed a few points to narrow the gap, but BYU closed out the set 25-17 on a final kill from Davis, taking the opening frame in the hard-fought set.
Set 2
Despite taking the first point, three-straight BYU errors allowed Central Michigan to jump out to a 3-1 lead. BYU responded with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from Callahan.
The Chippewas immediately answered with four-consecutive points, taking the lead at 9-7. Two kills and a Cougar error extended Central Michigan’s advantage to 12-8.
BYU came back with a 5-1 knotting the score at 16. Two-straight aces from Lee put the Cougars ahead 20-18. Central Michigan countered with four-straight points to regain the lead, 22-20, and maintained control down the stretch, closing out the set 25-22.
Set 3
Central Michigan opened the third set with a 3-0 run, but BYU answered with a kill and an ace from Little Chambers to knot the score. The Chippewas regained the lead at 8-6 after two straight BYU errors.
The Cougars fueled their largest run of the match with a collective nine-straight points. The 9-0 streak included kills from three different players in Brielle Kemavor, Davis and Callahan.
BYU rallied on a 4-1 run to reach set point and closed out the set with a double block from Little Chambers and Kemavor.
Set 4
Starting off the fourth set, the teams exchanged points until Central Michigan took a two-point lead at 7-5. BYU put down four-straight points, led by Little Chambers’ kill and pair of aces, pushing the Chippewas to call a timeout with the scoreboard at 9-7, BYU.
The Cougars stretched their lead to 17-12, tallying six kills along the way. A four-point BYU run later gave it match point, though Central Michigan managed to fend it off five times. The Cougars closed out the match with a double block by Alex Bower and Lee, finishing the set 25-21.
Up Next
BYU will conclude the dōTERRA Classic on Saturday afternoon with a matchup against High Point at 4 p.m. MDT. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.