PROVO, Utah — No. 14 BYU women's volleyball picked up its first win in Big 12 play, sweeping Iowa State (25-18, 25-20, 26-24) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars (13–1, 1–1 Big 12) hit .345 compared to Iowa State’s .186 and controlled the net with an 11–2 blocking advantage. The Cyclones committed 23 attack errors to BYU’s 10.
Claire Little Chambers finished with a match-high 14 kills on .367 hitting. Suli Davis posted 13 kills of her own on a .522 clip, tying her career high with two solo blocks and four total blocks.
Brielle Kemavor added five kills on a .400 clip to go along with five blocks. Hannah Billeter also contributed from the service line with two aces.
Set 1
The Cougars opened the match strong, jumping out to a 7–4 lead behind back-to-back kills from Davis. BYU extended the margin to 10–5 on a kill by Kemavor and an overpass kill from Little Chambers, forcing an Iowa State timeout.
The Cyclones responded with a 4–0 run to pull within one at 12–11, but BYU answered quickly. A 3–0 surge pushed the Cougars ahead 17–12 and brought on another Iowa State timeout.
BYU maintained control the rest of the way, using a 4–0 run to extend the lead to 22–14. Little Chambers sealed the set with a kill, giving the Cougars a 25–18 win.
Set 2
Iowa State flipped the momentum to start the second set, jumping out to a 4–1 lead. BYU responded with a kill from Sophia Callahan and a solo block by Davis on a rally highlighted by a pancake dig from Little Chambers, tying the score at 5.
The Cougars took their first lead at 10–9 on a Cyclone attack error, but Iowa State answered with a 3–0 run to regain the edge at 12–11. BYU struck back, with Billeter delivering an ace to put the Cougars ahead 14–13.
A 4–0 BYU run, capped by back-to-back double blocks from Kemavor, Alex Bower, and Davis, forced an Iowa State timeout with the Cougars leading 18–15. The Cyclones responded with consecutive kills, prompting a BYU timeout at 20–19.
Out of the break, BYU went on a 2–0 run to extend its lead to 22–19, forcing another Cyclone timeout. The teams traded short runs down the stretch, but the Cougars closed it out on a Callahan kill to take the set, 25–21.
Set 3
BYU opened the third set with a 3–0 run, highlighted by an ace from Billeter and a block by Kemavor, to take a 4–2 lead. Another 3–1 surge pushed the advantage to 7–4, and the teams traded points to 12–10.
The Cougars pulled away briefly with a 3–0 run for a 15–10 lead, but Iowa State answered with a pair of runs, closing the gap to 18–17. A kill from Davis stopped the momentum and forced a Cyclone timeout.
Iowa State rallied late, tying the score at 21 and then taking its first lead since early in the set at 23–22, prompting two Cougar timeouts. BYU responded, edging back ahead 25–24 on a kill by Little Chambers. The Cougars sealed the set in extra points, 26–24, on an ace from Emma Barbero.
Up Next
BYU will travel to Ohio to open its Big 12 road campaign at Cincinnati on Wednesday, October 1 at 6:30 p.m. EDT with streaming on ESPN+