PROVO, Utah — Three hitters finished in double figures as No. 17 BYU women's volleyball swept Kansas State (25-16, 25-18, 25-9) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Suli Davis led the Cougars (18-5, 6-5 Big 12) with 12 kills, hitting .250, while Claire Little Chambers tallied 11 kills and hit .293. Sophia Callahan contibuted 10 kills on a .643 hitting percentage in BYU's fifth match this season where three or more Cougars with double-digit kills.
Brielle Kemavor added five kills and a match-high eight blocks, with Callahan pitching in five blocks of her own. Davis, Little Chambers and Hannah Billeter each recorded two aces. Alex Bower led the way with 31 assists. Davis, Little Chambers and Lulu Uluave all posted eight digs apiece.
BYU hit .372 as a team, holding K-State to a .033 clip on the match. The Cougars out-blocked the Wildcats' nine to three, and also had five more (7-2) service aces than them.
Set 1
BYU opened strong with a 3-0 run, highlighted by a kill from Callahan and a service ace from Davis. After a service error, the Cougars regrouped with a 4-0 burst featuring an ace by Billeter and an overpass kill from Kemavor, forcing an early Kansas State timeout.
The Wildcats got on the board out of the break, but BYU quickly responded with back-to-back points, including a solo block from Kemavor, the 50th of her career, to extend the lead to 9-2. The Cougars kept their momentum with a 4-1 stretch that included an ace by Little Chambers and another Davis kill, prompting a second K-State timeout with BYU up 13-5.
Davis stayed hot with four consecutive kills, fueling another Cougar run. Kansas State answered with a short 5-2 rally to trim the deficit, but service errors on both sides kept the pace even. Little Chambers closed out the set with a kill to secure the 25-16 win.
Set 2
Kansas State opened with a 2-0 lead before Davis put BYU on the board with a kill from the outside. The Cougars responded with a 6-0 surge capped by a double block from Kemavor and Callahan, an ace from Elli Mortensen, and a Little Chambers kill to move ahead 8-5.
BYU extended its advantage with a 4-0 push, including kills from Davis and Kemavor and an ace from Little Chambers, forcing a Wildcat timeout at 12-6. Out of the break, Bower scored on an overpass kill to make it 14-7.
K-State briefly closed the gap with a 2-0 run, but the Cougars answered with a 5-1 stretch led by back-to-back kills from Callahan to take a 19-10 lead. The Wildcats managed a late 4-1 run, but Little Chambers finished strong with a kill that sparked a final 5-4 push to close the set, 25-18.
Set 3
BYU opened the third with a Davis kill and ace before Kansas State evened the score at 2-2. The teams traded points early, but the Cougars pulled ahead with four straight kills from Little Chambers and Kemavor for a 9-4 lead.
A 3-0 BYU run, fueled by Callahan and Davis, extended the margin to 13-6 and forced a K-State timeout. Out of the break, the Cougars continued to dominate with a 3-1 stretch capped by a Callahan kill, a block from Callahan and Elena Wallace, and another Davis kill to make it 17-7, prompting another Wildcat timeout.
The Cougars closed the match on an 8-1 run that featured an overpass kill from Kemavor, an ace from Billeter, and a block by Kemavor and Callahan to finish the set 25-9 and complete the sweep.
Up Next
BYU travels to Tucson, Arizona to face the Wildcats on Wednesday November 5 at 6:00 p.m. MST, with streaming on ESPN+.