Set 1
The Cougars started the match on top, with a block from BYU middle blocker Brooke Hardy on Utah State’s very first attempt of the match.
The Aggies went on a six-point run to take an 8-5 lead, but a Little Chambers kill stopped the momentum and put the Cougars back in it. The two teams traded kills and the Aggies retained an 11-8 lead.
Kills from Elli Mortensen and Callahan kept the set within reach for BYU, but the Cougars went into the technical timeout down 15-10.
Kills by Mortensen and Little Chambers out of the break helped the Cougars bring it back within three. Another Little Chambers kill brought her up to five in the set and the score to 17-16, forcing a quick Aggie timeout.
BYU came out of the second timeout firing on all cylinders, scoring three quick points to bring the score to 19-17 and force another Utah State timeout. With that run, BYU regained the lead for the first time since its 5-4 advantage early in the match.
The Cougars kept their run going, getting the score to 21-17 and putting up nine unanswered points before Utah State got back on the board. The Cougars never looked back, as another Little Chambers kill and a block by Hardy and Mortensen put the cap on a 25-19 win.
Set 2
The Aggies came out to a quick 4-1 lead, but back-to-back kills from Callahan and Kate Prior brought BYU back within one. The ball kept making it around the court, as just one play later the Cougars got a kill from Mortensen to make it only a 5-4 Utah State lead.
After a trio of Aggie errors gave BYU the lead back, Bower set up Burgess and Callahan for back-to-back kills, bringing the Cougar lead to 12-9. Another pair of kills from Hardy forced a Utah State timeout with the lead up to 15-10.
BYU registered its first ace of the match right out of the timeout, as the Aggies were unable to return a serve from Kofe. That ace fueled the Cougars into two more quick points, extending the lead to 18-10 and the BYU run to six unanswered.
Neilson’s squad held on to the lead the rest of the way, scoring five of their last seven points by way of the kill. They finished the set with a .556 kill percentage to Utah State’s .310.
Set 3
The Aggies jumped out to a 7-4 lead, giving them a three-point lead early for the third set in a row. Just as it had done in the previous two sets, BYU rallied right back. An ace from Mortensen and a kill from Little Chambers brought the set back even at eight.
The front line defense stood tall for the Cougars, as back-to-back blocks from Callahan and Burgess gave the Cougars an 11-9 lead and forced another Utah State timeout.
Callahan kept her run going, immediately adding three more kills and another block to extend the lead to 15-10.
Mortensen and Hardy added a block, and then Little Chambers registered a kill after a rally to extend the BYU lead to 19-14. A service error and Anna Blimares kill extended the BYU lead to 21-14.
After three more kills put the Cougars up 24-17, a kill from Jo Burgess ended the set and finished the match, securing the sweep.
Up Next
BYU opens conference play as No. 18 Baylor comes to town on Friday, Sept. 25. The match will be broadcast on FS1 at 8 p.m. MDT.
