PROVO, Utah – Pin hitters helped BYU women’s volleyball beat Utah during all four sets played (25-18, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22) Saturday afternoon at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Veronica Jones-Perry led the Cougars with 15 kills while Lacy Haddock and McKenna Miller each chipped in 13 kills. Cosy Burnett added four blocks and Kennedy Redding contributed three blocks in the win.
BYU jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first set from a Jones-Perry kill. The Utes stayed in the set, however, going on a 9-3 run to take an 11-9 edge. The Cougars battled back to retake the advantage at 21-16 on another Jones-Perry kill. Miller then ended the set for BYU 25-18 on back-to-back kills.
The teams played within a point of each other to start the second set until Utah went on a 5-1 run to take a 9-5 lead, forcing BYU to take a timeout. The Cougars closed the gap to one, down 18-17, after Madeline Graham won a joust at the net. Jones-Perry then ended the close set 25-23 on consecutive kills.
Back-to-back Alohi Robins-Hardy dump kills and an ace helped BYU tie the third set at 8-8. A 4-0 Cougar run, fueled by a pair of Haddock kills, then extended BYU’s advantage to three at 14-11. With BYU ahead 24-19, the Utes scored three-straight to make it 24-22, but the Cougars ended the set 25-22 on a Miller kill.
The two teams were tied at 5 apiece until a trio of consecutive Haddock kills helped propel BYU to a 13-6 advantage. Utah then rallied to come back within two, trailing 15-13, forcing a Cougar timeout. A Cosy Burnett kill gave BYU a 20-16 lead before a Kennedy Redding and Danelle Parady-Stetler block ended the set 25-22.
The Cougars will continue spring competition next week, traveling to the University of Utah to compete in an all-day tournament Saturday, April 1.