PROVO, Utah – Balanced play helped No. 14 BYU women's volleyball to a win over Weber State in three sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-22) Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.
“I like the way we came out focused after last night's match,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "I thought our game plan was good. The assistant coaches did a good job, and I thought the crowd's energy was really helpful. We had such a great crowd tonight, and it was electrifying and gave the girls that extra energy they needed."
McKenna Miller led the team with 15 kills and Veronica Jones-Perry finished with 13. Cosy Burnett and Kennedy Redding followed up with eight and seven kills, respectively. Alohi Robins-Hardy set the team with 30 assists and had nine digs, while Mary Lake contributed 17 digs of her own.
Weber State (2-10) got off to a quick 4-2 lead against BYU (10-1) in the first set. The Cougars countered with a 6-1 run, topped off with an ace by Burnett. Weber State followed with a 5-1 rally to take the lead 11-10. The Cougars and Wildcats stayed neck-to-neck until BYU pulled ahead with a 21-17 lead, secured by a block from Jones-Perry and Burnett. The Cougars took the set 25-20 following a kill from Jones-Perry.
Miller started the second set with four kills, taking BYU to a 6-2 lead. The two teams traded blows, but the Cougars maintained the advantage after a kill from Redding made it 15-12, BYU. After a back-and-forth rally, Jones-Perry’s kill took the Cougars to a solid 19-14 lead. A service ace from Danelle Stetler and an attack error from the Wildcats gave the Cougars a 25-15 set win.
In the third set, the Wildcats quickly put themselves on top with an 11-6 edge. BYU answered back with a 7-2 run and then tied it at 13 apiece. Two back-to-back overpass kills by Redding and Burnett pulled the Cougars ahead 15-14. BYU maintained that momentum until the end, when a Burnett kill closed out the set and match 25-22.
BYU faces Utah Valley next on the road Saturday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. MDT, at Lockhart Arena. The match will be televised live on UVU TV. Links to live stats and video feed can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.