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Smith Fieldhouse
Smith Fieldhouse Provo UT 84606
PROVO, Utah – Amy Boswell’s blistering .882 hitting percentage led No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball to a 3-0 sweep (25-15, 25-16, 25-11) over CSUN at the Smith Fieldhouse Friday night.
“I'm really pleased with how we came out and responded with energy and competitiveness," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "I'm really happy with how the girls came out ready to fight."
After their first loss of the season last night, the Cougars improve to 10-1 on the season. They held the Matadors (3-7) to a -.051 hitting percentage in the sweep, which was the eighth sweep of the season for BYU. Under Olmstead, the Cougars are now 5-0 after a loss.
Boswell was 15 for 17 (.882) on the night, which made for the highest hitting percentage in BYU rally-scoring era history. She overtook Nicole Warner’s previous top percentage of .857 back in 2012. In addition to her game-high 15 kills, Boswell also tallied four blocks and two aces.
Lyndie Haddock led all players in assists with 25 while also notching six digs. McKenna Miller contributed nine kills, four blocks and three digs. Whitney Young Howard had a match-high six blocks to go with four kills in the win.
The Matadors got off to a strong start, opening up the first set on a 3-0 run against the Cougars. A kill down the line from Veronica Jones-Perry got BYU on the board, 3-1. After trading points, the Cougars went up 12-6, after eight unanswered points with Boswell at the service line. CSUN responded with a 4-0 run, but Miller’s kill stopped the momentum to put BYU up 15-11. The Cougars took the first set 25-15, earning five of their last six points from the Matadors’ hitting errors.
Boswell got things rolling for BYU in the second set, scoring three of the first four points off of kills to go up 4-2. Four-straight blocks from the Cougars pushed the lead to 11-6 over the Matadors. The two teams traded points back and forth until Haddock caught the defense off guard with a dump kill to go up 15-10. Three-consecutive errors from CSUN and an ace from Makenna Santiago extended the BYU lead to 19-12, forcing a timeout from the Matadors. Miller capped off the set for the Cougars with a kill to win 25-16 and take the 2-0 overall advantage.
In the third set, Boswell dominated offensively. She had a hand in six of BYU’s first eight points, four kills, one block and one assist, putting the Cougars up 8-5. After a long rally, Howard pounded down a kill to push BYU’s lead to 13-7. Behind kills from Jones-Perry and Boswell and an ace from Hannah Robison, the Cougars went on a 9-1 run to make it 22-10. Miller’s kill completed the sweep of CSUN, taking the third set 25-11.
BYU will face UNLV at 5 p.m. MDT at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday to complete nonconference play. The game will be broadcast live on TheW.tv. Links for the live stream and stats can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page. Additionally, at 10 a.m. MDT, CSUN and UNLV will compete against each other at the Smith Fieldhouse for a neutral-site match.
No. 9 BYU returns home for matches against Utah, CSUN and UNLV
PROVO, Utah – No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball returns home to the Smith Fieldhouse this week for matches against rival Utah, CSUN and UNLV.
Last Time Out
The Cougars (9-0) won the Idaho State Invitational over the weekend, picking up sweeps against Boise State, Missouri and Idaho State. Amy Boswell was named the tournament MVP, while Veronica Jones-Perry and McKenna Miller were also added to the all-tournament team.
Utah
- BYU plays against Utah (7-2) Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. MDT.
- The Cougars lead the overall series history 69-29 and have won the past five-consecutive meetings.
- The Utes won the North Marriott Harbour Challenge over the weekend, picking up wins against Texas State, CSU Bakersfield and Portland.
- Utah finished just 10-21, 4-16 (10th) Pac-12 in 2015.
CSUN
- BYU will next face off against CSUN (3-6) Friday, Sept. 16, beginning at 7 p.m. MDT.
- The Cougars hold a perfect 9-0 record all-time against the Matadors, picking up a four-set win in the last meeting in 2011.
- CSUN has lost its last four matches, including against Eastern Washington, Wyoming and Samford last weekend.
- The Matadors finished with an 8-20, 7-9 (6th) Big West record in 2015.
UNLV
- BYU will conclude the week by playing UNLV (9-0) Saturday, Sept. 17, at 5 p.m. MDT.
- The Cougars lead the overall series 27-6 against the former Mountain West Conference foe and picked up a five-set win in the last meeting in 2010.
- The Rebels won the Texas A&M-CC Tournament over the weekend, winning against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and twice against UT Arlington to remain perfect on the year.
- UNLV is off to its best start in school history and is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches' Poll.
- The Rebels finished 16-14, 9-9 (t-5th) MWC in 2015.
Additional Match Info
Thursday’s match against Utah will be a royal match. Fans are encouraged to wear royal blue to the match. Friday’s match against CSUN is team night – full teams plus coaches will be admitted for $20. Additionally, there will be $1 drinks and popcorn. Saturday’s UNLV match is the alumni match. Former players are encouraged to RSVP with assistant coach Jonny Neeley at jonny_neeley@byu.edu.
Thursday and Friday’s matches will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio. Saturday’s match will be streamed live on TheW.tv. Links to live stats and video/audio feeds can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.