PROVO, Utah – No. 1 BYU women’s volleyball defeated Gonzaga in three sets (25-12, 25-10, 25-15) Thursday night at the Smith Fieldhouse to remain undefeated on the season.

"We had a total team effort tonight," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "Everyone was ready to play. I thought we had a really good night serving and passing the ball."

Senior Roni Jones-Perry finished with a match-high 10 kills, while Lyndie Haddock-Eppich put together a solid stat line of seven kills, 31 assists and five digs. Madelyn Robinson and Kennedy Eschenberg had four kills each.

Freshman Heather Gneiting had a block followed immediately by a kill to put BYU (14-0, 4-0 WCC) up 9-3 early in the first set. At the first timeout the Cougars led 15-7, with Gneiting and Robinson leading with two kills and two blocks apiece. BYU made a defensive stand to close out the set, winning it 25-12 on a block. Robinson led the team in both kills and blocks after one set with three and four, respectively. Her set-high three kills came on a .500 clip, with BYU hitting .304 as a team after the opening period.

BYU opened the second set 12-1 with five quick kills from Jones-Perry. Gonzaga (4-10, 1-2 WCC) brought it back within 10, 18-8, but three kills in a row by Haddock-Eppich put the Cougars up 21-8 late in the second set. BYU kept the momentum and took the second set 25-10 off a Gonzaga error. Jones-Perry was up to eight kills after two sets, hitting at a .389 clip. The Cougars improved with a .441 clip in the second set to bring their match average up to .386.

The third set began with a 2-2 tie, but the Cougars quickly pulled away to a 12-5 lead, fueled by a couple of impressive digs by Mary Lake and a series of kills from Jones-Perry. The Bulldogs brought it back within six, 17-11, but an error immediately after allowed the Cougars to regain momentum, going on an 8-4 run to win the set and the match.

The Cougars take on Portland at home next, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m. MDT, in the Smith Fieldhouse. The match will be broadcast on BYUtv and can be followed with live stats found on the team’s schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – No. 1 BYU women’s volleyball will play three West Coast Conference foes this week, traveling to Pepperdine before taking on Gonzaga and Portland at home.

Last Week

The Cougars (12-0, 2-0 WCC) swept Pacific and Saint Mary’s at home to open up league play, hitting a combined .518 clip as a team on the week.

Pepperdine

• BYU faces Pepperdine (8-4, 2-0 WCC) Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. PDT, at the Firestone Fieldhouse.
• The Cougars are 24-8 all-time against the Waves and hold a 7-2 record when playing them on the road.
• Pepperdine has won four of its last five matches, most recently beating Portland and Gonzaga on the road to open league play.
• The Waves were picked to finish fourth in 2018 following a 16-15, 8-10 season a year ago.

Gonzaga

• BYU will then face Gonzaga (4-9, 1-1 WCC) Thursday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. MDT, at the Smith Fieldhouse.
• The Cougars hold a 17-1 advantage in the overall series history with the Zags and are 8-1 when playing at home.
• The Bulldogs have won just one of their last four matches, but beat a surging Loyola Marymount team to begin conference play.
• Gonzaga was picked to finish fifth in the 2018 season after going 14-16, 9-9 in 2017.

Portland

• BYU finishes out the week at home facing Portland (12-2, 0-2 WCC) Saturday, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m. MDT.
• The Cougars are 13-1 against the Pilots all-time, including 7-0 when facing them at home.
• Portland began the season with a perfect 12-0 record – its best-ever start to a season. The Pilots then struggled at home last week with losses to Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.
• Portland was picked eighth in the WCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll following a 15-15, 6-12 record in 2017.

Video/Stats

Tuesday’s match at Pepperdine will be televised live on ESPNU. Thursday’s match at home with Gonzaga will be streamed live on TheW.tv, and Saturday’s match with Portland will be televised live on BYUtv. Links to live stats and video feeds for each match can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.