PROVO, Utah – Senior middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg and sophomore opposite Kate Grimmer combined for 26 kills as No. 16 BYU defeated No. 21 San Diego in straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-17) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Eschenberg totaled a season-high 12 kills on an errorless .632 clip and led the team with a season-high eight blocks, including two solo blocks. Grimmer also had an efficient day on offense, leading the team with 14 kills and ending the match with a .600 hitting percentage.

Sophomore setter Whitney Bower guided the Cougars to a .353 hitting percentage while tallying 36 assists, six digs, three blocks and a pair of aces.

BYU (12-1, 11-1 WCC) held San Diego (11-3, 11-3 WCC) to a season-low .130 hitting percentage while outblocking the Toreros 12-4.

Completing the season sweep over the Toreros, the Cougars remain in the hunt for the West Coast Conference title with four matches remaining. BYU is currently second in the conference standings with a .917 league win percentage, trailing Pepperdine (.929 WCC win percentage).

Final Box Score

SET ONE
Four service errors hampered the Cougars in the tightly contested opening moments of the first set. Timely blocks from Eschenberg, freshman outside hitter Erin Livingston and senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon catapulted BYU into a firm lead as the Cougars ended the game a 10-3 run to take the first set 25-19. 

SET TWO
Three aces, including two from Bower, powered a 10-4 run to give BYU an 18-11 advantage in the second game. The Toreros rallied late in the set to cut BYU’s lead to three points, 23-20. A block by Grimmer and freshman middle blocker Leilani Dodson ended a long rally and Dodson ended the set with a kill, 25-21.

SET THREE
Consecutive solo blocks by Eschenberg and three kills by Grimmer fueled an 8-1 run to start the third game. The Cougars remained in control with Eschenberg connecting on three kills to help increase their lead to 20-8. San Diego used a 5-0 run to extend the match before a Ballard-Nixon kill secured the set, 25-17, and sweep for BYU.

The Cougars will next face Saint Mary's March 26-27 at the University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California. Both matches will be broadcast on the WCC Network.

PROVO, Utah – No. 16 BYU women’s volleyball will play at No. 21 San Diego on Wednesday, March 17 before hosting the Toreros in the second half of the two-match series on Saturday, March 20 in the Smith Fieldhouse.

Wednesday’s match is set to start at 1 p.m. PDT at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego and will be broadcast on the WCC Network. Saturday’s match in Provo will start at 1 p.m. MDT and will be broadcast on BYUtv and the BYUtv App.

No. 16 BYU Cougars (10-1, 9-1 WCC)

• BYU dropped one spot in the AVCA national poll to No. 16 after not playing any matches last week
• The Cougars haven’t played since March 6 after Pacific canceled the season series last week
• BYU is No. 6 in the nation with 13.71 assists per set, led by sophomore Whitney Bower, who ranks No. 29 in the NCAA with an average of 10.82 assists
• The Cougars also rank No. 13 in both hitting percentage (.299) and in kills per set (14.39)
• Senior middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg leads the WCC with a .394 hitting percentage (No. 38 in the NCAA) and is second in blocks per set (1.19)
• Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon leads the team in kills per set (3.89) and points per set (4.46)

Series Information

• The BYU-San Deigo series is currently even at 10-10, the Cougars are 4-7 in San Diego and 6-3 in Provo
• The two teams have met nine times previously when both have been ranked with the Toreros holding a 5-4 advantage.
• Under head coach Heather Olmstead, BYU is 6-4 against San Diego
• San Diego defeated BYU in two five-set matches last season

No. 21 San Diego (11-1, 11-1 WCC)

• San Diego dropped three spots in the most recent AVCA national poll to No. 21
• The Toreros are tied for No. 1 with Pepperdine in the WCC standings with a .917 winning percentage
• After winning its first 11 matches, San Diego dropped its first match of the season last week against Loyola Marymount
• As a team, San Diego ranks 21st in the nation with a .273 hitting percentage
• The Toreros lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.157) and blocks per set (2.39)
• Freshman middle blocker Elly Shraeder leads the WCC with 1.30 blocks per set
• Senior outside hitter Roxie Wiblin leads the team with 4.56 points per set

Broadcast Info – March 17

• Time: 1 p.m. PDT
• Live Stream: WCC Network
• Live Stats: SIDEARM

Broadcast Info – March 20

• Time: 1 p.m. MDT
• Television/Live Stream: BYUtv/BYUtv App
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast