SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — No. 10 BYU women’s volleyball swept its first conference road trip of the season after a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-16, 25-18) over San Francisco Saturday afternoon.

BYU is now 14-1 overall and 4-0 in West Coast Conference play. The Cougars are on a seven-match winning streak, winning 21 straight sets in those victories, all sweeps.

Taylen Ballard-Nixon led BYU with 10 kills in the match. It was her fifth time this season reaching double-digit kills and second match in a row doing so. Heather Gneiting had nine kills and had a .421 hitting percentage. Kenzie Koeber, Erin Livingston and Kennedy Eschenberg each had six kills.

The Cougars had a .250 hitting percentage on 100 attacks in the match. San Francisco hit .055 on 91 attacks. Both teams had 38 digs. BYU dominated at the net with 14 blocks to USF’s three.

SET ONE

It was a back-and-forth start to the match, as the teams combined for 11 ties and nine lead changes in the first set.

The Cougars eventually got out to a 16-12 lead and had some separation, but the Dons fought back and eventually held a 22-19 lead late in the set. BYU head coach Heather Olmstead called a timeout at that point. After that, BYU went on a 6-1 run to close out the set that included an Eschenberg kill, a Tayler Hifo ace, back-to-back blocks and a Ballard-Nixon kill off of a broken play, for the 25-23 set victory.

SET TWO

Once again, BYU got out to a 16-12 lead. This time, the Cougars did not allow the Dons to claw back, ending the set on a 9-4 run.

Hifo had another ace, and served for four other BYU points to get the Cougars to 24-16. Eschenberg finished off the set with a kill for the 25-16 set victory.

SET THREE

For the third consecutive set, BYU led 16-12. The Cougars had a 6-0 run that included two kills from Gneiting. Gneiting ended the match with a solo block that made it 25-18 and gave the Cougars the sweep.

Hifo had another ace in the final set. She racked up four total in the match.

Next up for the Cougars are WCC home matches on Thursday and Saturday against Portland and Gonzaga, respectively. Both matches will be available to view at BYUtv.org and also on the BYU App. Saturday’s match will be available on BYUtv.

PROVO, Utah — No. 10 BYU women's volleyball heads to California to face West Coast Conference opponents Santa Clara and San Francisco on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, respectively.

The Cougars will face Santa Clara in the Leavey Event Center. BYU holds a 16-4 all-time record against the Broncos. Currently on a 10-match winning streak, BYU last fell to Santa Clara back in 2015.

On Saturday, the Dons will host the Cougars in the War Memorial Gym. BYU boasts a 22-0 record all-time, never losing to San Francisco, since 1976. 

No. 11 Brigham Young University Cougars (12-1 2-0 West Coast Conference)

• In its first week of conference play, BYU swept both opponents, Pacific and Saint Mary’s, in the Smith Fieldhouse last week
• Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 3 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .470 clip
• As a team, BYU ranks No. 2 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.323), No. 7 in kills per set (14.38), No. 7 in opposite hitting percentage (.120), No. 9 in aces per set (2.12) and No. 13 in assists per set (13). The Cougars lead the WCC in all five categories. 
• The Cougars have swept eleven of their thirteen opponents this season
• Last week, the WCC dubbed opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber Offensive Player of the Week

Santa Clara University Broncos (4-8, 0-2 West Coast Conference)

• Most recently, the Broncos posted two losses against WCC opponents, Loyola Marymount (3-1) and Pepperdine (3-2)
• Santa Clara ranks No. 1 in the WCC in digs per set, averaging 4.57. Further, the team ranks No. 2 in team attacks per set (33.93) and team digs (625).
• Offensively, Michelle Shaffer leads the way with 161 kills, followed by Sophia Tulino with 144 kills
• Defensively, Kat Georgiadis is No. 1 in the WCC with 210 digs

University of San Francisco Dons (0-10, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• Last week, the Dons were swept by Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine
• Currently, the team holds a .134 hitting percentage, averaging 9.1 kills per set
• Shyia Richardson leads the team with 89 kills and 61 digs. Another standout is Orsula Staka who boasts 22 blocks and 41 kills this season.

Broadcast Information – Sept. 30

• Time: 6 p.m. PDT
• Live Stream: WCC Network
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Broadcast Information – Oct. 2

• Time: 12 p.m. PDT
• Live Stream: WCC Network
• Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

TICKET INFORMATION

Click the following links to purchase tickets for matches against Santa Clara and San Francisco.

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS

If planning to attend the match at Santa Clara, guest must provide a proof of vaccination verification OR proof of a negative PCR lab-based test within 72 hours of the event. Individuals under the age of 12 are exempt from providing proof of vaccination and testing. 

For detailed instructions for the Leavey Event Center, click here. 

If planning to attend the match at San Francisco, guests must wear a face covering. More info can be found here.