PROVO, Utah — No. 7 BYU women’s volleyball achieved its second sweep against Santa Clara this season (25-14, 25-10, 25-17) in the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday.

On a 14-match winning streak, BYU now holds a 21-1 overall record on the season and is 11-0 in the WCC.

The Cougars hit 46 kills, holding a .426 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Santa Clara managed 28 kills and a .090. Defensively, the Cougars outblocked the Broncos 6-3 and held them to 19 errors.

Junior setter Whitney Bower achieved a double-double, leading the match with her 34 assists and 13 digs. Her assists contributed to five Cougars hitting a .455 clip or higher. 

Additionally, Bower hit six kills of her own, boasting the team’s highest clip, a .750.

“It’s all about the reps, and it’s all about practice,” Bower said. “When everyone is doing their job and taking certain swings, it makes my job easier to put the ball up and get it where it needs to go.”

SET ONE
Koerber quickly had two kills to start the match, putting BYU ahead 2-1. However, two consecutive kills by Santa Clara put BYU behind 3-2. Kills by Koerber and senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon tied the teams at 4-4.

The set remained tight as the teams tied another two times. BYU broke away with a 3-0 run, widening the gap to 9-6. A 4-0 run, including a block by junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting and Ballard-Nixon, extended the Cougars’ lead to 16-9.

The Broncos attempted to close the gap, but two back-to-back blocks by Gneiting and junior setter Whitney Bower put the Cougars further ahead. Tack on two more kills by Koerber and BYU secured the set win at 25-14.

SET TWO
Koeber picked up where she left off, notching her eighth kill of the night immediately. Two kills each from Gneiting and Bower put the Cougars on a 6-0 run, leading 7-1.

The team’s momentum continued with a kill by Ballard-Nixon and another block by Gneiting and Bower. The Cougars managed an 8-0 run, thanks to three consecutive kills by Gneiting. Santa Clara followed with a 2-0 run of its own, but still trailed 14-6.

Five kills by five Cougars propelled the team to another set win at 25-10. Ultimately, BYU’s clip of .538 on 15 kills dominated Santa Clara’s .036 on seven.

SET THREE
The teams traded kills at the start, tying six times by 6-6. A slight lead for BYU occurred when Ballard-Nixon slammed a kill at 8-6. However, Santa Clara’s Julia Sangiacomo notched her third kill of the set, tying the score at 8-8.

Two attack errors, paired with kills from Gneiting and Bower, widened the gap to 12-8. 

Four Cougars tallied kills, extending the lead to 22-13. Even though Santa Clara fought back with two runs of its own, BYU clinched the win at 25-17 after a final kill by Gneiting. 

Next week, BYU hits the road to face Gonzaga on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. PDT in the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre.

PROVO, Utah — Climbing up in the rankings, No. 7 BYU women’s volleyball remains at home to host West Coast Conference opponents, San Francisco and Santa Clara, on Oct. 28 and Oct. 30, respectively. 

On Thursday at 7 p.m. MDT,  the Cougars will face the Dons for the second time this season. Most recently, the teams faced off on Oct. 2 in San Francisco. There, BYU swept San Francisco, maintaining its undefeated all-time record of 23-0 against the team.

On Saturday at 1 p.m MDT, BYU will host Santa Clara. Back on Sept. 30 in the Leavey Event Center, the Cougars improved their all-time record against the Broncos to 17-4 after a sweep. 

No. 7 Brigham Young University Cougars (19-1 9-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Cougars are on a 12-match winning streak
• The last time BYU was ranked No. 7 or higher was back in 2018
• On Monday, BYU swept the WCC weekly honors. Sophomore libero Madi Allen won Defensive Player of the Week and graduate opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber won Offensive Player of the Week.
• Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting ranks No. 4 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .463 clip
• As a team, BYU ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.339), No. 2 in opponent hitting percentage (.112), No. 5 in match winning percentage (.950), No. 8 in kills per set (14.32), No. 14 in assists per set (13) and No. 15 in aces per set (1.94). BYU leads the WCC in all these categories.

University of San Francisco Dons (0-18, 0-10 West Coast Conference)

• Last week, the Dons were swept by two WCC opponents, Saint Mary’s and Pacific 
• Shyia Richardson leads the team offensively with 166 kills. Defensively, Orsula Staka leads with nine solo blocks, 25 assisted blocks and 20 digs for the season.

Santa Clara University Broncos (8-12, 4-6 West Coast Conference)

• Most recently, the Broncos faced Pacific and Saint Mary’s. Santa Clara posted a 3-1 win over Pacific, but fell to Saint Mary’s in a tight 3-2 loss
• Santa Clara ranks No. 2 in the WCC in team digs (1,053), No. 2 in team service aces (137) and No. 2 in team total attacks (2,550)
• Kat Georgiadis ranks No. 2 in the WCC in digs per set (4.22) and No. 2 in total digs (329)

Broadcast Information – Oct. 28

• Time: 7 p.m. MDT
• Live Stream: BYUtv/BYUtv App
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Broadcast Information – Oct. 30

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

TICKET INFORMATION

Purchase tickets online via byutickets.com.

MASK REQUIREMENT

Consistent with current Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU requirements, BYU Athletics will require masks in indoor venues when physical distancing isn’t maintained. This includes a requirement for those attending indoor athletic events, such as volleyball in the Smith Fieldhouse, basketball inside the Marriott Center and inside the loges at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Wearing a mask will be required for entry to indoor BYU venues. Masks will not be required for outdoor BYU venues.

BYU strongly urges students, employees and campus guests to follow recent counsel from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to get vaccinated and wear masks.

The university will continue to monitor the situation and will reevaluate mask requirements based on several factors, including the immunization rate of the campus community, COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization rates, and guidance from health and government officials.