PROVO, Utah (Sept. 7, 2011) – In a showdown of BYU schools, the Cougars proved victorious over the BYU-Hawaii Seasiders in a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-15, 25-20) Wednesday evening in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“We had to keep on the path at hand and work a little harder and play a little smarter,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “We want the players to know that they can keep getting better. We hold them accountable and they understand what is needed in the moment. Often times we need to refocus, but a win is a win and we grow from each one and get a feel for where we need to be in the season.”

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Not only were the Cougars (6-2) able to put away the match in a quick three sets, they were able to break personal records doing it. Sophomore Jennifer Hamson provided an impressive showing, achieving double digits in kills and digs with 15 and 10, respectively. This was also the seventh time that Hamson was able to reach double-digit kills this season.

Kathryn LeCheminant recorded a season-high kills with seven as well as a career-high hitting percentage of .636. Libero Kendalyn Hartsock registered her eighth double-digit outing with 19 digs. Freshman Katie Vaughn reached her career-high hitting percentage at .421.

The Cougars grabbed an early lead in the first set with a 4-0 run on the Seasiders (3-2). Hamson and senior outside hitter Christie Carpenter helped the Cougars continue the lead throughout the set with Hamson supplying six kills and Carpenter five. The Cougars ended the first set at 25-19.

In similar fashion to the first set, the Cougars jumped to the lead at 9-6 after a five-point run. BYU quickly built off the lead with another run, resulting in a six point lead at 14-8. Hamson contributed an additional five kills for the set while Carpenter and Vaughn added four apiece. Their offensive play pushed the Cougars to a comfortable 25-15 victory in the second set.

The third set continued in the pattern of the match with BYU taking the lead and maintaining throughout the set. Hamson contributed points with a serving run that broke her career-record of aces in a match with five. The Cougars had no trouble continuing their lead and finishing off the Seasiders at 25-20 to end the match.

The Cougars will next compete against UC Riverside at the Utah Invitational in Salt Lake City Friday at 5 p.m.

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BYU vs. BYU-H Box Score

PROVO, Utah—After securing first place in the Varney’s Invitational, the BYU women’s volleyball team takes on BYU-Hawaii Wednesday before setting out for the Utah Invitational in Salt Lake City.

“This is an exciting week for us in that we have a chance to compete against four different opponents in four days,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “Our focus will be on each individual opponent as things progress.  We look forward to the challenge this presents and can’t wait to get going.”

The Cougars (5-2) will compete against UC Riverside (1-6) at 5 p.m. Friday, Eastern Michigan (6-1) at 10 a.m. Saturday and will face Utah (4-2) in the Deseret First Duel match at 7 p.m. Saturday. The match is the second Duel event of the year. BYU took a 3-0 lead with a win in women’s soccer.

BYU is ready for action and seeking to continue its four-match winning streak after defeating Kansas State for the Varney’s Invitational title. Sophomore opposite hitter Jennifer Hamson recorded 50 kills on the weekend at .306 hitting, earning her the tournament MVP selection. She and junior middle blocker Nicole Warner were named to the all-tournament team.

Starting off the week, the Cougars welcome the Seasiders to the Smith Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. Wednesday for a BYUtv-televised match. The Seasiders are 3-0 on the season, with wins against Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks and Weber State. Shih Ting Chen leads the Seasiders in kills with 52 on the season and digs with 50.

UC Riverside is led in kills by Amanda Vialpando with 86 and 65 digs. Megan Patterson leads in digs with 74. The Highlanders enter the tournament on a four-match losing streak after a tough USD Invitational in San Diego over the weekend.

Six straight victories, including four sweeps, make Eastern Michigan the team to beat in the invitational after taking second in the Notre Dame Invitational and first in the IUPUI Tournament. Rachel Iaquaniello leads the Eagles with 112 kills. Last season Iaquaniello recorded the second-highest season kills in Eastern Michigan history with 515. Haley Stein leads in digs with 149 and Kristen Baker leads in blocks with 26.

The Utes claimed first place in last weekend’s Yale Invitational after defeating the host 3-1 in the final match of the tournament. Leading Utah, Morgan Odale has recorded 74 kills so far and Yale Invitational co-MVP Erin Redd has 56 with 32 blocks.

For links to BYUtv’s website and live stats, click HERE.

Tournament Notes