LOGAN, Utah—In-state rival Utah State couldn’t keep up with the BYU women’s volleyball team as they plowed through the Aggies 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-19) on the road to continue a nine-match win streak, Tuesday, at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

"We're excited to come up here and win this match," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "We didn't have our 'A' game, but we feel good about the win and we'll keep grinding away and getting better after quite a few mistakes tonight."

Junior middle blocker Nicole Warner and sophomore opposite hitter Jennifer Hamson totaled the most kills for the Cougars (10-2) with 13 apiece on .650 hitting from Warner and .290 from Hamson. Hamson also led in blocks with seven, setting a season high for total blocks and tying her career block assists record while also contributing nine digs. Libero Kendalyn Hartsock set a new season high with 23 digs and outside hitter Christie Carpenter tied her season high with 12.

Warner led the charge in the first set, knocking down seven kills on .778 hitting and recording two blocks. Warner put up the Cougars’ first two points, getting them on the board after Utah State (4-7) scored on two BYU errors. BYU came back for a 6-6 tie and took its first lead of the set 9-8. A Utah State kill from Shay Sorensen and BYU error put the Aggies back in the lead at 16-15. Four more ties and three more lead changes followed, with the Cougars pulling away for the 25-22 win on a Warner kill.

After back-and-forth scoring to begin the second set, the Cougars took a two-point lead with the help of a kill from Kathryn LeCheminant. BYU maintained that lead to the end of the set. Three times the Aggies tried to creep closer and brought the score within one, but kills by Hamson and Carpenter prevented any more ties. The Cougars took the set 25-21.

The Aggies proved tough to shake off in the final set, but the Cougars protected their lead for all but two points of the game when Utah State went up 9-8. An error brought the score back to a 9-9 tie and Carpenter threw down a kill to steal back the lead for BYU 10-9. The Cougars finished off the match with a 6-0 run, closing the set with a 25-19 score.

The Cougars continue their cruise through the regular season with matchups against Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge in California on Friday at 7 p.m. PT and Saturday at 1 p.m. PT, respectively. 

BYU vs. USU Box

PROVO, Utah—With two tournament titles and the Deseret First Duel trophy in hand, the BYU women’s volleyball team hits the road for matchups against Utah State, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge.

The Cougars (9-2) head to Utah State (7-6) for a 7 p.m. MT match Tuesday before heading to California to meet Fullerton (4-5) Friday at 7 p.m. PT and CSUN Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. The team seeks to continue an eight-match win streak that began with a 3-0 victory against Weber State Aug. 30.

“The team played great and was consistent this past weekend,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “It was good to be close to home and be able to compete in a tournament.  I’m happy for this team and hope we can continue to build on those wins.  Winning the Deseret Duel and tournament title is always a plus.  We are right back at it preparing for Utah State and looking forward to travelling to Logan and California this week.”

West Coast Conference Player of the Week Jennifer Hamson leads the Cougars with a total of 119 kills at .338 hitting. Hamson garnered All-Utah Invitational honors with teammate Heather Hannemann Saturday and Christie Carpenter received tournament MVP honors. Hannemann has 314 assists on the season and 70 digs. After missing the first tournament due to injury, Carpenter is back with 40 kills and 41 digs for 2.67 kills per set and 2.73 digs per set.

The Aggies came out of the weekend with three straight losses to Oregon State, Long Beach State and Saint Mary’s in the Long Beach State Baden Classic. Liz McArthur will help Utah State in its attempt to break the losing streak after totaling 143 kills and 104 digs on the season. Laurel Bodily has 179 season digs and Josselyn White leads in blocks with 46 (five solo).

Kayla Neto leads Fullerton in kills and Amanda Yamate leads in digs, with 130 apiece. Leah Maurer is the leading blocker with 17 block assists and nine block solos. The Titans went 1-2 in the Montana Tournament over the weekend, bringing their total to 4-5 after a win against host Montana and losses to Idaho and South Dakota. BYU defeated Idaho Sept. 2 in the Kansas State Invitational.

With six victories, CSUN comes off a win against UNLV in the UNLV Invitational for a 2-1 weekend record. Mahina Haina has 132 kills in 38 sets. Sydney Gedryn recorded 35 block assists and three solo blocks for 38 total and Cindy Ortiz has 162 blocks. The Matadors face UCLA on the road Monday night before hosting the Cougars.

For live stats and live video of the Utah State match, click HERE.

Week 4 Notes