Double-doubles from seniors help No. 12 Cougars sweep Waves

MALIBU, Calif. – Double-doubles from seniors Alexa Gray and Camry Godfrey Willardson led No. 12 BYU women's volleyball to a three-set (25-13, 25-19, 25-16) win over Pepperdine Thursday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.

"I liked the way we came out focused and with great energy," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "Everyone played a role and bought into the game plan. Camry did a great job setting the offense, and I thought her defense was great as well. I'm proud of the way the team fought the whole match."

Gray led the Cougars with her fifth double-double of the season, collecting 15 kills and 12 digs. Willardson paced the team with 34 assists and 13 digs, also collecting her fifth double-double of the year. Ciara Parker added a team-high 17 digs of her own while Whitney Young Howard contributed four blocks. Cosy Burnett added seven kills while Amy Boswell had eight kills while hitting at a .667 clip.

BYU (18-2, 8-1 West Coast Conference) took a 7-2 lead early on in the first set against Pepperdine (13-9, 4-5 WCC) with help from four kills from Gray. A Burnett kill kept the Cougars in the lead at 11-6 with a kill. Willardson's solo block later capped off a 4-0 BYU run to give the Cougars a 16-7 advantage. Another Burnett kill put BYU ahead by double digits at 21-11 before a kill from Howard took the set for the Cougars, 25-13.

The Waves took a 3-2 edge early in the second set after a kill and stayed ahead 7-5 following back-to-back blocks. With a 5-1 Pepperdine run, which gave the Waves a 12-8 advantage, BYU took its first timeout of the set to help turn the momentum. BYU was able to rally and a Boswell kill brought the Cougars back within a point, down 17-16. The BYU rally continued as back-to-back Lacy Haddock kills put the Cougars ahead 19-17. BYU cruised from there by taking six of the next eight points, including another set-winning kill from Howard, to claim the set 25-19.

A slide kill from Boswell brought the Cougars out to a 5-2 advantage to start the third set. A trio of Burnett kills then helped BYU extend its lead to seven at 14-7. Following a timeout from the Waves, the two sides went back and forth as a pair of Boswell kills helped the Cougars maintain a 20-12 advantage. BYU continued its strong play to easily take the set and match 25-16 on a Haddock service ace.

The Cougars stay on the road Saturday when they head to Loyola Marymount for a match at 12 p.m. PDT. The match will be streamed live on TheW.tv. Links to live stats and a video feed can be found on the BYU women's volleyball schedule page.