Jones-Perry helps No. 10 BYU cruise past Wyoming
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Strong play from outside hitter Veronica Jones-Perry helped No. 10 BYU women’s volleyball cruise past Wyoming in three sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-14) Friday morning at Nationwide Arena to kick off the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic.
“I like how we came out ready to play today against a tough Wyoming team,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “We were focused and everyone contributed in the win.”
Jones-Perry led the Cougars with 11 kills on a .276 clip while adding four digs. Mary Lake contributed a team-high 10 digs while Lyndie Haddock added 33 assists and six blocks. Whitney Young Howard and Amy Boswell each collected five and six blocks, respectively, while McKenna Miller put up a team-high 12 kills in the win.
BYU (4-0) and Wyoming (1-4) got off to an even start in the first set, with a Howard kill tying things up a 5-all. The Cowgirls then went on a 6-1 run to take a 12-7 advantage. Helped by a pair of Boswell kills, the Cougars rallied with a 5-0 run to tie the set at 12 apiece. The teams went back-and-forth from there until BYU went ahead 18-16, forcing a Wyoming timeout. A trio of kills from Jones-Perry gave the Cougars set point before a Cowgirl attack error ended the set for BYU, 25-20.
A Haddock service ace helped the Cougars jump out to a 5-3 lead early in the second set. Another pair of kills and a block from Jones-Perry then propelled BYU to an 11-6 advantage, forcing an early timeout from Wyoming. Makenna Santiago contributed a pair of aces down the stretch before another Boswell kill put the Cougars ahead 15-8. The Cowgirls quickly countered with a 4-1 rally of their own to come back within four, down 16-12. BYU, however, continued from there with a 5-0 run to extend its lead to nine, 21-12. Despite a 10-2 Wyoming run, a Jones-Perry kill gave the Cougars the set, 25-22.
BYU opened up the third set with a 7-2 run to take an early advantage. A trio of Miller kills helped the Cougars stay ahead 10-7, which was then followed by a 7-1 BYU rally to extend the lead to eight at 16-8. The Cowgirls followed with a 4-1 run to come back within five, down 17-12, but four more quick points from the Cougars forced a Wyoming timeout with BYU ahead 21-12. The Cougars cruised from there, taking the set 25-14 on a Miller kill.
BYU returns to action at Nationwide Arena Friday at 5:30 p.m. EDT where it faces off against LIU Brooklyn. Links to live stats can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.
