Boswell and No. 11 Cougars rebound with three-set win over Gonzaga

SPOKANE, Wash. – Senior middle blocker Amy Boswell led No. 11 BYU women’s volleyball to a three-set (25-13, 25-16, 25-19) win against Gonzaga Saturday afternoon at the Martin Center.

“I thought the entire team played a really nice match today,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead. “Dave (Hyte) and Jonny (Neeley) did a great job with the scout report and the team executed perfectly.”

Coming off of a five-set heartbreaking loss at Portland on Thursday, the Cougars (17-3, 6-2 West Coast Conference) rebound win keeps them in second place in league play behind No. 5 San Diego.

Boswell led BYU against Gonzaga (11-7, 4-4 WCC) with a match-high 13 kills while hitting at a .571 clip. Mary Lake contributed 18 digs while Lyndie Haddock added 38 assists and 15 digs for her fourth-career double-double. Whitney Young Howard chipped in a match-high five blocks, McKenna MIller had 12 kills and Lacy Haddock put up nine kills in the win.

A Miller kill helped propel the Cougars to an early 5-2 advantage in the first set. A 5-1 BYU run ensued to put the Cougars ahead 10-3, forcing a timeout from the Bulldogs. The two teams traded points from there as a Boswell kill and Gonzaga attack error kept BYU ahead 17-10. The Cougars maintained their momentum as a Makenna Santiago ace gave them a double-digit lead at 22-12. BYU then took the set 25-13 on a Lyndie Haddock kill.

A Howard and Hannah Robison blocked helped the Cougars take a 4-2 edge to begin the second set. The Bulldogs tied the set at 6-6 on a block before a 4-1 BYU run, capped off by a Boswell kill, put it up 10-7. Gonzaga was able to cut the lead to one, down 13-12, before the Cougars rattled off a 7-1 rally to go up 20-13. A triple block from Howard, Miller and Lyndie Haddock then ended the set in BYU’s favor, 25-16.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set after three kills and an ace. The Cougars followed with a 4-1 run of their own to knot the score back at five apiece. BYU later used a 7-2 rally, which included two kills from Lacy Haddock, to jump ahead 12-8. The Cougars remained in the driver’s seat as a Robison kill extended the lead to seven at 19-12. After taking a 21-13 lead, Gonzaga scored the next four to come within four, down 21-17. The rally proved too late, however, as BYU took the set and match 25-19 on a Boswell and Haddock block.

The Cougars return home to the Smith Fieldhouse Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. MDT against Pepperdine. The match against the Waves will be the Pink Match and fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. The match will be streamed live on TheW.tv. Links to the video stream as well as live stats can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.