BYU improved its record to 18-3 (9-1 conference) with a four-set victory (25-10, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17) over Pepperdine at the Smith Fieldhouse Saturday.
“I’m happy for our kids,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said. “They responded pretty well after going down that set, especially after dominating that first set.”
With the Cougars down 11-7 in the third set, BYU inched its way back into the set and tied the set at 13-13. The Waves (7-15, 2-8) and Cougars traded points, with no team taking more than a one-point lead. Pepperdine had a 20-19 lead, but BYU went on a 6-0 that included two kills by Tambre Nobles and an ace by Ciara Parker to win the set 25-20 and go up 2-1 in sets.
BYU got off to a quick start in the fourth set by taking a 6-1 lead, forcing Pepperdine to take a timeout. The Waves stormed back and went on a 7-1 run to take the lead. BYU and Pepperdine traded points before BYU went on a 9-0 run to go up 20-11. The Cougars sealed the fourth set, 25-17, and the match after a kill from Cosy Burnett.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle between the Cougars and the Waves. With the set tied 14-14, Pepperdine went on a 3-0 run. BYU wasn’t able to get back into the set, and the Waves took the second set 25-20.
BYU got off to a fast start in the first set by taking a quick 9-3 lead. BYU had runs of 5-0 and 7-0, and the Cougars won the first set easily, 25-10. Jennifer Hamson had a solid set with five kills.
BYU was led by Hamson, who had 20 kills, six blocks and a .400 hitting percentage. Whitney Young had 10 blocks, and Amy Boswell added six kills three blocks. Camry Godfrey Willardson and Alohi Robins-Hardy had 19 and 16 assists, respectively.
BYU now heads on the road to face Santa Clara on Thursday and San Francisco on Saturday.
