For the first time in over a month, the BYU women’s volleyball team was swept. The Cougars’ four-game win streak was snapped by the Saint Mary’s Gaels and was the third time the two teams have faced each other this season.
“Saint Mary’s put a ton of pressure on us with their serve,” coach Shawn Olmstead said. “We were tentative and we couldn’t bounce back.”
A combination of serve aces and well executed kills gave the Gaels an early lead and control of the first set. To get the Cougars back in the game, junior setter Heather Hannemann set up senior outside hitter Casey Thurston for back-to-back kills. BYU errors allowed Saint Mary’s to gain momentum and lead by as many as 10 points before they closed out the set, 14-25.
“When you can’t pass well you can’t set the ball well so our hitting game struggled” Olmstead said, “and since we were not passing well it gave [Saint Mary’s] defense time to set up.”
By the start of the second set, BYU stepped it up and came out a different team. Serve aces by senior outside hitter, Christie Carpenter, and solid Cougar defense propelled BYU to an early lead. However, Jordan Shaw from Saint Mary’s would not be silenced and had three straight kills to tie up the score 7-7. The set continued to be a battle with both teams unable to secure a lead. After a kill by Carpenter, Saint Mary’s forced BYU errors and aced the Cougars to take the second set, 21-25.
“We were not able to get the one-on-one opportunities that we needed to get and it hurt us,” Olmstead said.
The Cougars have struggled to play with intensity in the third set over the past two games, but that was not the story tonight. BYU maintained the lead up until Saint Mary’s tied the set at 15-15. Sophomore middle blocker Kathryn LeCheminant took control for the Cougars and had two key kills to keep her team alive. Once again serving aces and good offensive plays sealed the deal for the Gaels, who took the match with a third set win of 23-25.
BYU only had 37 kills on the night. Sophomore opposite hitter Jennifer Hamson led the team with 10. Hannemann had 33 assists, and the team only put up four blocks and 32 digs.
The final two matches of the season will be played in the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday and Saturday of next week. The Cougars face Gonzaga and Portland to finish up their WCC season.
