The BYU Women’s volleyball team hosted the first two round of the NCAA tournament. They took on New Mexico state and Oklahoma in the Smith Fieldhouse over the weekend. The girls dominated defeating both teams in three straight sets and game time for both games was under an hour and a half. The Cougars keep their record at home perfect and bring their overall record to 28-3.
Why are the Cougars so successful? Head coach Shawn Olmstead says it’s because the girls are unselfish.
“We have a bunch of good parts and we have good depth. They understand their role…and they accept it whereever it is,” said Olmstead.
This is the very first time any girl on the team has ever been to the playoffs. The Lady Cougars don’t have playoff experience, but what they lack, they draw from their coach. Olmstead won two nation championships in 2001 and 2004 on the BYU men’s team. Olmstead says the girls executed the game plan very well and that is what lead to the victories.
“We watched a lot of film before the game and (studied how they played)… basically just try to read them the best we could,” said Tia Wither, Defensive Specialist.
Senior Hearter Hannemann says that winning the first two games isn’t enough. They want to achieve the goal they set in the beginning of the year.
“We are not satisfied yet. We want to keep going and see how far we can take it,” said Hanneman.
Now there are only ranked opponents left in the tournament and the Cougar’s battle for the championship is just beginning. The Cougars take on number 5 seeded Oregon on Friday, December 7, at the Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
