Alexa Gray spikes the ball in the 3-0 win against OSU. (Ari Davis)
BYU women's volleyball team defeated the Oregon State University Beavers 3-0 in the Smith Field House on Friday night.
This is the first time the Cougars have played the Beavers since 1982. The Cougars won that game 2-0 and it appears that this season's team is following that tradition.
'I thought our eye work was really good. We were able to see the ball, see the setter and get in good places defensively,' head coach Heather Olmstead said. 'I thought the girls executed very well.'
BYU played exceptionally well, particularly in kills and digs. The Cougars ended the night's game with 36 kills and 37 digs whereas the Beavers left with 26 kills and 28 digs.
Leading the team in both digs and assists was Camry Willardson with 14 digs and 25 sets. Beautiful sets make for powerful kills and Alexa Gray's were no exception. Gray led the team tonight with 12 kills. Amy Boswell and Whitney Young Howard both tied for most blocks with 1 block solo and 5 block assists.
'I think there's no better feeling than stuffing a ball,' Boswell said of a previous game. 'It's really exciting. My teammates, we cheer for each other. Our fans go crazy. It feels pretty good.'
The highlight of this game was being able to play a tough team and win in three sets. The score of the first set was 25-16. The second was 25-12 and the third was 25-16.
'We followed the game plan really well,' Howard said. 'There's a lot of energy (when we play) and we're all just focused on what we need to do to win the next point.'
BYU and OSU are still preparing for another face off. The two teams will compete again Saturday night in the Smith Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.