BYU women’s volleyball sweeps in-state rivals, prepares for WCC action

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Dani Jardine
BYU players celebrate their victory against No. 16 Utah on Sept. 14. (Dani Jardine)

The No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball team won all three of its matches this week and improved to 11-1 on the season.

The first of last week’s victories came on Thursday in Salt Lake City against No. 16 Utah. It was an anticipated rematch since a year ago when the rival Utes handed the Cougars only their second home loss since 2011.

BYU beat Utah in 5 sets (16-25, 25-13, 25-17, 20-25, 18-16) behind a strong offensive performance from Veronica Jones-Perry, who had 25 kills.

Returning home to the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, BYU needed only three sets to put away the Weber State Wildcats (25-20, 25-15, 25-22). Consistent execution and defense from Mary Lake, who had 17 digs, were keys to a decisive victory.

The Cougars then made the short trip to Orem the following night to face off against UVU.

BYU came away with the victory in four sets (25-21, 22-25, 26-24, 25-17) holding off a determined Wolverines squad. According to BYU coach Heather Olmstead, strong offensive performances from Jones-Perry, McKenna Miller and Cosy Burnett were key in the 3-1 win.

The trio combined for 45 kills on the night.

The game against Utah Valley marked the final non-conference match of the season for BYU. The Cougars open up conference play Thursday at Santa Clara. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. MDT and will be broadcast on TheW.tv.

BYU enters conference play as three-time defending WCC champions.

The Cougars went 16-2 in conference play last season, losing only to Portland and a highly ranked San Diego squad.

Following the conference opener, BYU will head to the Bay Area on Saturday to take on the University of San Francisco at 2 p.m. MDT. The game will also be broadcast on TheW.tv.

The Cougars’ first home conference game will be on Tuesday, Sept. 26 against Pepperdine.

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