No. 14 BYU women’s volleyball takes 3-0 victory over USF

BYU women’s volleyball reaches a new season-high in hitting percentage against San Francisco on Saturday at the Smith Fieldhouse. 

On Thursday, the Cougars marked a season-high hitting .429 against Santa Clara. However, this record did not stay on top long as they surpassed it by hitting .506 against USF on Saturday.

BYU started out confidently in the first set and took the lead. A little bit of steam was lost when their lead slowly decreased to a one-point game at 8-7, but there was no fear from the crowd. Elyse Stowell increased the lead by another point with a hard-hitting kill. After hitting .500 against the Dons, the Cougars took the set 25-20.

Set two began with San Francisco in the lead 2-1 until it was tied up with a kill by Erin Livingston. Livingston continued this fire with another kill to take the lead and motivated the Cougars to go on an 8-0 run. 

Aria McComber closed out the set with an ace. BYU finished by hitting .583 and won 25-14.

“I think we’re serving really well and that puts teams in a tough spot,” said Coach Olmstead. The Cougars had 5 aces for the day. 

Going into the third set, with BYU’s overall hitting percentage at .537, fans were curious about what the Cougars would accomplish. This expectation was exceeded. 

The Dons did not go down without a fight. They kept the Cougars on their toes and working even harder than before. The score tied 9 times throughout the set. San Francisco’s outside hitter, Maria Petkova, “killed” it by leading her team with 12 kills. 

A significant lead was not taken until BYU reached 11-9 and this lead was kept till the end of the match for a win of 25-17 and hitting .440.

Olmstead mentioned the key to the team’s success was passing well and making good decisions offensively as a team. 

“We were super focused and dialed in today. We need to keep being assertive and get ready to fight on the road,” said BYU’s coach.

No. 14 BYU will face Saint Mary’s next Thursday in California.