No. 12 BYU women’s volleyball finishes perfect in first week of Big 12 play
BYU women’s volleyball could not have asked for a better start to the season, beginning 11-1 before arriving at conference play.
The Cougars began their Big 12 tenure with a pair of substantial tests from No. 20 Houston and No. 18 Baylor this past week, with BYU sweeping both to stand perfect thus far within the conference.
It was the battle of the Cougars Wednesday night in Provo, as BYU faced Houston for the first Big 12 match in program history. The two teams were neck and neck through the first set, with BYU taking a 26-24 advantage. BYU would never look back as it took the next two sets 25-13 and 25-18.
Erin Livingston led the way with 12 kills. She continues to be a factor in each game as she has tallied 172 kills this season. The second most is Whitney McEwan-Llarenas with 86 kills on the season.
BYU played a clean game with only 12 errors in the night compared to Houston’s 28 errors. When BYU is able to take care of the ball, the Cougars have shown how hard it is to beat them.
Riding the success into Saturday, BYU beat Baylor in straight sets.
The Cougars showed their dominance with a 25-17 score in the first and second sets and a 25-15 rout to finish the Bears off.
Livingston accounted for half of the 39 kills for BYU on Saturday afternoon. She has been BYU’s calling card whenever the Cougars are desperate for a point.
With more than 3,400 people in attendance for each game this past week, the Smith Fieldhouse was roaring. The Cougars are 6-0 at home this year, dropping just one set out of 19 sets played.
The ROC section in specific has been one of the reasons why the Cougars have seen success in Provo.
“Having a support system and a unified common pride in an entity motivates and drives passion” stated Julianna Roberts.
In women’s volleyball, BYU earns an average attendance of 3,890 fans per game, while away games have an average of 1,005 fans per contest.
BYU gets ready for a road trip this week as the Cougars play back to back games against No. 9 Texas on Sept. 28 and 29.
