PROVO, Utah — No. 11 BYU women’s volleyball defeated Pacific in straight sets on Thursday night in the Smith Fieldhouse, notching its tenth sweep of the season (25-13, 25-12, 25-17).

Holding an 11-1 record on the season, this sweep marks BYU's first West Coast Conference victory in its first conference match. 

BYU's defense held the Tigers to .028 hitting percentage, recording 43 digs and five blocks. In addition, 36 kills and seven aces secured a .280 hitting percentage for the Cougars. 

“We are super scrappy and fight to get every ball up,” said BYU setter Whitney Bower. “On defense, we go for every single ball and that allows us to set every hitter. When we can set every hitter, it lets us spread the ball out, which makes our offense better as well.”

Opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber led the Cougars offensively with nine kills. Freshman outside hitter Elyse Stowell had a career night, achieving eight kills on 13 swings, hitting a .538 clip, the team's highest for the night. Bower tallied 23 assists and six digs.

The Cougars extended their all-time record to 19-7 against Pacific, now holding a 17-match winning streak.

Set 1
The Cougars grabbed a lead early in the first set. Six errors committed by Pacific in the first ten points, followed by kills from Koerber and junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting, brought the score to 8-2. 

BYU used three 3-0 runs to extend their lead to 23-11. Doubling Pacific's kills, BYU notched 14. Paired with another three errors by the Tigers, freshman outside hitter Sophia Callahan secured the 25-13 win with a final kill.

Set 2
BYU took another early lead after kills from Koerber and senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon. Pacific stayed within three points of BYU, bringing the score to 10-7. However, the Cougars managed to win 10 of the next 13 points, extending their lead to 20-10. That run consisted of three kills and six Pacific errors. The Cougars dominated, 25-12, with a quick kill from middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg to win the set.

Set 3
The Cougars started hot with a 5-1 lead. Pacific countered with a 4-0 run of their own, tying it 5-5. Multiple 4-0 runs were the trend in the third set as BYU took a 9-5 lead. Every time the Cougars widened the gap, the Tigers put together a run to stay close behind. Leading 15-14, BYU rattled off 11 of the next 13 points, sealing the sweep, 25-17.

The Cougars return to the Smith Fieldhouse to face another WCC opponent, Saint Mary's, on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. MDT.

PROVO, Utah — No. 11 BYU women's volleyball will host West Coast Conference foes Pacific and Saint Mary’s, this week with matchups on Sept. 23 and 25 respectively. 

On Thursday, the Cougars will host the Tigers in the Smith Fieldhouse. BYU holds an 18-7 all-time record, including a 16-match winning streak against them. The last time Pacific defeated the Cougars was in 1996. 

BYU will host Saint Mary’s on Saturday. The Cougars hold a 19-6 all-time record against the Gaels. BYU triumphed in the last 14 matches, last losing to Saint Mary’s in 2013. 

No. 11 Brigham Young University Cougars (10-1 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• Last week, BYU swept both of its opponents: No. 10 University of Utah at home and Utah Valley University on the road
• Junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting continues to rank No. 2 in the NCAA for hitting percentage, holding a .500 clip
• As a team, BYU ranks No. 3 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.320), No. 7 in kills per set (14.42), No. 10 in aces per set (2.11) and No. 15 in opposite hitting percentage (.132). The Cougars lead the WCC in all four categories. 
• The Cougars have swept nine of their eleven opponents this season

University of the Pacific Tigers (3-8, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• Most recently, the Tigers competed at the Arizona State Tournament. The team suffered 3-1 losses to both ASU and UNLV.
• Pacific ranks No.1 in the WCC in the following categories: digs per set, team assists, team attacks, team digs, team kills and team total attacks
• Alexa Edwards leads the conference in attacks per set (12.14), total attacks (510) and total kills (176)
• Jadyn Tubbs leads the conference with 197 total digs this season

Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels (6-3, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• Last week, the Gaels faced both Cal and UC Davis. After losing 3-1 to Cal, Saint Mary’s swept UC Davis.
• For the season, the Gaels swept four of their nine opponents. They hold a .238 hitting percentage. 
• Elena Baka leads the team offensively, notching 98 kills and 10 aces. Defensively, Ella Sandt boasts 176 assists and 47 digs. 

Broadcast Information – Sept. 23

• Time: 7 p.m. MDT
• Live Stream: BYUtv/BYUtv App
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Broadcast Information – Sept. 25

• Time: 1 p.m. MDT
• Live Stream: BYUtv/BYUtv App
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

TICKET INFORMATION

Purchase your tickets online via byutickets.com.

MASK REQUIREMENT

Consistent with current Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU requirements, BYU Athletics will require masks in indoor venues when physical distancing isn’t maintained. This includes a requirement for those attending indoor athletic events, such as volleyball in the Smith Fieldhouse and inside the loges at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Wearing a mask will be required for entry to indoor BYU venues. Masks will not be required for outdoor BYU venues.

BYU strongly urges students, employees and campus guests to follow recent counsel from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to get vaccinated and wear masks.

The university will continue to monitor the situation and will reevaluate mask requirements at the end of September based on several factors including the immunization rate of the campus community, COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization rates, and guidance from health and government officials.