Reed Gym
936 Martin Luther King Jr Way Pocatello ID 83201
POCATELLO, Idaho – McKenna Miller helped No. 10 BYU women’s volleyball past Idaho State in three sets (25-14, 25-21, 25-14) Saturday night at Reed Gym to win the Idaho State Invitational.
“We came out really focused with energy tonight,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “Everyone did their job. It was a great team win. I’m proud of the way they performed this week.”
Miller led the team with 10 kills on a .389 clip. Lyndie Haddock contributed 27 assists to go with five blocks and Mary Lake added 10 digs. Amy Boswell put up five blocks and Lacy Haddock collected seven kills on a .500 clip in the win. Additionally, Veronica Jones-Perry had five service aces, tied for fifth-most all-time in BYU rally-scoring era history.
Idaho State (4-6) got off to a quick 6-2 lead in the first set against BYU (9-0) after some sloppy play from the Cougars. BYU fired back with an 11-2 run, capped off by a Boswell ace, to take the lead at 13-8. The Cougars then scored six of the next seven points to go up by double-digits at 19-9. The Bengals then went on a 4-1 run to cut into the lead at 20-13, but BYU won the set 25-14 on an Idaho State attack error.
The second set began with the two sides trading points as a Boswell block gave the Cougars a 7-6 edge. A Whitney Young Howard kill kept BYU ahead 11-9, and an overpass kill by Jones-Perry gave the Cougars a 13-10 advantage. BYU slowly extended its lead from there, as a Jones-Perry ace put her team ahead 19-12. The Bengals rallied with a 5-1 run to come within three at 20-17 and kept the set close from there before a BYU block ended the set 25-21.
The Cougars went up 9-2 to start the third set after multiple Idaho State miscues. A Jones-Perry ace extended BYU’s advantage to eight at 13-5, but the Bengals scored the next three to get back within five, down 13-8. The Cougars followed with a 4-1 run to increase their lead at 17-9 and an Idaho State attack error gave BYU a double-digit lead at 21-11. The Cougars cruised from there, winning the set and match 25-14 on a Bengal service error.
Following the match, Boswell was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and was added to the all-tournament team along with Jones-Perry and Miller.
The Cougars return to action Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. MDT at home against Utah. The match will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio. Links to live stats and a video feed can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.
No. 10 Cougars on the road for Idaho State Invitational
PROVO, Utah – No. 10 BYU women’s volleyball hits the road again this week for the Idaho State Invitational.
The Cougars (6-0) will face off against Boise State, Missouri – who is receiving votes in the AVCA poll – and Idaho State.
Last Time Out
BYU won the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic last week by defeating Wyoming, LIU Brooklyn and host then-No. 11 Ohio State. Mary Lake was named the tournament Most Valuable Player and was added to the all-tournament list along with Amy Boswell.
Boise State
The Cougars face off against Boise State (4-2) Friday, Sept. 9, at 4 p.m. MDT at Reed Gym.
BYU leads the Broncos in the overall series history with a perfect 6-0 record, winning most recently in four sets in 2008.
Boise State has won its past three matches, picking up victories against Wright State, Kent State and Cleveland State last week.
The Broncos ended the 2015 season with a 23-7, 15-3 (2nd) MWC record.
Missouri
Missouri (4-2) will take on the Cougars Saturday, Sept. 10, beginning at noon MDT at Reed Gym.
The Tigers lead the short overall series history 2-1-1. Missouri won the last matchup in four sets in 2009.
Mizzou went 1-2 over the weekend, falling at home to Utah and Miami (Ohio) before picking up a four-set win against recent BYU opponent Rice.
The Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2015 and ended the year with a 27-6, 14-4 (2nd) SEC record.
Idaho State
Idaho State (4-3) will compete against the Cougars Saturday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. MDT at Reed Gym to conclude the Idaho State Invitational.
BYU leads the series history with a near-perfect 26-1 overall record. The Cougars won a five-set thriller against the Bengals at home last year.
Idaho State won its past four matches last week, winning first at Utah Valley before taking the Cougar Classic title with wins against Lamar, Houston and Texas Southern.
The Bengals went 23-10, 13-3 (2nd) Big Sky in 2015.
Additional Info
There will be live stats available for each of the three matches this week. Saturday’s match against Idaho State will have audio/video feeds as well. Links to everything can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.
