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Katherine Carling | Posted: 30 Nov 2018 | Updated: 24 Dec 2020
Katherine Carling

No. 4 BYU defeats Stony Brook 3-0 in NCAA First Round

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PROVO, Utah — Behind 17 kills from senior Roni Jones-Perry, No. 4 seed BYU swept Stony Brook (25-20, 25-13, 25-12) Friday in the Smith Fieldhouse in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

"Congratulations to Stony Brook on a great season," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "I thought we played a great match tonight. We're excited to be advancing and that we get to keep playing together."

Jones-Perry added six digs, four blocks and two aces on the night as the Cougars advanced to play Utah on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse. Freshmen Heather Gneiting and Madelyn Robinson each added six kills while junior Mary Lake had 13 digs and senior Lyndie Haddock-Eppich led with 31 assists.

The Cougars held the Seawolves to a -.034 hitting percentage, the lowest hitting clip by a BYU opponent this season. The Cougars hit .247 as a team.

Click here for a photo essay of the match and see the links below for complete stats and press conference quotes.

BYU (28-1) led Stony Brook (21-9) early in the first set 4-0 before the Seawolves caught up and took the lead, 8-7. The Cougars stayed within three of the Seawolves before taking the lead back at 20-19 off an ace by senior Danelle Stetler. An error into the net by Stony Brook ultimately gave BYU set one, 25-20. Jones-Perry contributed seven kills, hitting a .600 clip.

Taking the lead early in set two, the Cougars jumped out to a 4-0 lead. A solo block from Gneiting pushed BYU into a double-digit margin at 18-8. A kill by senior Lacy Haddock ended set two for BYU, 25-13. The Cougars raked in five blocks and three aces while holding Stony Brook to a -.250 hitting percentage for set two.

Strong kills from Gneiting, Jones-Perry and sophomore Kennedy Eschenberg gave BYU a 7-2 lead early in set three. The Cougars went on a 6-0 run from kills by Haddock-Eppich and Jones-Perry and an ace by Kiana Moea’i to bring the score to 22-10. Jones-Perry ended set three with an ace, giving BYU the set and the match at 25-12.

The BYU and Utah matchup in round two will air live on BYUtv and BYUtv.org starting at 7 p.m. MT. The winning team will advance to play in the Sweet Sixteen on Dec. 7.

Jordan Christiansen | Posted: 28 Nov 2018 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Jordan Christiansen

Cougars Begin NCAA Tourney on Friday in Provo

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PROVO, Utah - The No. 4-seeded BYU women's volleyball team is set to begin NCAA tournament play on Friday, Nov. 30, against Stony Brook in the Smith Fieldhouse. 

The match will begin at 7 p.m. MT and will air live on BYUtv and BYUtv.org. Preceding the match, Utah and Denver will face off at 4 p.m. MT. The winner of the two matches will then play Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. MT.

BYU is the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Cougars' highest seed since the current tournament format began in 2000. The tournament appearance is BYU's 31st all-time, seventh-most in NCAA Division I history.

The Cougars have reached at least the Sweet Sixteen of the tournament each of the last six years, including advancing to the national championship game in 2014. As a top-four seed, BYU would host the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight matches next week for the first time should the Cougars win two matches this weekend.

BYU currently has a 20-match win streak in the Smith Fieldhouse, including all 13 games played this year. Since 2012, the Cougars are 94-3 at home. BYU also has not lost a home NCAA tourney match since 1994, winning 17 straight since that time. Overall, BYU is 26-6 in NCAA tournament home matches.

BYU has never faced Stony Brook or Denver. The Cougars have a 72-30 all-time record against Utah after sweeping the Utes earlier this season in Provo.

The Cougars are led by WCC Player of the Year Roni Jones-Perry who is No. 4 in the nation in points per set (5.47) and No. 10 in kills per set (4.71) in the nation. BYU swept the WCC awards this season with junior libero Mary Lake winning Defender of the Year for the second-straight season, middle blocker Heather Gneiting winning Freshman of the Year and Heather Olmstead winning Coach of the Year.

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