Photo credit: Pepperdine Athletics/Sarah Otteman

MALIBU, Calif. — Backed by outside hitter Erin Livingston’s second 20 kill effort in as many games, No. 17 BYU women’s volleyball swept Pepperdine (25-22, 25-21, 25-22) at the Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

BOX SCORE

Livingston recorded 20 kills for the sixth time this season, hitting .436 on the night. Middle blocker Heather Gneiting finished with eight kills and no errors to lead the team with a .727 clip. 

Outside hitter Elyse Stowell also added eight kills, while middle blockers Whitney Llarenas and Kate Prior tallied four kills apiece. Setter Abby Taylor finished with 34 assists, also contributing seven digs. Libero Kelsey Knudsen finished tied for a game-high 12 digs.

As a team, the Cougars (20-5, 14-2 WCC) hit .372 for the match, their best clip since recording a .416 hitting percentage against Gonzaga the last week of October. BYU held Pepperdine to .167 hitting and benefitted from 22 attack errors by the Waves, also out-blocking Pepperdine 12 to five. 

Set 1
After taking a 3-1 lead in the early going, the opening set saw four ties before the Cougars went ahead 8-7. Seven Pepperdine attack errors and two double blocks that featured Gneiting helped BYU expand its lead. 

The Waves hung in and clawed back, but a Livingston kill off the block clinched the set for the Cougars' 25-22. Livingston recorded five kills in the frame, Gneiting had four and Stowell tallied three as BYU hit .355 in the set.

Set 2
Facing a 5-1 deficit, the Cougars took a timeout and proceeded to score six-straight points, fueled by four Livingston kills and a Taylor ace, taking a 7-5 lead and forcing a Pepperdine timeout.

BYU weathered a 3-0 Waves’ run, and from there, the second set would be knotted up on seven separate occasions before the Cougars went on a 3-0 run of their own to take an 18-15 advantage into Pepperdine’s second timeout.

The two teams traded points coming out of the timeout through the end of the set, with a Livingston kill setting up BYU with set point and a Waves’ error giving the Cougars a 25-21 set win and 2-0 match lead. BYU hit .441 in the second set, registering 17 kills.

Set 3
Scoring the first two points of the third via Pepperdine errors, the Cougars never trailed in the final frame, benefitting from three double blocks and a Stowell solo stuff as they opened up a 14-8 lead. 

The Waves took six of the next seven points, making it a one-point game at 15-14, but a pair of kills by Stowell and an Alyssa Montoya ace forced two Pepperdine timeouts with the Cougars ahead 20-16.

BYU took its second timeout after a 3-0 Waves’ run made it 20-19. Two Livingston kills and a Pepperdine error gave the Cougars’ match point. The Waves fought it off once, but BYU took the ensuing point after a Cougar challenge overturned the call on the court to close out the 3-0 sweep with a 25-22 third set win. 

The Cougars will next head to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount in their final WCC road match on Saturday at 1 p.m. PST. The match will be streamed on the WCC Network. 

PROVO, Utah — No. 17 BYU women’s volleyball will travel to California for its final West Coast Conference (WCC) road trip of the season, taking on Pepperdine in a Thursday night matchup.

The Cougars (19-5, 13-2 WCC) moved up a spot to No. 17 in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll after sweeping Saint Mary's on Saturday afternoon. Dating back to 2013, BYU has been ranked in the Top 25 for 148-consecutive polls.

Outside hitter Erin Livingston paced the Cougars with 20 kills in the match against the Gaels, while freshman middle blocker Kate Prior finished with nine kills on a .667 clip. Fellow middle blocker Whitney Llarenas added 10 kills while hitting .500.

Setter Abby Taylor posted her second double-double of the season, recording 34 assists and 12 digs. Opposite hitter Kate Grimmer contributed 11 digs herself, and Llarenas led the team with four blocks. 

No. 17 BYU @ Saint Mary’s

• Thursday, Nov. 17 (7 p.m. PST)
• Firestone Fieldhouse (Malibu, CA)
• WCC Network
• Live Stats
• Tickets

Going 6-3 away from Provo this season, BYU head coach Heather Olmstead is 80-14 (.851) on the road all-time, with a 124-10 (.927) record in WCC play.  

Olmstead’s teams are 14-1 against Pepperdine, going 7-0 at the Smith Fieldhouse and 7-1 in Malibu. Dating back to 2012, BYU has won 20 of the last 21 matchups.

The Cougars remain at No. 4 in the nation with a .303 team hitting percentage, also ranking 24th in kills per set, at 13.96, and 25th in assists per set, at 12.95. BYU leads the WCC in all three statistical categories.

Llarenas sits atop the conference and at No. 11 nationally with a .415 season hitting clip. With a block in the Saint Mary’s match, Gneiting tallied her 100th on the year. Averaging 1.23 blocks per set, Gneiting is 48th in the nation in the statistical category. 

Livingston ranks No. 17 in the country in kills per set (4.35) and No. 26 in points per set (4.83). She also stands at No. 92 in attacks per set (10.25). Livingston leads the conference in kills and attacks per set. 

Pepperdine (18-8, 9-6 WCC)

• The Waves dropped a four-setter to Loyola Marymount last week after sweeping both Saint Mary’s and Pacific on the road
• Since the two teams last met, Pepperdine reeled off a five-match win streak, also beating Portland and Santa Clara
• Grace Chillingworth (273), Meg Brown (270) and Emily Hellmuth (266) lead the team in kills, with Isabel Zelaya dishing out 973 assists
• Riley Patterson (395) and Chillingworth (229) pace the Waves in digs, while Vanessa Polk and Brown recording 107 and 90 total blocks, respectively. 
• Chillingworth (36) and Brown (28) lead Pepperdine in service aces.
• In eight seasons as head coach, Scott Wong has posted a 143-84 record. 
• BYU leads the all-time series with Pepperdine, 32-10. The Cougars are 11-3 against the Waves in Malibu.

Following BYU’s match at Pepperdine, the Cougars will head to Los Angeles for their final WCC road match of the season at LMU. The will be streamed on the WCC Network.