Cougars cruise past Tigers on the road

STOCKTON, Calif. – Senior Kathryn LeCheminant led BYU women’s volleyball to a four-set (25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23) victory on the road at Pacific Thursday to remain undefeated in West Coast Conference play.

“We expected a battle from Pacifc, and we got just that,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “They played a lot better to end the second set, and that continued into sets three and four. We stayed composed and on task to the end.”

LeCheminant had 11 kills on 27 attempts with just one hitting error to hit a .370 clip, while adding eight total blocks. Sophomore setter Camry Godfrey contributed 40 assists, and junior Tambre Haddock led the team in digs with 23 to go along with 11 kills, making that her 13th double-double of the season. Sophomore Alexa Gray contributed 14 kills and three blocks in the win.

Junior Hannah Robison put the Cougars’ first point on the board with a kill. BYU (17-3, 10-0 WCC) then went on a 6-1 run, led by a pair of Gray kills, to put the Cougars ahead 8-4. BYU was enjoying a comfortable six-point lead at 12-6 until the Tigers went on the offensive, cutting the Cougar lead to three at 15-12. BYU countered that Pacific (11-10, 4-6 WCC) run with a 5-2 spree of its own, taking a 19-13 advantage. Freshman Whitney Young finished off the set with a left-handed kill, 25-20.

The Cougars got off to a 7-2 start to open up set two. BYU got just its second block of the match from LeCheminant and Haddock to extend the Cougar lead to 11-4.  The Tigers quickly followed with a 4-0 run to cut the BYU lead 13-9. Pacific got within a point of the Cougars at 19-18 from four consecutive BYU errors. The Cougars kept their lead and finished strong in the second set, taking it 25-22.

The two teams traded points evenly to begin the third set. Olmstead was forced to call a timeout, however, after the Tigers went on a 5-0 run to take a 10-6 lead. Pacific continued to score with all the momentum on its side, leading by as many as six at 14-8. BYU then had to try to battle its way back, coming within two points of the Tigers at 18-16. The Cougars couldn’t find their rhythm in the third set, as Pacific took it 25-22 after three set points.

Robison gave BYU three of its first four points to begin the fourth set. Both teams battled back and forth, with neither team taking more than a one-point lead until Pacific pulled ahead 13-11 from consecutive Jennifer Sanders kills. The Cougars then went on a 4-0 run to pull ahead and take a 17-15 advantage, which forced a Tiger timeout. Pacific quickly battled back to tie the set at 22-22.  BYU surged ahead in the end, though, taking the fourth and final set 25-23.

The Cougars continue conference play on the road for a fourth-straight match, heading to Saint Mary’s for a match Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PDT. Links to live stats can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.