No. 9 BYU sweeps Oregon State behind Willardson's double-double

PROVO, Utah–A big night from Camry Godfrey Willardson helped No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball sweep Oregon State 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-16) Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse. The win brings the Cougars to 7-1 on the season.

“We just wanted to come out and execute a little bit better than Wednesday night, and I thought we executed the game plan very well,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “We served tough and put pressure on Oregon State. They’re a good team, so I expect them to play better tomorrow. I thought our eyework was really good and that helped us to see the ball, see the setter and get in a good defensive position.”

Willardson registered her third double-double on the season, recording 25 assists and 14 digs while hitting a .500 clip. Willardson also had a season-high 14 digs on the match. Alexa Gray led the Cougars with 12 kills, while Cosy Burnett and Danelle Parady each added six kills apiece. Amy Boswell totalled three service aces on the night, with Ciara Parker also adding two aces of her own.

BYU started a competitive first set on a 6-1 run after two early kills from Gray. Oregon State responded with a few quick points before a service ace from Boswell brought the score to 9-4 in favor of the Cougars. After exchanging scores, two kills from Gray and Parady pushed the BYU lead to 18-11, forcing an Oregon State timeout. Parker forced a set point at 24-16, and the Cougars took the set 25-16 moments later on a big block from Boswell and Burnett.

In the second set, BYU came out fast again, going up 6-1 after kills from Gray and Burnett forced an Oregon State timeout. The Cougars extended the lead to 10-3 with kills from Parady and Willardson, followed by a service ace from Boswell. A big block from Whitney Young Howard and Burnett capped an 8-2 run and pushed the score to 13-4. BYU extended the lead to 18-6 after a kill from Gray and another service ace from Parker. The Cougars forced a set point with a kill from Parady and sealed the set 25-12 with a block from Parady and Howard.

The third set began with a 3-0 BYU run featuring kills from Burnett and Gray. Oregon State responded with a 4-0 run of its own before a Boswell and Burnett block evened the score at 4-4. Kills from Gray and Burnett then extended the Cougar lead to 10-7. Shortly after, a block from Howard and Burnett forced an Oregon State timeout and pushed the score to 13-8. A kill from Gray, assisted by Willardson brought the BYU lead to 17-12. Moments later, Boswell registered her third service ace of the night, putting the Cougars up 20-13, forcing another Beaver timeout. After a few quick scores from Oregon State, a Howard kill sealed the match for BYU 25-16.

BYU will take on Oregon State again Saturday night at the Smith Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. MDT. Fans can follow the live stats feed on the BYU women's volleyball schedule page.