Miller helps No. 10 Cougars past Idaho State to win invitational

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.