Record-setting performance helps No. 10 BYU claim tournament title

BOISE, Idaho – A record-setting performance helped No. 10 BYU women’s volleyball cruise past Sacramento State in three sets (25-8, 25-10, 25-14) Saturday afternoon to claim the Boise State Classic title.

The Cougars (6-0) as a team committed just one attack error during the match for a .539 hitting percentage – the highest clip in BYU rally-scoring era history. 

“That was our most complete match of the season,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “Our serve and pass game was solid and that happened because Mary (Lake) did a great job of controlling the back row. Our hitters took really smart swings and really moved the ball around. I'm happy for the team to have a match where everything came together. We still have work to do to get better which is exciting.”

Veronica Jones-Perry led the Cougars with 13 kills while McKenna Miller had nine. Lyndie Haddock had a match-best 34 assists while Mary Lake contributed 18 digs. Cosy Burnett, Sara Hamson and Kennedy Redding each had five blocks in the win.

A trio of kills from Miller helped BYU to a 12-1 lead early in the first set against Sacramento State (3-5). Errors from the Hornets helped increase the Cougar advantage to 17-4, and a Hamson kill made it 21-6. A kill from Jones-Perry ended the set 25-8 for BYU.

Haddock and Burnett teamed up at the net for a block to give the Cougars a 5-2 lead in the second set. Three-straight errors from Sacramento State increased BYU’s advantage to nine, 12-3. A block from Jones-Perry and Hamson increased the lead to 18-7, and a Haddock dump kill ended the set 25-10.

Back-to-back blocks from Redding gave the Cougars an 8-5 lead in the third set. A kill from Hamson extended the advantage to five at 12-7 before a Miller kill put her team ahead by double digits, 18-8. Another Hamson kill then ended the set 25-14 for BYU.

The Cougars stay on the road next, facing Hawai’i Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. HST. The match will be televised by Spectrum Sports. Links to live stats and a free video stream can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.