No. 1 BYU volleyball defeats Gonzaga to stay unbeaten

PROVO, Utah – No. 1 BYU women’s volleyball defeated Gonzaga in three sets (25-12, 25-10, 25-15) Thursday night at the Smith Fieldhouse to remain undefeated on the season.

"We had a total team effort tonight," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "Everyone was ready to play. I thought we had a really good night serving and passing the ball."

Senior Roni Jones-Perry finished with a match-high 10 kills, while Lyndie Haddock-Eppich put together a solid stat line of seven kills, 31 assists and five digs. Madelyn Robinson and Kennedy Eschenberg had four kills each.

Freshman Heather Gneiting had a block followed immediately by a kill to put BYU (14-0, 4-0 WCC) up 9-3 early in the first set. At the first timeout the Cougars led 15-7, with Gneiting and Robinson leading with two kills and two blocks apiece. BYU made a defensive stand to close out the set, winning it 25-12 on a block. Robinson led the team in both kills and blocks after one set with three and four, respectively. Her set-high three kills came on a .500 clip, with BYU hitting .304 as a team after the opening period.

BYU opened the second set 12-1 with five quick kills from Jones-Perry. Gonzaga (4-10, 1-2 WCC) brought it back within 10, 18-8, but three kills in a row by Haddock-Eppich put the Cougars up 21-8 late in the second set. BYU kept the momentum and took the second set 25-10 off a Gonzaga error. Jones-Perry was up to eight kills after two sets, hitting at a .389 clip. The Cougars improved with a .441 clip in the second set to bring their match average up to .386.

The third set began with a 2-2 tie, but the Cougars quickly pulled away to a 12-5 lead, fueled by a couple of impressive digs by Mary Lake and a series of kills from Jones-Perry. The Bulldogs brought it back within six, 17-11, but an error immediately after allowed the Cougars to regain momentum, going on an 8-4 run to win the set and the match.

The Cougars take on Portland at home next, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m. MDT, in the Smith Fieldhouse. The match will be broadcast on BYUtv and can be followed with live stats found on the team’s schedule page.