No. 10 BYU sweeps Santa Clara on the road

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – No. 10 BYU women’s volleyball notched its 11th-straight win over Santa Clara, sweeping the WCC opponent on Thursday in the Leavey Event Center (25-17, 25-17, 25-9).

The win puts BYU at 13-1 for the season, including a 3-0 record in WCC play.

Highlights included BYU snagging its second-highest hitting percentage of the season, at .425. Boasting 43 kills, the Cougars dominated the Broncos offensively, holding their opponent to 29 kills and a .080 clip.

Graduate opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber led the team with 14 kills, eight digs and six blocks. Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon followed close behind with 11 kills and earned the team’s highest clip, at .550.

SET ONE
BYU started off strong with a 5-0 run, thanks to two kills by sophomore outside hitter Erin Livingston. The Broncos made it on the board with two kills of their own, however, the Cougars extended their lead, 10-2. 

Santa Clara’s Michelle Shaffer and Sophia Tulino put down four combined kills to close the gap to 13-7. Santa Clara went on a 4-0 run after two consecutive kills by Julia Sangiacomo and two attack errors by BYU, bringing the score to a close 17-14.

Ultimately, four errors by Santa Clara late into the set allowed BYU to take the win, 25-17.

SET TWO
Santa Clara put down two kills, earning its first lead of the day, 3-1. However, a quick two kills by both Ballard-Nixon and junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting put the Cougars back on top, 6-3. On a run, junior setter Whitney Bower had a kill, BYU’s fifth in a row. An ace by the Broncos and three attack errors by BYU evened up the score, 10-10. 

The Cougars set off on a 4-0 run, but the Broncos managed six consecutive kills, taking back their lead, 15-14. Two kills by Koerber and a kill by Ballard-Nixon propelled BYU ahead, 17-15.

BYU tacked on a 5-0 run, including another two kills by Ballard-Nixon. Santa Clara tallied seven total errors in the set and had a clip of .112, giving the Cougars the set win at 25-17.

SET THREE
The Cougars quickly racked up a score of 4-0 after two kills by Koerber. Two errors by BYU allowed Santa Clara to come back at 7-4. After a kill by Bower, BYU led by five points at 10-5. 

The Cougars put down seven kills, including two from both middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg and Koerber, bringing the score to 22-7. Koerber slammed her fifth and sixth kills of the set in the last few moments, solidifying a win for the Cougars at 25-9.

Up next, San Francisco will host BYU in the War Memorial Gym on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 12 p.m. PDT