No. 8 BYU overpowers No. 24 Pepperdine in 3-1 win

MALIBU, Calif. - On an 11-match winning streak, No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball kept rolling with a four-set victory (21-25, 25-19, 25-10, 25-18) against No. 24 Pepperdine on Saturday in the Firestone Fieldhouse.

BYU now holds an 18-1 overall record on the season, including an 8-0 undefeated record in the West Coast Conference.

Offensively, BYU tallied 57 kills with a .346 hitting percentage Saturday, compared to Pepperdine’s 44 kills and .135 clip. The Waves suffered with 24 attack errors, nearly doubling BYU’s 13.

For BYU, opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber had a double-double, boasting 14 kills and 13 digs. Additionally, junior setter Whitney Bower put up double-digit numbers, totaling 42 assists and 15 digs. 

Another highlight included a .615 clip on eight kills by middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg.

SET ONE
The teams started off the match evenly, tying at 2-2 after a kill by senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon. Koerber widened the gap to 5-3 after two kills of her own. The lead diminished quickly after a 5-0 run by Pepperdine, including two kills and three BYU attack errors. This put the Waves ahead, 8-6. 

The Cougars stayed close behind at 10-9 after Ballard-Nixon posted her third kill of the set, accompanied with a kill by both junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting and sophomore outside hitter Erin Livingston. A 3-0 run by Pepperdine extended the lead to 18-12. 

At 21-16, the Waves had a five-point lead, even after additional kills by Gneiting and Livingston. Ultimately, both teams managed 15 kills, but BYU racked up seven attack errors and two service errors, giving Pepperdine the set win at 25-21.

SET TWO
Livingston slammed two kills, bringing the score to 3-1. A kill and an ace by the Waves tied the score at 4-4. Kills by Livingston and Eschenberg pulled BYU ahead to 6-4. Quickly, Pepperdine’s Rachel Ahrens laid down two consecutive kills, keeping the teams tight at 8-7. 

After kills by Gneiting and Koerber, BYU led 13-10, Pepperdine never trailing by more than three points. A 3-0 run by the Waves brought the teams to 13-13. Unable to propel ahead, the teams traded points until tying for the third time at 16-16.

BYU strung together three consecutive kills to break away at 19-16. Another three kills by Gneiting, Koerber and Livingston secured a set win for the Cougars at 25-19.

SET THREE
Gneiting and Livingston notched BYU’s first kills of the set, putting the team ahead at 4-2. Three back-to-back attack errors by the Waves and two kills by Eschenberg propelled the Cougars to 9-2. Continuing the run, Gneiting contributed two aces in a row, giving BYU a nine-point lead. 

Pepperdine managed a kill, but BYU followed with three of its own, progressing to 15-4. The attack errors piled up for the Waves, giving the Cougars a 5-0 run. Four solid kills by BYU finished the set at 25-10.

SET FOUR
The score tied three times early on until BYU went on a 3-0 run, leading 6-3. A kill by Koerber and two attack errors opened the score to 9-4. 

Pepperdine trailed further when Eschenberg achieved three back-to-back-to-back kills at 16-9. The momentum continued with two straight kills from Koerber, followed by two attack errors by the Waves.

The Waves battled for points, but four more kills by BYU clinched the win, 25-16.

Next week, BYU returns to the Smith Fieldhouse to host No. 22 San Diego on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. MDT.