No. 7 BYU sweeps San Francisco

PROVO, Utah — No. 7 BYU women’s volleyball maintained its undefeated 24-0 all-time record against San Francisco after a quick sweep (25-19, 25-15, 25-14 ) in the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

On a 13-match winning streak, BYU now holds a 20-1 overall record on the season and 10-0 in the WCC.

“We always focus on the next game,” said BYU opposite hitter Erin Livingston. “The next game is our biggest game of the year. That helps us to stay motivated. We have to come out fighting every single time we step on the court.”

Graduate outside hitter Kenzie Koerber, senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon and Livingston all finished the night with double-digits kills. Current WCC Offensive Player of the Week, Koerber led with 14 kills and a .571 hitting percentage.

BYU tallied 50 total team kills with a .381 hitting percentage, holding San Francisco to just 25 kills and a .129.

SET ONE
BYU quickly racked up points after four errors by San Francisco, leading 4-2. The Cougars followed with four errors of their own, allowing the Dons to take the lead at 7-5. Two kills by Koerber tied the match at 7-7. 

San Francisco’s Shyia Richardson laid down two kills, but Livingston matched with two kills, tying the score for the third time at 9-9. 

Both Koerber and Ballard-Nixon slammed kills, giving BYU the lead at 11-9. The teams tied on seven more occasions, never widening the gap by more than two points. 

BYU broke away with a 5-0 run after four consecutive kills, bringing the score to 23-18. Final kills by graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg and Koerber sealed the set win at 25-19.

SET TWO
The second set continued the tight race, tying six times by 7-7. Kills by Koerber, Livingston and junior setter Whitney Bower gave BYU a 3-0 run, bringing the score to 10-7. 

Ballard-Nixon hit her tenth kill of the night, extending the Cougars’ lead to 15-10. The momentum continued with Koerber’s ninth and tenth kills of the night, giving the Cougars another 3-0 run. However, two errors by BYU allowed San Francisco to stay close behind at 19-14.

A 5-0 run in the final moments of the set, paired with a .406 clip, gave BYU its second set win at 25-15.

SET THREE
The intensity continued into the final set of the night, tying three times by 3-3. Four combined kills from Koerber, Livingston and junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting extended BYU’s lead to 8-5. 

Two Livingston kills and three consecutive errors by the Dons allowed a 6-0 run for BYU, widening the gap to 17-10.

A 5-0 BYU run followed with two kills by freshman outside hitter Sophia Callahan sealed the 13th consecutive win for BYU at 25-14.

Up next, BYU hosts Santa Clara on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. MDT in the Smith Fieldhouse.