Cougars Give Fans a Look at 2009 Squad in Blue and White

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PROVO -- BYU fans got a sneak peak at the 2009 women’s volleyball team in the annual Blue-White scrimmage Tuesday in the Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars played five sets and mixed up the rosters in each set to give the coaching staff a variety of looks at the squad.

“I loved the chemistry we had tonight,” BYU head coach Shay Goulding said. “Chemistry is a huge part of volleyball and I feel like we’re all on the same page. Even though we mixed it up every set there was a good feel and flow throughout the match.”

Kayla Walker led the way with a double-double, posting 27 kills on .556 hitting to go with 10 digs. Kiana Rogers set the team to a .331 hitting percentage and added a team-best six aces, five digs and three blocks. Christina Measom led the squad with five blocks, Morgan Lloyd Sorensen led the way with 15 digs and Melissa Lake Wright added 10 digs. Christie Carpenter was second on the team with 12 kills.

The Blue Squad won the first set 25-13 with a balanced team effort. Carpenter opened with a kill and Rogers made it 3-0 with back-to-back aces. Nicole Warner had a hand in three-straight points for the Blue Squad with a block and two kills to extend the lead to 7-2. Warner finished the set with two kills, a block and two aces and Camilla Phillips had two kills and two aces.

Walker led the White Squad to a 25-20 victory in set two with eight kills and a block. She helped the White Squad establish an early lead with four kills and a block in the team’s first six points. The White Squad led 15-8 before a Phillips kill sparked a 3-0 run for the Blue Squad. Warner teamed with Lauren Sagers on a block and then smashed a kill to make it 15-11.

The Blue Squad pulled within three at 16-13 but a service error and a block by Carpenter helped the White Squad end the rally. Stephanie Lau, Carpenter and Walker posted consecutive kills to make it 24-17. A kill by Sagers followed by two from Casey Speredon Thurston pulled the Blue Squad within four but the set ended on a service error.

Kathryn LeCheminant opened set three with two kills to give the Blue Squad a 2-0 lead. A kill from Thurston made it 6-2 and the Blue Squad never looked back, winning 25-14. The White Squad pulled within four at 10-6 but the Blue Squad responded with a Rogers block, a Camilla Phillips kill and a Rogers ace to pull away. Walker posted seven kills while Rogers added a block and two aces, including the set winner.

Set four was the most competitive of the night as the teams were knotted at 5-all early on. The Blue Squad got a kill and an ace from Thurston to take a two-point lead. The White Squad was quick to respond, reeling off six-straight points to lead 11-7. Phillips started the run with a kill and Warner added a block and ended the rally with a kill.

The White Squad led 19-12 at one point but the Blue Squad slowly chipped away at the lead. Trailing 20-15 the Blue Squad rattled off three-straight points on two kills by Carpenter and a block by Marisa Boaz. The Blue Squad cut the lead down to one at 24-23 on a Lau block and a Thurston kill but Measom sealed the deal with a kill.

Carpenter started and ended set five with a kill to lead the Blue Squad to a 15-6 victory. Measom added a pair of blocks and a pair of kills while Rogers added an ace, a kill and two blocks.

BYU opens the 2009 season on Friday, Aug. 28, at the Tiger Invitational at Missouri. The Cougars open with Ole Miss on Friday at 4 p.m. and face Texas State and Missouri on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.