MATCH STATS
- #9 BYU def. Pacific 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-17)
- #9 BYU improves to 22-2 (11-1, WCC); Pacific drops to 12-12 (7-6, WCC)
- Provo, Utah (WCC Match)
- Attendance: 1,439
- Box Score
Provo, Utah – #9 BYU took down Pacific in straight sets behind a strong block, as the win keeps BYU in a first-place tie with San Diego atop the West Coast Conference standings.
The Cougars came into the match as the top team in the WCC in blocks and they showed exactly why with 14 team blocks to Pacific’s six. That was a big key in the match as BYU also out-hit Pacific .272 to .159 and posted more aces (3-1).
Two-time WCC Player of the Week, Veronica Jones-Perry (12 kills, .222, nine blocks, five digs) and Cosy Burnett (eight kills, .400, eight blocks) led the way for BYU in overcoming Emily Baptista (15 kills, six digs, two blocks) and Pacific.
The second set was the tightest with nine ties and four lead changes, but overall BYU was in control relatively throughout. It was a nice response from the Cougars after a loss to San Diego, as now they are in a dog fight to finish off conference play atop the standings.
Moving forward, BYU sticks in town as Saint Mary’s will be their next opponent in a few days. Pacific gets another crack at a WCC top-tier team as they head to San Diego for a Saturday tilt.
PRESS RELEASES:
PROVO, Utah – Veronica Jones-Perry had a career night as No. 10 BYU beat Pacific in straight sets (25-21, 25-17, 25-17) Thursday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.
“I’m really proud of the way the team played tonight,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “I thought we served tough and that resulted in some big blocks. Our energy was great and overall it was a great team win.”
The Cougars (22-2, 11-1 West Coast Conference) were fueled by 12 kills, five digs and a career-high nine blocks from Jones-Perry. Cosy Burnett had eight kills and eight blocks. Mary Lake’s 13 digs continued her run of double-digit digs in every match this season.
On the night, BYU hit at a .272 clip compared to a .159 for Pacific (12-12, 7-6 WCC).
BYU gained its first five-point lead in the first set when Jones-Perry followed up a kill with a block to put the Cougars up 12-7. They forced a Tiger timeout when a kill by Lyndie Haddock and a Pacific error extended BYU’s lead to 17-8. The Tigers rallied to eventually cut their deficit to 23-21, but a Jones-Perry kill and Pacific error gave the 25-21 set to the Cougars.
The second set was more tightly contested early on, with the two teams knotted up at 9-9. Back-to-back blocks by Jones-Perry and Burnett put BYU up 12-9. The Cougars pushed the lead to 19-14 after a block by Burnett and Lacy Haddock. BYU scored four-straight points to lead 24-16 and took the set 25-17 on McKenna Miller’s kill.
The Cougars jumped out to a 13-7 lead in the third set to force a Pacific timeout. The Tigers went on a run to trail just 15-13. They cut it to 17-16 before seven-straight BYU points made it 24-16. After a Pacific point, a service error resulted in a 25-17 win for the Cougars.
BYU returns to Elaine Michaelis Court on Saturday to take on Saint Mary’s at 1 p.m. MDT. That match will be televised on BYUtv.
STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific women’s volleyball team’s five-match winning run came to a halt Thursday night as the Tigers fell to BYU, 3-0, at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
The Tigers (12-12, 7-6 WCC) fell by sets of 25-21, 25-17, 25-17. BYU improves its records to 22-2 and 11-1 in West Coast Conference play.
Despite the loss, Emily Baptista topped all players on the court with a match-high 15 kills. The sophomore from Hilmar led the Tigers offensive efforts, hitting .290 (15-6-31). Andie Shelton paced the offense with 17 assists, while also tallying seven kills and seven digs on the night.
Defensively, Katrin Gotterba and Ashlyn Fleming recorded team-bests of 11 digs and six blocks, respectively.
The Tigers performed significantly better than their last meeting with the Cougars, hitting .159 as a team and holding an edge in kills (38-36), assists (37-34), and digs (41-37). Pacific came up short in blocking as the Cougars had 14 team blocks, while the Tigers secured just six.
Pacific was strong right out of the gate, holding within three points of the Cougars to start the first set. With a 9-7 lead, BYU went on a 5-0 run to extend its lead to seven points. The Tigers slowly earned their way back into the game, cutting a nine-point BYU lead down to two points (23-21) with the help of kills by five different Tigers — Shelton, Fleming, Baptista, Janie Feldsher, and Skylar Wine. A kill by WCC hitting leader Veronica Jones-Perry gave the Cougars set point and a hitting error by Fleming secured the BYU set victory.
The Tigers and Cougars matched up point-for-point to open set two. BYU took its largest lead (12-9) as a result of three-consultive blocks. The Tigers stayed within reach for a majority of the the match before an 8-3 BYU run at 18-14 secured the 25-17 set win.
Each squad had their share of runs in the third set. After a 6-6 tie the Cougars went on a 7-1 run to take a 14-7 lead over the Tigers. Pacific answered back with its own 6-1 run to come back within one point (16-15). At point 17 BYU won seven straight points with the help of two Cougar blocks and four Pacific errors. Kaitlyn Lines helped diminish BYU’s lead, but the match was too far out of reach and the Cougars secured the 25-17 set three win with ease.
Pacific will conclude its toughest road trip of the season on Saturday afternoon when they take on No. 13 ranked San Diego. The Tigers fell in five sets in their meeting with the Toreros earlier this season.
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