BYU vs Western Kentucky by BYU

QUICK TURNAROUND

After winning a hard fought battle against Ohio in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, BYU had to prepare for a showdown with the talented Western Kentucky University team. #20 WKU defeated Arizona in straight sets on Friday to bring their record to 32-3 on the season. BYU had a light practice to put the finishing touches on their game plan.

First set

Western Kentucky had the early momentum after starting off the first set with an ace. However, back-to-back kills from Boswell and Haddock put BYU up 6-4 early on. Another ace for the Lady Toppers gave them the 10-9 lead after going on a 4-1 run. A pair of kills from Boswell and Haddock sparked the Cougars to go on a 4-0 rally to take the 16-13 lead. With a kill from Gray tipped off of the blocker, BYU took the first set 25-23. Gray scored three of BYU’s last four points to win the set.

2nd set

The Lady Toppers started off the second set hot, going on a 4-0 run early to go up 8-5. A stuff block from Cosy Burnett and Whitney Young Howard tied up the game at 8-8. The Cougars started to run away with the set after going on a 7-0 rally that included three blocks by Boswell. The last six points for BYU were scored on kills by Gray and Boswell, with Gray killing the ball four times and Boswell three. Gray came sailing out of the back row for the set-winning kill, handling Western Kentucky 25-17 and taking the 2-0 lead.

Sweep

BYU jumped out to a quick 2-0 edge in the third set after Western Kentucky overpassed the ball and Gray got a kill off of the opportunity. The teams traded points, continually tying the game back up, until the Lady Toppers went on a 3-0 run to go up 10-7. Howard earned back-to-back points for the Cougars on a block and kill to tie the game back up a 10-10. Western Kentucky dug themselves into a hole after committing four errors in a row, resulting in points for BYU. An ace from Makenna Santiago and a kill by Boswell capped off the 6-0 run for the Cougars, giving them the 18-12 lead. The Lady Toppers fought back, going on a 3-0 run to get within three, 21-18. However, errors came back to bite them, resulting in three points in a row for the Cougars. Gray finished them off with a cross-court kill, giving BYU the 25-20 win and the sweep.

Sweet Sixteen

BYU women‘s volleyball advanced to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament for the fourth-consecutive year after sweeping Western Kentucky (25-23, 25-17, 25-20). “Congrats to Western Kentucky on a great season,“ BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. “I thought it was a great match. I‘m super proud of our team and how we played. It was a great couple of days of back-to-back matches. We‘re excited for the opportunity to move on and keep playing volleyball.” BYU will face No. 4 seed Nebraska in the regional semifinals in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, Dec. 11.

Footnote: Photography by Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

George Albert Smith Fieldhouse, Provo, UT, United States