Top-ranked BYU women's volleyball keeps rolling, sweeps Saint Mary's

PROVO — Since being voted the No. 1 team in the nation, the BYU women’s volleyball team has been on a roll — finishing its non-conference schedule with wins over in-state rivals Utah and Weber State and opening the West Coast Conference with a sweep of Pacific last Thursday.

But Saturday’s early afternoon match against Saint Mary’s had the potential of a trap.

The Gaels were just 5-6 coming into the match, but were fresh off a 3-2 road win over No. 24 San Diego in one of the bigger wins of the season for head coach Rob Browning, a BYU alum who is in his 14th season at Saint Mary's.

And yet the Cougars kept rolling.

Roni Jones-Perry put down a match-high 12 kills with just one error, and Madelyn Robinson and McKenna Miller added six kills apiece to lift the top-ranked Cougars to a 25-10, 25-14, 25-13 sweep of Saint Mary’s to keep its undefeated season alive Saturday afternoon in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“I loved our assertiveness, right from the beginning,” BYU coach Heather Olmstead said. “Our offense was fantastic, and hitting over .500 is a good day. But our block was really good today. They were calm, they got over, they sealed low and they stuffed a bunch of balls.”

Lyndie Haddock-Eppich dished out 24 assists with five digs and four block assists, and Kennedy Redding Eschenberg added a career-high 10 block assists to go along with five kills for the Cougars (11-0, 2-0 West Coast Conference). Mary Lake had a match-high six digs for the Cougars, and freshman Heather Gneiting added six kills and three block assists.

“Our coaches did a great job, gave us a good scout, and our pins made it really easy for me,” Eschenberg said. “When we came out, Lyndie read the block really well and set some good balls. It was awesome to see.”

Lindsey Calvin led Saint Mary’s with seven kills, and Lindsey Knudsen added five kills and five digs for the Gaels (5-7, 1-1 WCC).

The undefeated Cougars have not dropped a set since a 3-1 win over then-No. 25 Marquette back on Sept. 8, a win that helped propel them to the top ranking in the AVCA coaches’ poll. BYU improved to 53-1 in home conference games since joining the WCC in 2011.

BYU jumped out to a 15-5 lead early when McKenna Miller became the fifth Cougar to register on the offensive stat sheet in the opening set. Jones-Perry put down five kills in the opener, and Madelyn Robinson and McKenna Miller supplied three kills each for the Cougars.

The Cougars hit an eye-popping .579 in the first set, while holding the Gaels below zero in hitting with six blocks.

Lake, one of the Cougars’ top liberos in the rally-scoring era, claimed the first kill of her BYU career at home to help the Cougars to a 10-4 start in the decisive third set. Former Bountiful High star Eschenberg put down four-straights points with a kill and two blocks for a 21-9 lead, and the Cougars clinched the match with a kill from sophomore Allison Stapleton and the match-point victory from Miller.

“Saint Mary’s is a great team, and so well coached,” Olmstead said. “Not only Thursday, but they had a great preseason, beat some common opponents, and we knew they are a really good team. We were excited for the matchup, and are thrilled we played so well together.”

Looking back

BYU honored the 1993 women’s volleyball team during the second-set break in the Smith Fieldhouse, including head coach Elaine Michaelis, for whom the Cougars’ court in the Fieldhouse is named.

The Cougars went 26-2 in its first-ever appearance in the 48-team NCAA Tournament that season, including a 14-0 mark in Western Athletic Conference play.

Next up

BYU plays its first road match in WCC play next Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Pepperdine. The match will be streamed live on TheW.tv at 8 p.m. MT.

The Cougars return to the Smith Fieldhouse next Thursday, Sept. 27 against Gonzaga. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on TheW.tv.

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