SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Nationally-ranked BYU showcased its offensive firepower and defensive prowess to sweep Santa Clara volleyball on Thursday night inside Leavey Center.
The No. 10-ranked Cougars (13-1, 3-0) won 25-17, 25-17, 25-9, outhitting the Broncos .425 to .080 and holding a 11.0 to 3.0 advantage in total team blocks in the West Coast Conference matchup.
Kenzie Koerber and Taylen Ballard-Nixon paced the Cougars with 14 and 11 kills, respectively, with Ballard-Nixon hitting at a blistering .550 clip. Koerber and Kennedy Eschenberg had a game-high six blocks each. Whitney Bower recorded 26 assists and seven digs.
Santa Clara (4-10, 0-4) was led by Sophia Tulino who had 11 kills and Michelle Shaffer with 10 while Nive Tuileta posted 23 assists and 16 digs.
In the opening set, the Cougars jumped to a 5-0 lead extending it to as many as an eight-point cushion. The Broncos got to within 18-15 before BYU pulled away for a 25-17 win, never trailing. BYU outhit Santa Clara .367 to .140.
Santa Clara hung in tight in the second stanza that saw five ties and three lead changes but the Cougars closed out with a 10-2 run behind three kills by Ballard-Nixon and five Bronco errors to take the set 25-17.
BYU took control of the final set from the get go and cruised to a 25-9 advantage on .625 hitting.
NOTES
- BYU now leads the all-time series, 18-4, with wins in the last 12 contests. The first meeting between the programs occurred in 1992.
- BYU has won its last six matches without dropping a set.
NEXT UP
The Broncos play San Diego at home on Saturday. First serve is set for 1 p.m.
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