PROVO, Utah — On the road Thursday and facing its second consecutive nationally ranked opponent, the Santa Clara University volleyball team was overcome by a powerful BYU team, as the No. 14-ranked Cougars swept the Broncos, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-12), in a West Coast Conference matchup at Smith Fieldhouse.
No. 14 BYU (12-3, 5-0 WCC) hit .438 in the match, had 44 digs as a team and set a season high with nine service aces to beat the Broncos (6-11, 2-3 WCC). Julia Sangiacomo extended her streak of 10 or more kills in a match to 11 in a row with a team-high 10 kills Thursday. She also had four blocks and four digs. Nive Tuileta logged 15 assists and three service aces.
"We talked as a team beforehand," said Santa Clara head coach Erin Lindsey. "We knew this was going to be a tough match, especially with BYU's physicality and how tough they've been.
"We talked about focusing on our side of the net and bringing it, and resetting each point. I think there were times we were doing that really well. It just didn't always turn into a transition kill."
The Cougars were led by Erin Livingston's 16 kills and .520 hitting percentage. Whitney Bower powered the BYU offense with 37 assists and had three aces.
The Broncos jumped out to early 5-1 and 6-2 leads in the first set. BYU got its feet underneath it and took a 9-8 lead, but Santa Clara didn't let it get away, tying it at 10-10. That's when BYU took off, closing the first set on a 15-3 run to win, 25-13. The Broncos also led early in the second and the third sets, but BYU set things right each time to pull away.
"Ultimately, again, I swear I'm not that coach always talking about serve and pass, but if we can't put enough pressure on them to get us some in-system offense, it really puts us at a disadvantage," said Lindsey.
In set two, an 11-3 BYU run made it 12-5 after Santa Clara led, 2-1, early. In set three, it was another 11-3 Cougars run that broke a 3-3 tie and made it 14-6 as BYU marched to the sweep.
"We told the team I was really, really proud that we had so much readiness to go and compete and that 'game on' attitude and good body language," said Lindsey. "It led to better execution. It wasn't enough tonight, but it was more than we've had at times this season."
Santa Clara faces its third consecutive nationally ranked opponent on Saturday when they play at No. 4 San Diego. First serve is scheduled for noon. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos' schedule page.
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