PROVO, Utah — It began as what looked to become a very competitive match, but No. 13 BYU gradually gained strength Thursday as it worked towards a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-10) West Coast Conference sweep over the Saint Mary’s volleyball team at Smith Fieldhouse.
The Gaels (8-9, 3-3 WCC) stayed close to BYU (15-2, 4-1 WCC) through most of the first set. SMC trailed by more than three points only once early on and eventually worked itself to a 16-12 lead. But the BYU defense and SMC attack errors would turn the tide.
The Cougars scored four straight points to tie it at 16-16 and stretched it into a 7-1 run, taking a 19-17 lead.