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For the first time since 2014, the BYU women’s volleyball team will play in the NCAA semifinals. The Cougars won a thrilling Elite Eight match against the Texas Longhorns that was much closer than the 3-0 final score appears. Senior Roni Jones-Perry, who will surely be joining Taysom Hill in the nightmares of Texas sports fans, led the Cougar attack with 25 kills.
FINAL FOUR FEELING.#GoCougs #BYUWVB pic.twitter.com/J74Nxu7Wi7
— BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) December 9, 2018
Tonight’s victory over the Longhorns also provided the Cougars with a measure of sweet, sweet revenge. In the 2016 Sweet 16 in Austin, BYU lost 3-2 to Texas after the Cougs’ furious comeback from a 2-0 deficit fell short. Region MVP Jones-Perry and her team made sure that no rally was necessary tonight in Provo. Junior libero Mary Lake was phenomenal in her defensive role with 17 digs, preventing Texas from sustaining any kind of scoring momentum.
BYU will face the winner of Stanford and Penn State on Thursday in Minneapolis for chance to play in the NCAA finals.
RISE AND SHOUT THE COUGARS ARE HEADED TO THE FINAL FOUR!#BYUWVB #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/5mMRoYo4NN
— BYU Women’s Volleyball (@BYUwvolleyball) December 9, 2018