Flash Reaction: W Volleyball at USC

Unfortunately, the same BYU team that showed up for the Chicago State match manifested itself against USC Saturday night. And this time it came back to bite them.

Despite keeping every set relatively close, the Cougars were swept by the Trojans in 3, largely thanks to untimely service errors, ineffectual hitting, and a definite lack of their signature block.

BYU player were never so poor that they looked totally outclassed, but the USC spikers definitely looked crisper and cleaner, especially on defense. Seemingly few of the Cougar attacks hit home against the home team.

When BYU managed an attack inside the lines, they were dug time after time. Frustration built and swing confidence suffered, leading to a number of the balls being spatched well out, including the one from Alexa Gray that put the last nail in their coffin.

Hopefully, first year head coach Heather Olmstead can gather her team and help pull a more consistent performance out of them when they travel to play at St. Loise Friday Sept 4.

Flash Reaction: BYU W Volleyball downs North Carolina 3-1

Now that was more like it.

After looking inconsistent and tentative on attack in their match against Chicago State, the #11 Cougars put #7 North Carolina away in four sets, 3-1, to go 2-0 on the young season.

Deep in the fourth set, the Cougars were trailing 17-22, but went on a furious rally that caused the Tar Heels to call both their time outs in rapid succession. It was to no avail--BYU took the set 26-24.

It ended in typical BYU fashion: a dominating block from middle blocker Amy Boswell and outside hitter Alexa Gray. This fourth-set victory was especially sweet, as they were up in a similar position in set 1, and gave it away 27-25. It was fitting to steal the victory after North Caroline stole the first set.

Gray continues to be the bell-ringer for this squad on offence, leading with 22 kills, but she was more than just a front-row threat like in previous years. She also got a pair of aces, a solo block, seven digs and was putting it away with the back-row attack.

She also shanked a couple of serves, but her increased back-row presence both form the service line and as the hammer for one of volleyball's most electric plays, the bick, has increased her utility and kept an important aspect of the Cougar offense they might have lost with the graduation of Jennifer Hamson.

But the most prominent part of the team's success was the re-emergence of their punishing block, the same that led the nation last year. The best runs for BYU occurred when Tar Heel attacks looked like they were hitting into phone booths, sometimes two, three points in a row. This is what brought them back to win that final set, and is the Cougars' most powerful tool in swinging momentum their way.

Defense even beyond the block was also solid. Ciara Parker did what Ciara Parker does, setting a new record with 18 digs in the match.

The Cougars take on #22 USC tonight for the nightcap.

Flash Reaction: BYU W Soccer vs Colorado

BYU Women's Soccer's preseason opener was a lot of fun.

The home opener was electric.

This was a payback game. The players knew it. The media knew it. And the record crowd of 5,589 sure knew it.

Even if coach Jennifer Rockwood, in classic coach speak, wasn't entirely willing to admit it, there was an extra special burning in their eyes as the Cougar's excised the pall of the Colorado Buffaloes' shadow on South Field in the 2-0 decision. Two straight exits from the NCAA tourney courtesy of the Buffs had built up a lot of bitter feelings, especially last year's battle in the snow.

BYU let it all out Friday night. Although they fought manfully, the Colorado team just couldn't overcome the pressure of all that karmically-fueled aggression.

The Cougars showed some smart, beautiful soccer on offence. Quick passes and excellent off-ball moment in the first half led to a pair of acrobatic goals, especially the marker from Nadia Gomes.

Ten yards from the goal, Gomes got a pass from Elena Medeiros and had three defenders immediately swoop in, crowding her for the ball. She shielded it from them with her body facing the sideline, looking like she might pass out of it for a moment. But with one quick, deft forward tap of the ball, followed immediately by snapping it back and reversing her momentum to the left and back, she fired off a near post goal that left the Colorado keeper diving at air.

That level of quickness--seemingly less than a second for that whole series of movements--was a sight to behold, if you were quick enough to catch it. You might need replays.

Among the nicest surprises was the performance of the BYU defense. Keeper Rachel Boaz made some great grabs on crosses into the box, time and time again leaping bodily into the air to claim them. It led to a few body blows and crashes, but every time Boaz made a move for the ball, she made sure it was hers.

Add to that, most of Colorado's five shots that were on goal were slowed, deflected, or limited before they lolly-popped into the keeper's hands. This is the same defense that allowed two quick answer goals in that pre-season match against Arizona before Page Hunt put away the game off of a marvelous heel-kick assist from Gomes. Now they have two straight games with clean sheets and heavy pressure on attackers.

Now the team has a quick day of rest and then is off for a Monday tilt at Nebraska. Following that, the Cougars come home to host the Utes on Friday Sept 4.

Let's hope they have saved a little payback for them, too.


Extra:
It was nice to see the Women's Volleyball team get their first real action of the season, and there are some encouraging signs that Cosy Burnett and Veronica Jones will be solid offensive contributors. That said, the Cougars looked betimes a bit rusty, and let Chicago State hang with them much more than they should have. It was more Chicago's poor fundamentals on serve and serve receive that did them in than excellent attack by the Cougars. Hopefully BYU can straighten things about before their matches against ranked North Carolina and USC teams Saturday.

Cougar Sports: Fire Out of the Gate

BYU's public scrimmage held August 15, 2015 at Lavell Edwards Stadium

The magic of Fall sports is here. 

Let's dispense with the beautiful delusions of undefeated seasons and deep runs to tournaments. This kind of super-heightened expectation (what BYU fans commonly refer to as a result of "blue goggles") is fun to indulge in for brief periods (FINAL FOUR! NEW YEAR'S SIX!), but one must be careful to come quickly to earth. 

Its kind of like getting a brand new sports car as a teenager. Your gleaming dragster looks like a dream in electric blue as you gaze at it in the dealerships lot, but you know a close encounter with the fender of an SUV at the grocery store or a near miss with a concrete curb is gonna get it scratched and dinged plenty before long, so you might as well pretend that it already is and spare yourself the anguish.

Even so, there is more than a little for the BYU sports fan to look forward to--and not just for one or two sports.

Although the USWNT recent victory in the World Cup has showered more attention on women's soccer than ever, BYU's squad has been a powerhouse worthy of eyeballs since long before that. With the extra notoriety that championship has garnered, Women's Soccer might just be the premier women's sport right now. It doesn't hurt for BYU fans that many of the Cougars' games are televised, and those that aren't often benefit from the prodigious talents of the Voice of the Cougars, Greg Wrubell, calling the games in addition to his football and basketball duties.

20-year veteran coach Jennifer Rockwood brings back a squad that was very young last year and had 13-game unbeaten streak to notch a third consectuive West Coast Conference title. Picked by the conference's coaches to take it a fourth year running, the Cougs are led by star junior Ashley Hatch who comes in with 25 career goals to her name, but is hardly the sole scoring threat, with Nadia Gomes and Michele Murphy Vasconcelos backing her up and a deep midfield. 

There are some questions about how the defensive line will come together, but Rockwood has plenty of bodies to throw at the problem until she finds the right combination to support RM and veteran defender Page Hunt as she re-establishes herself post-mission.The home fans and BYUtv viewership (one of the university's most excellent assets) will get their first regular season chance to watch Women's Soccer August 28th as they host Colorado, the team who ousted the Cougars from the NCAA tournament the last two years. And don't think that the Cougs have forgotten.

Then there's Women's Volleyball. They're not too bad.

The 2014 National Runners-up may have lost the Jennifer Hamson (i.e. perhaps the greatest female athlete ever to wear the blue and white) to graduation and an L.A. Sparks WNBA contract, but the cupboard is by no means empty. Returning are AVCA second-team All-American and WCC Player of the Year Alexa Gray and her stellar outside attack, as well as both of the top two blockers in the nation last year, Amy Boswell and Whitney Young Howard. Starting setters in senior Camry Godfrey Willardson and sophomore Alohi Robins-Hardy return, as does BYU's rally era digs leader, libero Ciara Parker. The Cougers not inconsequentially lost their coach Shawn Olmstead to the men's team over the summer, but his associate head coach and sister Heather Olmstead looks by all accounts ready to step right in.

This combined firepower gives the Cougars a #11 national ranking to start the year, and they'll get their first test this coming weekend in the Women of Troy Baden Invitational as their slate includes matches with #7 North Carolina and #22 USC August 29.

If you haven't had a chance yet to experience the atmosphere surrounding a live game by one of these two teams, you're missing something special.

And guess what? Its finally, finally, almost football season.

If you've listened at all to the BYU Sports talking heads, you've probably heard a rendition or twelve in the key of "If Taysom can stay healthy" sharp. Between him and a pride of deep and lanky Cougar receivers led by Mitch Matthews, and a defense that is once again taken over again by head coach Bronco Mendenhall, the tools are in place to carry those BYU flags with spirit and honor onto the field. 

The defense in particular all offseason had to hear their secondary and pass rush maligned after a year with the 112th rated pass defense and far too few sacks, and you best believe that they are burning to turn things around. If a similar plague of ankle and other injuries can be avoided this time around (perhaps in thanks to new "football performance" coach Frank Wintrick) there's hope that they can at least get back to Mendenhall Standard.

BYU has to come right out of the gate with blue fire erupting from their mouths. At Nebraska, vs Boise State (not a state--thanks Studio C) at UCLA, and at Michigan to start a season is not Mr.-Rodgers-putting-on-his-shoes friendly. It's a downright gauntlet run, and while the foes aren't quite as daunting later in the season when it comes time for hurling challenges, none but FCS Wagner will be truly "easy". (Although 2016's slate may make them seem so.)

But the Cougars could very well be up to it. There are few if any games in that stretch of thigh-deep mud that most observers believe BYU will undoubtedly lose. With the awesomely freakish Taysom Hill (hear those choral renditions on health) at QB, each individual game is there for the taking. To say the team will be without defeats is a stretch, but singly no game is out of reach.

The BYU Cougar teams have a great table set. They just need a lot of fire, and a little Fall magic.


Quick Hits:

Men's Basketball
Some internet hocus-pocus called Periscope afforded fans a rare opportunity to see the BYU Men's Basketball team in action on their Spain tour this last week. The trip concluded with what could be called a series of dominant second-half-fueled victories, outscoring opponents by an average of 14 points in the last ten minutes alone. They blazed their way through the week, going 4-0 versus (admittedly suspect) professional competition. But how they did it can still send a thrill of hope to the Loyal, Strong, and True--through balanced, uptempo offensive scoring and furious, ball-hawking defense. 

These were things that the BYU squad certainly seemed to lack betimes in their 2014-2015 season. Depth in front and back court was evident, and at times the Cougars looked (dare it be said) Gonzaga-like in their next-man-up rotations. Needless to say, led by a senior point guard like "Mr. Triple-double" Kyle Collinsworth, there is a lot to look forward to when the team sees action starting in November.

Women's Soccer 
The team almost had an intriguing match-up against #3 Stanford after taking care of business 2-0 against #18 California, but the Hawaiian weather had other ideas, and the field was rendered unplayable--and no one was more disappointed than the Voice of the Cougars. As a consolation prize, they get a home-and-home with the Cardinal, but the Sept 7 re-try at Standford is nestled between the rivalry games of Utah and Utah St. The return game back to Provo is tentatively scheduled for 2017, so its probably a wash. Still, the Cougars will hopefully get a needed RPI boost win or lose.

Quote of the Week:

"We like tall receivers and we like rangy receivers, because most corners are shorter...That gives us an advantage, matchup-wise. Our outside receivers, we like tall--and we have a bunch of them." 

Bronco Mendenhall

Upcoming Games (plenty this week):
WVLB Aug 28, 2015 neutral Chicago State 5:00 PM PDT Stream
WSOC Aug 28, 2015 vs Colorado 7:00 PM MDT TV BYUtv Radio ESPN 960/Cougar IMG Sports Network
WVLB Aug 29, 2015 neutral No. 7 North Carolina 12:30 PM PDT Stream
WVLB Aug 29, 2015 at No. 22 USC 8:00 PM PDT TV Pac12 Network
WSOC Aug 31, 2015 at Nebraska 7:00 PM CDT Radio ESPN 960/Cougar IMG Sports Network