PROVO, Utah. – When the Big 12 volleyball schedule was released, Saturday’s clash between No. 8 Arizona State and No. 11 BYU was always going to be a special game for Sun Devils junior middle blocker Zoey Burgess.
That’s because she’s facing off against her sister, senior middle blocker Kelli Jo Burgess. The Burgess sisters reunited pregame, meeting on the court with joy. Their dad, Chris Burgess, is the men’s basketball assistant at BYU and made it to George Albert Smith Fieldhouse just in time to watch her daughters compete alongside the rest of the family, wearing half-BYU, half-ASU shirts.
But it was the older sister who got bragging rights. The Cougars (17-1 overall, 9-0 Big 12) came from a set down to beat the JJ Van Niel’s team (16-4 overall, 7-2 Big 12) 3-1 and stay undefeated in conference play.
With over 4,000 people in attendance, BYU hosted its biggest game of the season since facing No. 2 Pitt in early September, which remains its only loss of the year. Both the Cougars and Sun Devils entered Saturday as the top two teams in the Big 12 standings, knowing a victory would be a massive boost to their title aspirations.
Kelli Jo Burgess finished with her second-highest hitting percentage of the season season, logging 0.636 while Zoey Burgess tallied four kills on the night.
ASU started strongly, led in attack by senior opposite Noemie Glover and senior middle blocker Ella Lomigora who each tallied four kills in the opening set. The Maroon and Gold’s defense also limited BYU’s hitting percentage to just 0.065 as they took the first set 25-20.
The Maroon and Gold only committed five errors in the opening game, but they made two early ones in the following set as the Cougars built momentum. Errors continued to pile for the Sun Devils – – committing seven — while BYU improved drastically on offense with a hitting percentage of 0.414. The hosts eased to 25 points and leveled the match at 1-1.
The Cougars’ momentum continued as they took the lead in the game after winning set three 25-19. In a back-and-forth game which saw four lead changes and nine tied scores, the Cougars prevailed after hitting 0.281. Errors continued to plague Van Niel’s side, committing seven in the set.
Freshman setter Elle Mottola, who has been a key piece for Arizona State this season, left the match with a wrist injury, forcing the Sun Devils to change setters.
With the game on the line, Sparky and BYU traded seven lead changes in a tight fourth set. At 23-23, a service ace and an error by sophomore outside hitter Maéva Schalk gave the Cougars the victory.
The result means BYU extends its lead at the top of the Big 12 standings, going two games above the ASU. Van Niel’s side will return home next Friday to face UCF at Desert Financial Arena at 7 p.m. MST.
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