PROVO — All-America senior middle blocker Nina Puikkonen is the star of BYU's women's volleyball team. But on Thursday night against Utah, her younger sister, Karina, stole the show.
While the Utes held Nina Puikkonen in check, the same could not be said of Karina, a sophomore setter, who led No. 14-ranked BYU to a 3-0 (30-26, 30-25, 30-25) victory over No. 24 Utah at the Smith Fieldhouse. It was the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.
"Nina's Nina. We did a good job of containing her," said Ute coach Beth Launiere. "Karina poses problems. We have to figure out a way to stop her."
Karina delivered 35 assists, had eight kills in 12 attempts and registered seven digs. "She's coming along so good," Nina said of Karina.
This sister act provides a strong one-two punch for BYU. "Karina can set it to Nina, who can cram it down (opponents') throats," said Cougar Sunny Tonga Mahe.
BYU and Utah played evenly for much of the match. The difference came during the latter stages of the three games. Once the score reached the 20s — this is the first season of rally scoring for NCAA women's volleyball — BYU slammed the door on Utah.
For instance, in the second game, the Cougars and Utes were tied at 20 before BYU strung together six straight points and took control.
In the third game, the Cougars fell behind 10-7, then went on a 10-2 run. With the score 20-19 for BYU, the Cougars suddenly jumped on top, 26-20, before polishing off the Utes.
"Rally scoring makes the game go slower," Mahe said. "Once you see 20 (points) up there, it seems like a game again."
"We did a good job of serving and playing defense," said Cougar coach Elaine Michaelis. "We had 47 digs. There were some great defensive plays."
Launiere said her team has no one to blame but itself for its late-game collapses.
"We have to mature," she said. "We're on the verge of being a very good team, but we weren't good enough tonight."
Utah was plagued by 13 service errors. "We killed ourselves with missed serves," Launiere said. "We weren't playing very smart."
There was a bright spot for Utah — McKelle Stilson. The senior outside hitter/middle blocker recorded eight kills and had a .667 hitting percentage. "She was unstoppable," Michaelis said.
BYU is now 6-1 overall while Utah fell to 4-3. The Utes and Cougars will meet again on Oct. 19 at Utah.
NOTES: BYU improved to 61-7 in the all-time series against Utah . . . Attendance was 1,858 . . . Prior to the game, the players from both teams surrounded the court and held hands while they and the crowd sang "God Bless America" in honor of victims of the terrorist attack on America last week.
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