No. 19 Cougars off to impressive 13-2 start

PROVO — The BYU women's volleyball program is a year older and a year wiser.

So is its coach, Jason Watson.

In his first season at the helm in 2005, the Cougars won their first 20 matches. But when they finally lost their first match, at Utah, things began to crumble. BYU went just 5-4 in its final nine matches, including another loss to the Utes in the Mountain West Conference tournament and a first-round exit from the NCAA tournament.

This season, the Cougars are ranked No. 19, with a 13-2 record overall, including a 3-1 victory over then-No. 4 Stanford in early September, and 4-1 mark in the MWC. Despite having fallen to No. 16 Utah at home last Friday, Watson likes the overall direction of the program.

"I think we've built upon what we did last year," he said. "We've matured and we understand the emotional highs and lows of the season. Last year, we ebbed and flowed, even on that (20-match winning) streak. This year, the highs aren't as high and the lows aren't as low. I'd like to think that's because of the experience we had last year, understanding that it's a long season. The goal is to be good in December more so than to be good in September.

"We're progressing. We've made improvements in some areas," Watson continued. "Offensively, we're a lot more balanced than we have been. Defensively, we've been able to create opportunities for ourselves to score points. Those two areas we identified that we needed to improve and we have."

Meanwhile, the Cougars have been hampered by key injuries. During their first loss of the season, on Sept. 7 at Kansas, setter Amy Schlauder suffered a broken finger in the first game of the match and hasn't played since. Schlauder has undergone surgery and doctors are re-evaluating her this week.

Junior Jenna Judkins has stepped into Schlauder's spot and has acquitted herself well. She played with an ankle sprain against Utah.

"Jenna has been in our program for quite some time. She's done everything we've asked of her," Watson said. "It's been no surprise that she's handled the responsibilities we've given to her. Our team has rallied around her and encouraged her. She's stepped in and done a lot of things for us. We'd be in a lot of trouble without her."

Hours prior to the Utah game, BYU's top hitter, Erica Lott, was scratched from the lineup due to a back injury, and her status remains uncertain. The Cougars certainly missed her presence against the Utes.