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Oklahoma City • For two teams with big hitters and even bigger blockers, it was the small things that made all the difference.

The ability of unseeded BYU to take care of serving, passing and digging spelled the difference in a 3-1 national semifinal upset win over second-seeded Texas (25-20, 25-16, 17-25, 26-24).

With the win, the Cougars (30-4) advance to the NCAA Championship match for the first time in school history. Saturday night, BYU will face the winner of the second semifinal, either top-seed Stanford or fifth seed defending champion Penn State.

"There's a couple kids on this team that just don't want this thing to end," said coach Shawn Olmstead. "They did an unbelievable job."

In the 34-year history of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships, BYU is the first unseeded team to reach the finals. But the path through Texas was winding.

Trailing 18-15 in the first set, Cougars' senior Jennifer Hamson unloaded down the right line, launching a four-point run. Alexa Gray greased that run with two kills and a solo block. Tied at 20, setter Alohi Robins-Hardy found Hamson and Gray when it counted, fashioning the final two points on a Hamson right side kill and a thunderous stuff block on Texas star Haley Eckerman for a 25-23 win.

"I thought BYU played exceptionally well," said Texas coach Jerritt Elliott. "They got a lot of good touches and a lot of blocks and that took us out of our offense."

Set two was tied at 9 when Tia Withers Welling stepped to the service line. After kills by Gray and Hamson, Withers Welling served an ace, then Tambre Nobles made a spectacular dig on the way to two consecutive solo blocks. Six total blocks for the set helped hold Texas to a .033 hitting percentage for the set as the Cougars won 25-16.

The building blocks of volleyball — serve and pass — gave BYU a 15-13 advantage in the third set. BYU's stellar serving prevented the Longhorns from running quick attacks through the middle. But a Texas timeout changed everything, as Texas began to get blocks of its own, and a string of Cougar hitting errors contributed to a Longhorns 25-17 victory.

In the fourth, the teams traded streaks. Trailing 15-12, Texas won four points in a row. BYU countered on four of its own, thanks to three Boswell blocks. Texas again answered with four, three on Cougar errors.

"We were down two points, three points. Came back, went ahead," marveled Olmstead.

"When we're down," said Gray, "we all just come together as a team and believe we can come back."

Ultimately, BYU's serving kept Texas out of system. Even when the Longhorns could run their plays, the Cougars' disciplined digging kept rallies alive. Even when Texas finally established a consistent block, BYU defenders were there to cover.

The teams fought to 24-all, when a Hamson kill sailed long, but not before the down referee detected a touch from a Texas blocker. Elliott received a yellow card for arguing, to no avail. The final set went to Hamson for her 22nd kill, and the BYU win.

And that controversial touch call? "I personally felt a touch," said Hamson. "But it's ultimately the ref's call, and I think they do the best that they can."

"They (the officials) did an outstanding job," said Olmstead. That's what I'm going to say. Win or lose, I'll always say that." —

Storylines

R BYU reaches its first national title game in its second Final Four appearance.

• BYU is the first unseeded team to ever make the finals.

• BYU holds Texas to a .033 hitting percentage in the second set.