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Those in red were no great majority among the school-record 3,056 at the Huntsman Center on Thursday night, matched by those in BYU blue and the school colors of a dozen local prep teams.
The reason for that was quickly apparent.
No. 9 BYU (9-1), the national runner-up and winner of five straight in the rivalry matchup, beat a still-gelling Utah team 25-16, 25-18, 25-22 — the pitch only reaching the crowd's full potential when the Utes led throughout much of the spirited third set.
"I'm glad I've never lost to them," said senior outside hitter Alexa Gray, who had 11 kills. "It's my senior year, so I'm happy to go out with a bang."
BYU junior Whitney Howard finished with a season-high 11 blocks, fellow junior middle Amy Boswell hit .583 with seven kills, and 31 errors doomed the Utes (6-5).
Utah sophomore right-side hitter Adora Anae had a match-high 16 kills and 15 digs.
The Utes made 10 errors in each of the first two sets and 11 in the third, while the Cougars were the picture of offensive efficiency.
The visitors outhit Utah .375 to .081 in the first set, stretching their lead to 18-10 on a 12-5 run, and though the Utes clawed back after a timeout, BYU closed with four straight points — the last an emphatic kill from Boswell.
An ace from Utah junior libero Tess Sutton prompted BYU's first timeout, leading 23-17 in the second, but the Cougars stamped out any drama with a set-winning tip from Gray.
Utah took a 17-12 lead in the third after freshman right-side hitter Berkeley Oblad's cross-court kill, extended to 19-12 on a service ace from redshirt freshman setter Jessie Jorgensen.
But BYU regained control, scoring four straight. The two teams then traded points until Utah sophomore Eliza Katoa's kill down the line made it 21-18, but behind two points from BYU senior Camry Godfrey Willardson and a block from Howard, the Cougars drew even and won when a Katoa hit sailed wide.
Said BYU head coach Heather Olmstead, "I told the girls after the second set that Utah was going to play better in the third set. … I tried to prepare our team for that. That's what happened and we kind of lost focus for a little bit, but luckily we were able to regain focus and put pressure on them."
It was the first rivalry win for Olmstead, who took over this season for her brother, Shawn, and was an assistant at Utah from 2006-10.
Utah head coach Beth Launiere, who falls to 21-30 in the series, said her young team is struggling right now to stay consistent in all facets.
"We've got to figure out how to play more consistently," Launiere said. "I thought the competitiveness that we played with in set three is how we have to play."
BYU sophomore setter Alohi Robins-Hardy totaled 21 assists, while Utah was led by Jorgensen, with 20. The match was delayed briefly by a lockdown while police searched for a robbery suspect.
The Cougars finish their in-state swing against Utah Valley on Saturday at 7 p.m. Utah hosts Colorado at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Twitter: @matthew_piper