The No. 16 BYU women's volleyball made a big comeback to win the Loyola Marymount match 3-2 after dropping the first two sets on Oct. 5.
At the open of the first set, LMU slowly pulled ahead. The Cougars worked hard to keep the score close but were unable to catch up. LMU closed the first set 25-20 with a kill.
The second set opened with LMU taking the lead once again 6-2. Kills by BYU players junior Jennifer Hamson and freshman Alexa Gray slowed LMU's progress and helped the Cougars tie up the set 13-13. The Cougars were able to pull ahead 17-14 but then lost the lead when LMU had a 6-1 scoring streak. The Cougars were unable to regain the lead, and LMU closed the second set 25-21.
The Cougars opened the third set with their own 6-1 scoring streak, but LMU tied it at 10-10. LMU then took the lead, but the Cougars caught up at 18-18 and made an impressive 7-0 run. With a kill by Gray, the Cougars took the set 25-20.
Senior middle blocker Nicole Warner said she had a pep talk with the girls in the locker room before the coaches came in.
'I told the girls, 'This is not the way we play volleyball. This is not the team we want to be right now. We need to go out and play hard. We have nothing to lose. Let's show them what we have. Let's play with heart and just go out and do it,'' Warner said.
In the fourth set, a combination of kills and blocks from the Cougars and attack errors by LMU allowed the Cougars to pull a large lead and win 25-15.
In the final set of the night, Hamson and Warner put up blocks and kills to give the Cougars a 5-0 start. LMU worked hard to catch back up but was only able to get within three points of the Cougars' lead. The Cougars closed the fifth set 15-8, winning the match 3-2.
Head Coach Shawn Olmstead said he was impressed with his team's performance and victory.
'Hats off to our girls for digging deep and finding a way to win that match,' Olmstead said. 'It's tough to be down two, and especially tough to be down two to a good team like LMU.'
To read more sports memories, click here.