The No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball team lost to No. 18 San Diego in four sets on Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-16).
It was the Cougars’ first conference loss of the 2017 season and third loss at home since 2011.
The Cougars fall to a 21-2 season record and a 10-1 conference record.
“San Diego played a great match,” said BYU coach Heather Olmstead. “I thought we were trying to do the right things on our side, but our execution just wasn’t there. I loved the swings that Cosy and Kennedy (Redding) took. We have to find the positives from this match and keep getting better.”
Cosy Burnett led the team with 15 kills. Veronica Jones-Perry contributed 14 kills, while Mckenna Miller added 13. Lyndie Haddock had 12 digs and 44 assists and Mary Lake had 11 digs.
The first set started with San Diego scoring four-straight points to take a 5-1 lead, and the Cougars called a timeout.
The teams then went back and forth, trading the lead throughout the whole game.
BYU took the lead at 21-20 before San Diego went on a 5-0 run to win the set 25-21.
The second set proved to be just as tight; San Diego finally pulled ahead at 12-10 before BYU retook the advantage at 13-12.
San Diego then led 18-17 before Haddock and Burnett had four-consecutive blocks to put BYU ahead 22-20. The Toreros rallied with a 3-0 run before BYU claimed the set win at 25-23 to tie the match at one set apiece.
San Diego returned with an early 7-2 lead in the third set and extended it to eight points at 14-6 on a kill.
The Cougars rallied to shrink the gap to four, 15-11, aided by Torero attack and service errors.
A Jones-Perry kill shortened the lead to three before San Diego responded with a seven-point run to open a commanding 20-13 lead.
BYU fought hard to narrow the gap to 21-18.
However, San Diego won the set 25-22 to take the match lead at 2-1.
For a third time this match, the Toreros took an early lead in the fourth set before a kill from Burnett and San Diego errors brought BYU back within one at 8-7.
A frustrated BYU then let the Toreros pull ahead 15-12, and they quickly finished the Cougars off at 25-16 on a kill to end the match.
BYU women’s volleyball will return to the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday, Nov. 2, against Pacific.
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