No. 22 San Diego Issues No. 8 BYU First WCC Loss

MATCH STATS

• No. 22 San Diego def. No. 8 BYU 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-16)
• San Diego moves to 17-14, 10-1 West Coast Conference; BYU falls to 21-2, 10-1 WCC
• Provo, Utah
• Attendance: 3,355
• Box Score

PROVO, Utah – An efficient and balanced offense lifted No. 22 San Diego past No. 8 BYU in four sets Friday night, snapping a 13-match Cougar win streak, while issuing BYU its first WCC loss and first home loss of the season.

The Toreros notched 12 more kills (67-55) and outhit BYU .299 to .204 in the victory. USD also bested the Cougars in aces 93-2), blocks (12-11) and digs (63-50).

Senior opposite Jayden Kennedy paced the USD offensive charge with 18 kills, followed by freshman outside hitter Roxie Wiblin (15), junior middle blocker Addie Picha (11) and junior outside Lauren Fuller (11). Picha accounted for nine of the team’s blocks, while Wiblin added four and rounded out a double-double with 11 digs. Senior libero Lizzy Tardieu guided the defense with 19 digs, followed by Wiblin (11) and senior setter Kristen Gengenbacher (9).

Senior opposite Cosy Burnett (15), junior outside Veronica Jones-Perry (14) and sophomore outside McKenna Miller (13) led the way for BYU with double-digit kill tallies. Kennedy Redding put up six blocks, while Burnett added four. Junior setter Lyndie Haddock (12) was tops in the backcourt, while sophomore libero Mary Lake (11) followed.

USD raced out to a 5-1 lead in the match as Kennedy heated up with three quick kills. BYU rallied from down five at 7-2 to take a 9-8 lead on a block by Haddock and Redding. Three Miller putaways also dotted the run. A service error tied it up at 9-all, the first of 10 ties in the latter half of the set. The Toreros boasted a two-point edge at 20-18 only to see the Cougars surged ahead 21-20 after a pair of hitting errors. Two kills and a block by Wiblin aided a final 5-0 run, capped by a Kennedy/Picha stuff.

Set 2 featured 14 tie scores, last at 20-all. Neither team gained more than a two-point advantage through the first 40 points. Two kills and two blocks put BYU on the hill at 24-20. USD responded with three straight points, including a stuff by Gengenbacher and Kaity Edwards, but couldn’t hold off a final Burnett kill and the 25-23 BYU win.

The Toreros cruised to a 13-5 lead in Set 3. Three Kennedy kill and two kills and a block by Edwards lifted USD to the eight-point edge. Down 14-6, BYU rallied to within three at 15-12 as Jones-Perry notched two blocks and a kill. Four players turned in kills as San Diego raised the lead back to seven at 20-13. The Cougars made a final surge, slicing the deficit to two at 24-22 with help from three Miller kills and two by Gengenbacher, but Wiblin came through to close out the 25-22 USD victory.

The teams split the first 24 points of Set 4, before USD broke away with a final 13-4 run to clinch the upset. Three blocks, two kills apiece by Kennedy and Fuller and a final putaway by Edwards lifted the Toreros to the win.

Post Game Recap@USDVolleyball takes down @BYUwvolleyball #BYUWVB #USDtoreros pic.twitter.com/IJcLTE85hE

— BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) October 28, 2017

PRESS RELEASES

Courtesy: San Diego Athletics

Kristen Gengenbacher racked up 55 assists to help lead No. 18 San Diego to a 3-1 victory at No. 8 BYU on Friday night at Smith Fieldhouse.

Gengenbacher was in command all night and helped the Toreros (17-4, 10-1 WCC) avenge its only conference loss this season against the Cougars (21-2, 10-1 WCC). The teams are now tied atop the conference leaderboard.

USD extended its winning-streak to seven matches and has won 13 of its past 14 contests.

USD hit .299 on the night and was led by Jayden Kennedy with 18 kills. Addie Picha continued to be one of the Toreros most efficient hitters, leading the team with a .476 hitting percentage that included 11 kills.

Roxie Wiblin had a quality night, producing 15 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. She also chipped in 11 digs. Lizzy Tardieu paced the Toreros with 19 digs and provided eight assists.

The match started as a back-and-forth affair that featured 12 ties in the first set and 14 in the second. After taking a 2-1 set lead, the Toreros delivered one of its most dominating performances of the season to take the fourth set, 25-16, and secure the victory.

USD caught fire early, jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the first set. The Cougars settled in eventually and the sides were separated by two points or less throughout the set. With the score tied 21-21, the Toreros went on a 4-0 run to take the early advantage.

USD nearly rallied back from a 24-20 deficit in the second set but was unable to complete the comeback and fell to the Cougars, 25-23, to level the match at 1-1.

The Toreros jumped out to a 7-2 lead after the break, led by three kills by Kennedy during that span, and extended that lead to 20-13. The Cougars battled back and closed the gap to 24-22 but Wiblin ended the set with a kill to put the Toreros up, 2-1.

Down 12-11 in the fourth set, the Toreros went on a dominating 14-4 run to take the final set and seal the victory, 25-16. USD finished the match with a 4-0 rally.

The Toreros will look to continue its momentum next weekend when they return home to play host to Saint Mary’s and Pacific.

Courtesy: BYU Athletics

No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball fell to No. 18 San Diego 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-16) Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse despite 15 kills from senior Cosy Burnett.

“San Diego played a great match,” BYU head coach Heather Olmsteadsaid. “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.”

Veronica Jones-Perry finished the match with 14 kills, while McKenna Miller recorded 13. Lyndie Haddock tallied 12 digs and 44 assists while Mary Lake had 11 digs.

After BYU (21-2, 10-1 West Coast Conference) tied the match at 1-1 in the first set, San Diego (17-4, 10-1 WCC) scored four-straight points to take the early 5-1 lead. The Cougars called timeout to stop the Torero offensive run, and rallied back to take their first lead of the game, 9-8.

The teams traded points through the middle of the set with San Diego taking the 14-12 lead. Burnett then recorded two consecutive kills to tie the game at 14-all.

BYU took the late 21-20 lead, and after a Torero timeout, San Diego pulled ahead 22-21, forcing the Cougars to take a timeout of their own. The Toreros finished on a 5-0 run to win the set 25-21.

After back-and-forth kills, San Diego pulled ahead 12-10 in the second set on a kill by Lauren Fuller. Backed by a Torero service error and BYU kills by Haddock and Burnett, the Cougars retook the 13-12 advantage.

San Diego retook the lead 18-17, but a Jones-Perry kill tied the set at 18-all. Haddock and Burnett blocked three-consecutive attempted kills to claim the late 22-20 lead and force a Torero timeout. Despite a 3-0 rally by San Diego, BYU claimed the 25-23 victory to tie the match at 1-1.

The Toreros took an early 7-2 lead in the third set, forcing a BYU timeout. San Diego then extended its lead to eight points 14-6 on a kill. The Cougars clawed back, closing the gap to four, 15-11, after Torero attack and service errors. A powerful Jones-Perry then kill cut the lead to three, 15-12. San Diego pulled ahead to claim the seven-point advantage, 20-13, on a kill by Kristen Gengenbacher.

BYU closed the gap to three points late in the set, 21-18, on a kill by Miller, but after a Cougar rally, San Diego won the set 25-22.

Two Cougar attack errors gave the Toreros an early 5-2 lead in the fourth set. A kill by Burnett and and an error by San Diego brought BYU back within one, 8-7. The Toreros then pulled ahead 15-12 before a media timeout. San Diego finished the Cougars off 25-16 on a kill to take the match in four sets.

BYU women’s volleyball will continue its 2017 campaign on Thursday, Nov. 2, at home against Pacific. The match will be televised live on BYUtv.