Sept. 20, 2013
Box Score
PROVO, Utah - The second-ranked University of San Diego women's volleyball team was stunned in its West Coast Conference opener, as Brigham Young University was able to take advantage of sloppy USD play to claim a 3-0 win Friday evening at the Smith Fieldhouse.
With the 20-25, 21-25, 21-25 loss, the Toreros fall to 8-2 overall, 0-1 in the WCC, saw their season-high seven-match winning streak come to an end, and were swept for the first time this season. With the win, the Cougars improve to 8-3 overall and move to 1-0 in the WCC.
Sandra Lozic led the team with 13 kills, while recording eight digs. The only other Torero in double-digit kills was Chloe Ferrari, who recorded 10, while hitting .444. Jianna Bonomi recorded a team-best 25 assists, while Hunter Jennings led the team with a career-high 13 digs. As a team, USD hit a season-low .153.
In the first set, USD got off to a great start, as an Alaysia Brown kill sparked a 7-3 run that was capped on a BYU setting error to give USD a 7-3 lead, forcing the Cougars into a timeout. BYU then responded with a 6-2 run to tie things up at 9-all. A back and forth affair then ensured from this point on, and BYU eventually used a 7-4 run midway through the frame to grab a 17-14 lead, forcing the Toreros into a timeout. USD then grabbed the next point, only to see the Cougars go on a 5-0 run to take control of the momentum and a 21-15 lead, forcing the Toreros into their final timeout. BYU then held on to claim a 25-20 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match. This is only the second time all season that USD has dropped the first set.
In the second set, it was a back and forth battle right out of the gates, as both teams took their turn with the lead, and neither team had a lead bigger than two, and there were 11 ties in the first half of the set. Then after the media timeout, and with USD trailing 15-14, BYU grabbed the next two points to set their crowd into a frenzy, and forced San Diego into a timeout. BYU then went on to take a 22-18 lead, however San Diego responded with a 3-1 run to force the Cougars into a timeout. Brigham Young then managed to grab the next two points to take a 25-21 win, and claim a 2-0 lead in the match, marking the first time all season USD has trailed 2-0 in a match.
In the third set, BYU raced out to a 9-4 lead, forcing the Toreros to call their first timeout. USD and BYU then battled back and forth trading point-for-point for a while, and the Toreros eventually closed the gap to one at 18-17, but that is close as they would get, as the Cougars went on to complete the sweep with a 25-21 win.
The Toreros will return to action on Thursday, as they host the newest member of the WCC, University of the Pacific Tigers, in a 7 p.m. match inside the friendly confines of the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
