Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Behind a career-high 22 kills from Alaysia Brown and a career-high 16 kills from Jayden Kennedy, the University of San Diego women's volleyball team dealt No. 9 Brigham Young University a 3-2 loss Friday evening in a West Coast Conference match at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

With the win, the Toreros improve to 13-7 overall, have won their fourth straight match and pull to within one match of the Cougars for first place in the WCC. With the loss, the Cougars fall to 16-3 overall, move to 7-1 in the WCC and saw its 11-match winning streak come to an end.

Brown led all players with her 22 kills, while also recording a pair of blocks and she hit for a .288 clip. Kennedy has now recorded a new career-high for a fourth consecutive match with 16 kills , while also recording three blocks. Lauren Schad was the final Torero in double-digit kills as she had 10, while hitting for a .333 clip. Jianna Bonomi recorded a double-double with 26 assists and 14 digs, while Kristen Gengenbacher recorded a career-high 32 assists and had eight digs.

"This match was really important. One, it's a rivalry, we have been head-to-head with BYU for the conference championship the past two years, and they have also never won here. So it was a pride thing going, as well as a rivalry thing for us," stated Brown.

In the first set, both San Diego and BYU came out firing on all cylinders as it was a back and forth battle right out of the gates. After trailing for most of the first half of the frame, and with USD behind 9-7, a BYU attack error sparked a 7-2 run to give San Diego the momentum and a 14-11 lead. The two teams then continued to trade point-for-point over the next few possessions until USD took a 19-17 lead on an Schad kill to force the Cougars into a timeout. USD then grabbed the next two points to force BYU into its final timeout. San Diego never looked back as they cruised to a 25-18 win.

In set two, the Cougars were able to grab the early momentum as they took a 12-7 lead. USD didn't just fade away, as a Brown kill then sparked an 8-3 Torero run to move the score even at 15-all, forcing BYU to use a timeout. The two teams then continued to battle back and forth and USD would go on to take a 21-19 lead, only to see the Cougars knot the score up at 21-all, forcing San Diego into a time out. Out of the break, BYU grabbed the next two points to again force the Toreros into a time out. USD just could not come back, as the Cougars evened the match up at one set a piece with a 25-22 win.

In the third set, the Cougars raced out to an 8-3 lead to grab the early momentum. USD then began to chip away at the lead would pull to within two at 14-12, only to see the Cougars then go on a 4-1 run to force the Toreros into a timeout. USD then grabbed the next three points, which caused BYU to call a timeout. BYU was just too much to overcome in this frame, as they cruised to a 25-17 win to force the Toreros back against the wall.

In the fourth set, USD responded extremely well to the pressure of being one frame away from a defeat. USD raced out to a 7-4 lead, which had BYU all out of sync and force the visitors into a timeout. The Cougars would then come all the way back and cut the lead down to one at 12-11, but a BYU service error and a Bonomi service ace gave USD a 14-11 lead, forcing the Cougars to burn its final timeout. USD continued to push ahead and was in complete control of things for the remainder of the frame, as they forced a fifth set with a 25-20 win.

In the fifth and final frame, the two teams were trading point-for-point in the early going. Then with the score knotted at 6-all, a BYU attack error and Lisa Kramer solo block gave USD an 8-6 lead at the halfway point. USD continued to build on that momentum and used a 4-1 run to force BYU into a timeout. San Diego then kept the pedal to the medal and cruised to a 15-8 win to take the 3-2 win.

The Toreros will return to action on Thursday, as they remain at home and welcome Pepperdine University to town for a 7 p.m. showdown.