PROVO, Utah – San Diego gave No. 1 BYU all it could handle but came up just short, dropping a 3-1 decision Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.
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After dropping the first two sets, the Toreros (13-10, 10-3 WCC) became the first WCC team to win a set against the Cougars (23-0, 13-0 WCC) in Provo. USD maintained its momentum and nearly sent the match to a fifth set before BYU closed out the set on a 10-2 run.
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The late rally sealed a 25-19, 25-15, 25-22, 25-20 decision for the Cougars. USD is one of four teams to win a set against BYU this season and have done it twice – once at home and once on the road.
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The Toreros played well but were undone by errors, making 33 on the night compared to 17 for BYU.
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The result spoiled an impressive night for multiple Toreros, including
Roxie Wiblin who registered a team-high 11 kills and
Katie Lukes who registered 10.
Addie Picha did it all for USD, recording seven kills, hitting .500 on the night, and racking up six blocks.
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Kelli Barry was excellent defensively with a match-high 19 digs.
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USD came out firing in the first set and spread the wealth early with seven Toreros registering at least one kill in the set. With the set tied, 16-16, BYU won six straight points to take a commanding lead, 22-16.
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The Toreros did not go away and won the next three points to cut its deficit to, 22-19. However, BYU finished off the set, 25-19, to take an early 1-0 lead.
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USD traded points with BYU early in the second half but were ultimately undone by a late 11-2 run as the Cougars won, 25-15.
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Down 2-0 in the match, the Toreros continued to battle and found its rhythm in the third set and jumped out to a 7-3 advantage. USD hit .222 in the set and registered four blocks to win the third set, 25-22.
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USD jumped out to an early, 11-5, lead in the fourth. However, the Cougars went on a 20-9 run to seal the set, 25-20, and win the match 3-1.
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The Toreros will play their final two home matches of the season next week, playing host to San Francisco on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT and Santa Clara on Saturday at noon.
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