SAN DIEGO — No. 17 BYU women’s volleyball fell in five sets to No. 12 Oregon (14-25, 25-23, 13-25, 25-22, 15-17) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday night in the team’s third-straight five set match this season.
The Cougars (4-3, 0-0 Big 12) hit a season-low (.175) for the second night in a row as the Ducks hit .302 in the contest. BYU was also out-blocked, 17 to seven, out-dug, 57 to 47, and recorded just nine aces to Oregon’s 13.
Three Cougars finished with double-digit kills on the night: outside hitter Claire Little (17), outside hitter Blaykli Bobik (12) and middle blocker Brielle Kemavor (10), career highs for both Bobik and Kemavor.
Setter Alex Bower was a dig shy of another double-double, posting 41 assists and nine digs. Liberos Lulu Uluave and Hannah Billeter recorded 14 and 10 digs, respectively.
Set 1
Both teams went back-and-forth early before Oregon paced itself out to a four-point lead at 12-9, where BYU took its first timeout. The Ducks took five of the next seven points from there, and the Cougars called their second timeout trailing 18-11. Two separate 3-0 Oregon runs, part of a 7-3 span out of the BYU timeout closed out the opening set, 25-14.
Set 2
Services aces by Mia Lee, Little and Alyssa Erickson, as well as kills from Lee, Little and Bobik had the Cougars up 9-6. Trading points, a Little solo stuff helped BYU stay in front by three, at 14-11. After a 3-0 run by the Ducks, the Cougars answered with one of their own on Little, Bobik and Kate Prior kills, forcing an Oregon timeout ahead 17-14.
Another Little ace made it five-straight before the Ducks stopped the run. Weathering a second 3-0 Oregon run, BYU saw its lead shrink to two, at 20-18, and took a timeout. A Prior kill and Billeter ace then made it 22-18, and the Ducks took a timeout.
Little and Lee landed kills to get the Cougars set point, which Oregon fought off three times, spanning a BYU timeout, before a Lee kill helped the Cougars knot the match at one set apiece, 25-23.
Set 3
Both teams had 3-0 runs to open the third and traded points through 7-all. Neither team saw much separation from there until the Cougars called both of their timeouts amidst a 5-0 Duck run that quickly ballooned into 11-straight. Oregon closed the set on a 12-1 run, taking it 25-13.
Set 4
Each team again scored three-straight in the early going before kills by Bobik and Lee put BYU up 8-7, forcing an Oregon timeout. Trading points from there, the Cougars maintained a small lead until the fourth frame saw a five separate ties through 16-all.
After the Ducks took an 18-16 lead, BYU took its first timeout. Back-to-back kills by Little tied the set back up at 19-apiece, forcing Oregon’s second timeout. Another Little kill put the Cougars up one, but the Ducks retook the lead on a pair of points and BYU took its second timeout.
The Cougars took five of the final six points of the set, including an Alex Bower ace and two-straight Kemavor kills to force a fifth set, BYU’s third-consecutive match to go the distance, 25-22.
Set 5
Despite a solo stuff from Elyse Stowell, the Cougars trailed 6-3 when they took their first timeout. Bobik recorded two kills but BYU remained down by three as the two teams swapped sides, 8-5.
Both teams scored twice after the swap, and the Cougars called their second timeout at 10-7, Ducks. BYU went on a 4-1 run from there, forcing an Oregon timeout with the final frame tied at 11.
Tied at 13, the Cougars fought off a Duck match point before a Bobik kill got BYU a match point of its own, forcing Oregon’s second timeout. The Ducks would score three-straight out of the timeout, however, to take the fifth set, 17-15.
Up Next
The Cougars will head back to Utah for a trio of in-state matches next week, beginning with Utah State at the Smith Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. MDT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.