No. 20 Cougars fall short against No. 13 Sun Devils in five sets

PROVO, Utah — No. 20 BYU women’s volleyball fell to No. 13 Arizona State in five sets (23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 14-25, 7-15) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

BOX SCORE

The Cougars' (13-7, 6-4 Big 12) three-match win streak ended after they hit .236 compared to the Sun Devil’s .236 on the night. BYU was out-dug 69 to 60, out-blocked nine to seven and recorded just two aces to ASU’s eight. 

Three Cougars finished with double-digit kills in the match: outside hitter Claire Little (game-high 20), middle blocker Kjersti Strong (11) and middle blocker Brielle Kemavor (10). Kate Prior and Elli Mortensen each added eight kills. 

Alex Bower and Elli Mortensen led the Cougars in digs, with 15 and 13, respectively. Bower tallied 46 assists for her ninth double-double of the year. Kemavor had four blocks, while Strong and Mortensen posted three apiece.

Set 1
Starting off the first set, the teams traded points getting up to a 4-4 tie before BYU went on a 3-1 run off of a Kemavor kill and two ASU service errors, taking it to 7-5. The Cougars quickly found another run, extending their lead to 10-6. The Sun Devils immediately replied with a 4-0 run to tie it up.

After allowing the Sun Devils to take the lead at 12-11, BYU responded with two-straight kills from Mortensen and Strong to get its lead back. The teams exchanged points until BYU found another 3-0 run to widen its lead to 17-15 with the help of a Sun Devil kill and a Little kill. 

The teams traded points until ASU gained control of the scoreboard, winning the first set 25-23.

Set 2
BYU found an early 3-0 lead to start the second from an ASU service error and another kill from Strong. BYU furthered its lead to 7-1, highlighted by kills from both Bower and Kemavor.

The Cougars continued the momentum, bringing the score to 12-4, fueled by Prior and Mortensen. BYU found its third 3-0 run of the second set, advancing their prolonged lead to 16-6. 

Despite ASU going on a strong 3-0 run to lessen the Cougar lead, BYU kept its dominance alive, taking set two, 25-17.

Set 3
ASU created a quick lead to clutch a 5-1 advantage over the Cougars. The teams exchanged 2-0 runs, but the Sun Devils sustained their lead, taking the score to 11-6. The Cougars claimed three-straight points, spotlighted by Prior and Strong kills.

BYU kept its pressure on the Sun Devils, minimizing their lead to 18-17. Strong recorded another kill to help knot the score at 19-19. After some exchange, a pair of Little kills took the Cougars to a 22-21 lead.

Immediately following Little’s momentum, Kemavor claimed two-straight kills to commence their hunt for the set point. One more Kemavor kill claimed the third set, 25-23.

Set 4
The fourth set began with two Sun Devil points, but Little replied with two-straight kills to tie it up. The teams exchanged points until ASU went on a 3-0 run to bring the score to 7-3.

The Cougars secured two-straight points off of an ASU service error and a kill from Little to tighten the Sun Devil lead to 12-10. ASU regained control of the set, going on a 6-1 run to add to their lead. Another 3-0 Sun Devil run helped them take the fourth set, 25-14.

Set 5
ASU took a quick 6-3 lead to start off the fifth and final set. Soon after, the Sun Devils claimed six-straight points to widen their lead to 14-5. The Cougars staved off set point twice, but ASU won the match, 15-7. 

Up Next
The Cougars return to the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. MDT to take on the Arizona Wildcats. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.