WACO, Texas — No. 7 BYU women’s volleyball saw its 17-match win streak come to a close in a 3-1 defeat at No. 23 Baylor (18-25, 28-30, 25-21, 24-26) at the Ferrell Center on Thursday night.
The Cougars (20-2, 12-1 Big 12) saw Claire Little Chambers put down 20 kills (hitting .347) for the second consecutive match, and Elli Mortensen record her seventh double-double of the season with 13 kills and 14 digs, tying a career high, but were unable to extend the fourth-longest win streak in their rally-scoring era.
Sophia Callahan, seeing her first action after missing the previous three matches, recorded seven kills on a .333 clip, while Brooke Hardy added six kills while hitting .455. Setters Alex Bower and Kaylie Kofe tallied 25 and 21 assists, respectively.
Libero Lulu Po’uha finished with 19 digs, while Kelli Jo Burgess’ five blocks tied for the match high. Bower also posted a match-high three service aces.
Hitting .247 compared to Baylor’s .323, the Cougars finished with 14 fewer kills (72-58) and 11 fewer digs (62-51) than the Bears. BYU had one more block (9-8) and service ace (5-4), while committing four fewer service errors (5-9).
Set 1
After trailing by three, a 4-0 BYU run gave the Cougars an early 7-6 lead. The teams traded points before Baylor's second 3-0 run of the set put the Bears ahead 15-14 at the technical timeout.
Two more BU kills out of the break extended the run to five straight, forcing a BYU timeout at 17-14. The Cougars used their second timeout following another 3-0 Baylor run, but the Bears closed out the set two points later, 25-18.
Set 2
Trading points in similar fashion to the opening set, the Cougars used an early run to take a 5-4 lead, weathered a 4-0 BU stretch and scored three straight to go ahead 15-13 at the technical timeout.
After exchanging points once more, a 3-0 BYU run capped by a Mortensen ace forced a Baylor timeout with the Cougars leading 21-19. A Kate Prior kill brought up set point at 24-22, but the Bears fought off the opportunity and eventually earned a set point of their own.
Both teams fought off set points as the set went into extra points before Baylor ultimately claimed the set, 30-28.
Set 3
Both teams put together 3-0 runs through an 11-11 tie, with BYU taking a 15-13 lead into the technical timeout for the second consecutive set. A back-row swing by Little Chambers and a Hardy quick hitter sparked another 3-0 Cougar run, forcing a Baylor timeout with BYU ahead 18-14.
Mortensen, Little Chambers and Hardy fueled a third 3-0 stretch before Anna Blamires and Callahan joined the attack, prompting Baylor's second timeout with the Cougars leading 23-18. Two BU errors gave BYU the set, 25-21.
Set 4
With the fourth set in a row remaining close, Baylor held a 15-13 lead at the technical timeout. The Bears scored the first two points out of the break to extend their advantage to four, prompting a BYU timeout at 17-13.
The Cougars responded with a 5-0 run, highlighted by a Mortensen-Burgess block and a Little Chambers ace, spanning a Baylor timeout to take an 18-17 lead.
Trailing 23-21, BYU used its second timeout of the set. A Baylor ace brought up match point, but the Cougars fought it off twice, prompting a second Bears timeout.
Burgess then put away an overpass for a kill to send the set to extra points. However, Baylor scored the final two points to take the set 26-24 and clinch the match.
Up Next
BYU will return home to host Texas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+.