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At one level Friday night, it appeared like BYU would come away with a sixth straight house victory and depart UC San Diego with questions to deal with forward of Saturday’s second of two matches between the colleges this weekend. That was earlier than the Tritons turned issues round, defeating the Cougars within the Smith Fieldhouse in 5 units and leaving their hosts with unanswered questions going into tomorrow.
Including insult to harm, BYU entered the competition with an ideal 44-0 report in opposition to UC San Diego all time, having solely dropped one set within the two colleges’ earlier 11 conferences. That streak is not any extra, with the ultimate three units Friday evening going to the Tritons.
After shedding its final three matches, all to BYU’s MPSF counterparts, UC San Diego got here to Provo hungry for a win.
BYU was able to bounce again from a loss as properly, after Ball State handed the Cougars their first house setback of the season Saturday evening, inflicting them to slide in final Tuesday’s polling from No. 9 to No. 11.
“Once we rise up, then we wrestle preserving the benefit and the lead,” BYU outdoors hitter Davide Gardini mentioned following BYU’s loss to UC San Diego, a loss that got here on his twenty third birthday. “It’s just a little lack of focus. We began lacking a whole lot of serves after which we acquired just a little timid. Credit score to them.”
The Cougars ended the evening with 25 service errors, 24 attacking errors and a stinging defeat in an ever-elusive match that was theirs for the taking.
The primary set was neck and neck with BYU finally getting the most effective of UC San Diego 27-25. The Cougars overcame two Triton set factors, getting the final three scores to take the set. Center blocker Branden Oberender teamed up with outdoors hitter Kupono Browne for a block to provide BYU its first set level alternative. One play later, UC San Diego dedicated an attacking error that gave the Cougars a one-set lead.
BYU gained the second set in comparable style, scoring the ultimate three factors to select up a 25-23 win. Each squads struggled from the service line, combining for 14 service errors. The 2 groups traded blows down the stretch, swapping level after level earlier than the Cougars broke the development, scored three consecutive factors, and took a 2-0 set lead heading into the locker room.
“I believe we’ve acquired to discover ways to take care of being within the lead,” Gardini mentioned. “Once we’re taking part in properly, we’ve simply acquired to maintain taking part in and never take our foot off the gasoline pedal.”
UC San Diego jumped out to a fast lead within the third set, extending it to as many as eight factors. The closest BYU ever got here to taking a lead within the set was a 1-1 tie at first of the set. The Tritons capped off their dominant set with a seven-point victory.
The fourth set was one other nailbiter. UC San Diego defeated BYU 31-29 to power a last set. The Tritons acquired the job achieved on their seventh set level alternative, silencing the usually raucous BYU crowd. The Cougars misplaced management of the set when UC San Diego took a 23-22 lead and BYU by no means led the remainder of the way in which.
The fifth set noticed UC San Diego end the match off with a 15-11 win. The Tritons confronted little resistance within the last set, by no means trailing en path to arguably their greatest win of the 12 months.
With the loss, BYU’s report stands at 5-4 on the season whereas UC San Diego improved to 4-5. The Cougars will attempt to proper the ship of their second conflict with the Tritons tomorrow night in Provo.