No. 1 BYU Loses at LMU

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The No. 1 BYU women’s volleyball team finished the regular season with a loss at Loyola Marymount (25-23, 27-25, 25-20) on Tuesday.

BYU is one of three teams in the nation with just one loss at 27-1, 17-1 in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars, who won their fifth-straight West Coast Conference title this season, will now wait until the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 25, to find out their spot in the bracket. The Selection Show will air on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. MT live on ESPNU.

“I'm proud of the regular season we've had,” BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "Nobody can take away what we've done this season and that it's been something special. We didn't play our best tonight so that means there's room for us to grow and get better."

Senior Roni Jones-Perry led BYU with 20 kills. Junior Mary Lake had 13 digs, senior Lyndie Haddock-Eppich recorded 31 assists, 10 digs and six blocks and freshman Heather Gneiting finished with seven blocks and five kills.

BYU held the lead for most of the first set, scoring the first four points before eventually pulling ahead by as many as five points at 13-8 after a block by Haddock-Eppich and Gneiting. Jones-Perry and Sara Kovac of LMU () exchanged attacks until finally the Lions tied the game at 22-22. LMU would score three of the last four points to take the set.

From LMU’s 3-2 lead on, neither team held more than a one-point lead the entire second set. Jones-Perry had 11 kills in the set and the Cougars staved off two set points but ultimately fell, 27-25.

In the third set the two teams again battled close until a 17-16 BYU lead turned into a 22-17 margin in favor of LMU. The Lions then held off BYU for the 25-20 victory.

BYU will next play on Friday, Nov. 30, in the NCAA Tournament. Details will be announced after the selection show Sunday night.