PROVO, Utah – In a 3-1 series (25-22, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19) the BYU women's volleyball team fell short to the No. 17 Pepperdine Waves Thursday night in the Smith Field House.

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“Pepperdine got some momentum after that first set and crept back in,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “It felt like we were in it, but we let it fall away from us. Every single game we got back close, but we lacked that killer mentality to push for the win those last three sets.

“Our turn around will be quick though. We have San Diego Saturday night and they’re a really good team so now our focus shifts to our next match.”

Highlights of the Cougars’ performance include Hamson’s double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs. Christie Carpenter and Katie Vaughn tied for second highest with 10 kills apiece, while Kendalyn Hartsock contributed 17 digs for BYU.

At the first timeout, the Cougars (16-6, 5-3) led set one at 15-9.  A 6-1 run Pepperdine (14-5, 8-0) put the Waves within range, but not close enough as the Cougars finished the set at 25-22. Hamson led the set with five kills and four blocks.

The second set started with a change of pace as the Waves jumped to a quick lead at 7-3. The Cougars rallied but were kept at 18 while the Waves gained a 5-0 run to end the set at 25-18. Pepperdine’s Emily Cook led the Waves with four kills, while Hamson contributed four kills for the Cougars.

The match stayed neck-and-neck as the Cougars and Waves rallied back and forth for the lead during the third set.  The Cougar offense proved its strength as they achieved a 5-0 run on the Waves to put the score at19-21.Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and the Waves took the third set 25-22. Pepperdine’s Kim Hill acquired the set-high six kills, while Hamson led the Cougars once again with five.

In the fourth set, the Cougars were unable to grab the lead but stayed within reach of the Waves. Vaughn contributed four kills to the set but the Cougar offense was unable to catch up to Pepperdine. One last kill from the Waves ended the set at 25-19 and the Cougars walked away with a loss.

Up next, the Cougars will face off with No. 16 San Diego in another home match Saturday.

BYU vs. Pepperdine Box

PROVO, Utah—After back-to-back road wins, the BYU women’s volleyball team gears up for a tough pair of matches at home against West Coast Conference leaders No. 16 San Diego and No. 17 Pepperdine.

“It’s always exciting to be back playing at the Smith Fieldhouse in front of our fans,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “We had a strong weekend and we’re excited to host two top-20 teams this week. It will be exciting for the local community and we hope as many fans as possible can come out to enjoy good volleyball and support the Cougars.”

BYU (15-5, 4-2) welcomes the WCC’s No. 1 Pepperdine (13-5, 7-0) to the Smith Fieldhouse Thursday at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Cougars will face off with San Diego (20-1, 6-1), No. 2 in the WCC, also at 7 p.m., for their Dig Pink Match in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

BYU suffered road losses to both the Waves and the Toreros in the last meeting with each school, falling 3-1 to Pepperdine and 3-0 to San Diego in the first round of WCC play. But with wins against Portland and Gonzaga under their belts, the Cougars hope to continue last week’s momentum through the weekend.

Senior outside hitter Christie Carpenter’s season-high 20 kills pushed the Cougars past the Pilots and 17 more kills aided in the win against the Bulldogs. Carpenter and opposite hitter Jennifer Hamson both recorded double-doubles in the Portland match, Carpenter with 11 digs to add to her kills and Hamson with 16 kills and 10 digs. Hamson leads the league with 4.10 kills per set.

On defense, Nicole Warner still leads the WCC in blocks with 1.56 per set and Kendalyn Hartsock is second in digs with 4.41 per set.

At 16 wins on the season, BYU has already recorded more wins than the team did the entire 2010 season. The Cougars are tied for third in conference, exceeding a sixth-place ranking in the preseason poll.

Pepperdine has established itself as the team to beat this season after an undefeated first round of conference play. The Waves will finally face San Diego Oct. 24 at home in a battle for the top of the conference.

Two-time WCC Player of the Week Kim Hill continues to be a key to Pepperdine’s offense, with 3.61 kills per set for second-place in the league. Other Waves to watch are Kellie Woolever, first in conference for assists with an average of 10.82, and Samantha Cash, second in the WCC for blocks with a 1.23 average.

The Waves haven’t lost since Sept. 17, when they fell 3-1 in a doubleheader against Hawai’i.

Katie Hoekman and Chloe Ferrari lead the Toreros and the conference in hitting percentage with .412 and .390, respectively. Amber Tatsch has 31 service aces on the season for .43 per set.

San Diego’s only loss of the season came against San Francisco, who is tied with BYU for third in the WCC.

The match against Pepperdine will be broadcast on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio and the match against San Diego will be broadcast on BYU Radio. Live stats are also available. For links to video streaming, audio streaming and live stats, click HERE.

Admission to the San Diego match is free for those who wear pink. The first 120 fans at Saturday’s match will also receive a free brownie.

BYU vs. Pepperdine Notes

BYU vs. San Diego Notes