ALBUQUERQUE -- The No. 21 BYU women’s volleyball team ran into a buzz saw Thursday night as the Cougars fell in three sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-17) at New Mexico. The win improves the Lobos to 13-2 on the year and 3-1 in the Mountain West Conference while BYU falls to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in league action.

“We just didn’t have it tonight,” said BYU head coach Shay Goulding. “Hopefully, this was a low point for us, and we can learn from it and come out roaring. We can only go up from here.”

Senior Rachel Dyer and junior Ashton Hansen Hosford led the way for BYU with seven kills each. Hosford also posted team highs in hitting at .500 and blocks with four while Dyer tallied three service aces for the Cougars. Playing just her second match as the starting libero, sophomore Melissa Lake notched 14 digs for BYU. New Mexico senior outside hitter Jeanne Fairchild led all players with 16 kills.

In an opening set that lived up to the billing, the two teams battled to a 6-6 tie until the Cougars put together three straight points including back-to-back aces from Dyer to take their first lead of the match. The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Lobos quickly fought back and clawed their way to a 19-14 lead. But from there it was the Cougars who were able to respond and climb back with an 8-3 run that saw the set tied at 22-22. Hosford was particularly impressive during the streak as she put down three kills to further the BYU momentum. After seeing their lead disappear, the Lobos took a time-out at 22-22 and came out firing, putting away three kills on the next three balls to take the set 25-22.

Set two began with a similar battle until four straight Cougar points gave BYU a 12-10 lead after an ace from Kiana Rogers. However, a 13-11 advantage was the last lead the Cougars would see as a prolonged 12-4 Lobo run established control of the set for New Mexico at 23-17. From there, it was a simple matter of trading points until the Lobos were able to seal the 25-19 win. BYU hit -.079 in the set while New Mexico recorded five blocks.

Perhaps sensing victory, the Lobos came out firing on all cylinders in set three, running out to a 12-6 lead. The Cougars fought valiantly but could not find the answers on offense or defense. The BYU block began to come to life late in the set, but it was just too little too late for the Cougars. UNM’s Fairchild made it look easy as she found seams and put down kill after kill to help the Lobos seal the match with a 25-17 win.

BYU will stay on the road to take on TCU Saturday. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT and can be heard tape-delayed at 4:30 MT on BYU Radio.

PROVO -- For the fourth time in the last five weeks, the No. 21 BYU women’s volleyball team will hit the road, playing at New Mexico on Thursday and at TCU on Saturday in Mountain West Conference action. At 9-3 overall and 2-1 in league play, the Cougars are looking to make a statement and distance themselves from a pack that includes four teams with 2-1 MWC records.

“We’re working hard to prepare for two quality opponents,” said BYU head coach Shay Goulding. “Our conference is competitive, and we have to be ready to play two tough opponents on the road.”

Both matches this week will have several coverage options. Thursday’s match at New Mexico will begin at 7 p.m. and be carried live on both The Mtn. and BYU Radio in addition to CSTV All-Access and GameTracker. Saturday’s match at TCU is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on BYU Radio at 4:30 p.m. MT to accommodate the Saturday afternoon session of the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. CSTV All-Access and GameTracker will carry the match live.

After playing three straight weeks on the road, the Cougars returned home last weekend to sweep Air Force. Senior middle blocker Rachel Dyer led the way with nine kills on .500 hitting to go along with seven blocks. On the year, Dyer ranks fifth in the MWC in hitting percentage (.353) and eighth in blocks (1.16). In league play, she is fifth in hitting (.438), 10th in kills (2.67), second in blocks (1.67), second in points (4.17) and first in aces (0.67).

The win moved BYU into a four-way tie for second place in the MWC along with fellow 2-1 teams New Mexico, TCU and UNLV. With matches against the Lobos and Horned Frogs looming, the Cougars are hoping to join Colorado State at the top of the league standings.

The New Mexico Lobos are 12-2 so far this season and 2-1 in the MWC after winning their first eight matches of the year and the last four straight sandwiched around losses at No. 2 Nebraska and TCU. Senior outside hitter Jeanne Fairchild leads the team and the MWC in kills with 4.50 per set and points at 4.91. Senior libero Gayle Tripp is second in the conference with 4.69 digs per set while sophomore setter Jade Michaelson ranks second in the MWC at 10.76 assists per set. As a team, UNM paces the MWC in assists (12.60), aces (1.44) and opponent hitting percentage (.125). BYU owns a 61-9 all-time record against the Lobos after splitting the season series last year and recording a five-set victory in the MWC Tournament.

The TCU Horned Frogs are 13-3 overall and 2-1 in Mountain West Conference play this season after reeling off 10 straight wins to begin the year. They are also 6-0 at home but have not played a home match since Sept. 12. Junior outside hitter Lauren Otto leads the team and ranks fourth in the MWC with 3.31 kills per set while contributing 2.39 digs per set. Senior middle blocker Devon Kirk is hitting .380 on the year to rank second in the league and adds 0.86 blocks per set, which is second on the team. As a team, TCU paces the league with 13.55 kps. BYU has never lost to the Horned Frogs, going 11-0 all-time.