Cougars Fall in Five on The Road to UCLA

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The No. 4 BYU men's volleyball team lost a tough five-set match on Friday against No. 3 UCLA on the road at the John Wooden Center. 

It appeared BYU had won the match in the fifth set on an ace from Josue Rivera that made the score 17-15, but after a 10-minute discussion the call was overturned and it was determined the point would be replayed. From there, UCLA came back to win set five 20-18 for the victory. 

Senior Robb Stowell led the Cougars with a .351 attack percentage, 18 kills and five digs. Taylor Sander contributed 21 kills, six digs and a career-high six aces.

In an exciting first set that both teams knew would set the mood for the rest of the match, UCLA took a long 29-27 victory after the Cougars couldn't convert on three set points. Stowell led BYU in the first set with a scorching .860 attack but the Bruins were able to get the victory behind four service aces.

The Bruins added four more aces in a convincing 25-16 second-set win with three-straight points to close out the set. BYU hit just .053 in the second.

Game three was a back-and-forth battle, but when it mattered the Cougars were able to take control and eventually win 25-22. Riding the momentum, BYU dominated the fourth set behind Sander's four aces to take the 25-18 win and tie the match at 2-2. 

The Cougars (20-6, 16-5) and Bruins (20-4, 14-3) will meet again tomorrow at 7 p.m. PT. Live stats, video and audio are all available through UCLA's men's volleyball schedule page.