PROVO, Utah - The first two sets between Lipscomb University and Brigham Young University showed high intensity from both sides, but after the Bisons took the second set, the 14th-ranked Cougars won the last two to take the 3-1 victory, Thursday evening from Smith Fieldhouse. 

Final Score: No. 14 BYU 3, Lipscomb 1 (24-26, 25-19, 19-25, 17-25)
Location: Smith Fieldhouse
Records: BYU (4-0), Lipscomb (2-2)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lipscomb was not phased by the crowd inside the Smith Fieldhouse. Tied at five, the Bisons went on a 7-1 run after kills by Jada DiVita and Courtney Jones. 

The Bisons maintained control in the opening set and got to set point after a Libby Steinhart ace and a BYU attack error. Trailing 24-22, the Cougars won the final four points to quickly flip the script and win the opening frame by a score of 26-24. 

The first set was a master class on the front row. Lipscomb outpaced BYU in kills, 15-12, but each team swung over .350 in the set, led by the Bisons' .417 percentage. 

Going into set number two, the Bisons kept their composure and stayed in pace with the Cougars. Late in the set, tied at 14, after an Addi Pelham kill, Steinhart came out of the media timeout with a service ace that turned into a 6-2 run. 

Later in the frame, after the Cougars made it a 22-19 deficit, the Bisons earned the sideout on a service error and that helped the visitors win the final two points of the set, capped by a Courtney Jones spike to even the match at a set apiece, 25-19. 

Picking up where they left off in the opening frame, the Bisons posted 14 kills and added six service aces. 

Unfortunately, the home team in BYU got out to a 7-2 lead in the third set. Lipscomb did rally to cut the deficit to 12-10, but a 11-4 run by the Cougars helped take the 2-1 match lead, 25-19. 

The fourth set saw a back-and-forth battle, but with the Cougars leading 16-13, a sideout by BYU started a 9-4 run to end the frame, 25-17, and it gave them the four-set win. 

The Bisons got out to a great start in the first two frames, posting 29 kills to the Cougars 23 and had a .352 swing percentage. However, BYU's front row attack came alive in sets three and four, recording 27 kills to Lipscomb's 18. 
 
KEY STATISTICS
The Bisons recorded 15 aces in Thursday's setback, tying the third-most in the program's NCAA Division I history. Lipscomb also had 15 against Jacksonville in 2021. Four players each had three from the service line: Courtney Jones, Sophia Hudepohl, Ninah Miranda and Kelsey Schenck. 

Jones led the offense with 12 kills, while Berkley Mischler added 10 with a .500 swing percentage on 18 attacks. 

Sophia Hudepohl hit the 40-assist plateau for the first time this season and the 32nd of her career with 41.
 
UP NEXT
The BYU Nike Invitational wraps up for the Bisons on Friday against the Yellowjackets of Georgia Tech from Provo.