Nov. 6, 2004
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - BYU overcame a 2-1 game deficit to beat UNLV in a five game thriller Friday night at the Cox Pavilion, propelling the Cougars into sole possession of third place in the Mountain West Conference.
Both teams had identical conference records heading into the match, but BYU improved to 7-4 in the MWC, 15-9 overall. UNLV dropped its second-straight conference match and is now 6-5 in the MWC, 12-9 overall. Maria Aladjova led the Rebels with 20 kills, as four Rebels reached double-digits in the loss.
UNLV dropped the first game of the match, as they had done in their previous three matches, as BYU hit .400 as a team to win 30-22. The Rebels hit a solid .194, but could not overcome the Cougars' strong attack.
In the second game the Rebels, with a raucous season-high crowd of 634 fans pushing them on, started the second game with a 5-0 run. BYU chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 16-15. UNLV pushed the lead back to 21-16 behind three kills from Lauren Miramontes, but UNLV could not put the game away. The Cougars clawed back to even it at 30-30, and the two teams traded points to 33-33. Miramontes followed with another kill and then senior Tarin Keith ended the game with an ace to give the Rebels a 35-33 win, knotting the match at one game a piece.
UNLV kept the momentum in its corner, as the Rebels used a 9-2 run midway through the third game to make the score 19-9. Aladjova had five kills during the run. BYU crept to within three points at 28-25 but could get no closer as the Rebels won 30-26.
From that game on though, BYU took control of the match. The Cougars began game four with a 10-4 burst to grab the early lead behind three kills from Erica Lott. UNLV cut the lead to 11-10, but could not get over the hump as the Cougars led from beginning to end in winning 30-26.
Game five had the same tone, as BYU again took an early lead that the Rebels couldn't overcome. UNLV was also hurt by poor attacking, as the Rebels hit just .053 as a team with five errors.
Miramontes finished the match with 14 kills, while Mariana Pencheva added 17 and Brittani Lumsden knocked down 12 to join Aladjova in double-digits. Lumsden also had 18 digs to finish the night with a double-double. Nicki King had 54 assists and Jada Walker added a team-high 19 digs.
Lott led the Cougars with 16 kills, while April Varner, Lindsey Metcalf and Lexi Brown each had 13. Lauren Richards had 61 assist. BYU also out-blocked the Rebels 17 to 5. The Rebels will be back in action Saturday evening as they host Utah at 7:00 p.m. (PST) in the Cox Pavilion.
