SANTA CLARA, Calif. – No. 11 BYU women's volleyball fell to Santa Clara in a three-set (25-14, 25-21, 25-15) road contest Thursday night at the Leavey Event Center. 

"We were completely outmatched tonight," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "Hats off to Santa Clara. We've got to find a way to turn it around for Saturday's match."

Alexa Gray led the Cougars with seven kills. Jennifer Hamson collected four blocks while Alohi Robins-Hardy added 10 assists. Ciara Parker contributed eight digs in the match.

BYU (18-4, 9-2 West Coast Conference) got off to a slow start to begin the first set as Santa Clara (17-7, 7-4 WCC) jumped out to an early 7-1 lead after a few Cougar miscues. A Gray kill helped to bring BYU within three at 9-6, but a trio of points followed from the Broncos to put them back up by six at 12-6. The teams traded points until a pair by Santa Clara brought its lead back to six at 18-12 and forced Olmstead to call timeout. The Broncos ended on a 9-2 run to take the first set 25-14. 

Santa Clara got off to another hot start in the second set, beginning on a 6-0 run with the help of two service aces. Later, Amy Boswell and Hamson got the first block of the match for the Cougars – still trailing 10-5. A Gray kill brought BYU within four at 11-7, but a 5-1 Bronco rally followed to extend Santa Clara's advantage to eight at 17-9. The Broncos took their first timeout following a 4-1 Cougar run that brought BYU back within four at 19-15. Three-straight Cougar points followed the break to bring the score to 19-18, Santa Clara, and forced another timeout. The Broncos responded this time, ending on a 6-2 run to take the second set 25-21.  

BYU took a 3-2 lead in the third set following a Santa Clara attack error. The two sides then exchanged scores until a trio of consecutive points put the Broncos back up 9-5. A pair of blocks from Hamson and Whitney Young helped the Cougars stay in the set, trailing five at 15-10. BYU took its first timeout of the set at 18-12 after a kill from Santa Clara's Sabrina Clayton. The Broncos closed out the set on a 7-2 run to complete the sweep with a 25-15 third set score.

The loss is the first time BYU has been swept in a match since it played Saint Mary's on the road in November 2011.

The Cougars stay on the road Saturday when they take on San Francisco at its home court at 1 p.m. PDT. Links to live stats and a video feed can be found on the BYU women's volleyball schedule page. 

PROVO, Utah – No. 11 BYU women’s volleyball hits the road again this week for follow-up trips against Santa Clara and San Francisco.

The Cougars (18-3, 9-1 West Coast Conference) remain in first place in the conference after defeating Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine at home last week.

Santa Clara

• BYU first faces off against Santa Clara (16-7, 6-4 WCC) Thursday at 7 p.m. PDT at the Leavey Event Center.
• The Cougars won the first matchup of the season 3-0 earlier this year at home.
• BYU holds a 6-2 overall record against the Broncos with the two teams splitting the series on their home courts in each of the past two seasons.
• Santa Clara returns just three starters and its libero from its 2013 squad that ended the season 11-16, 6-12 (9th).

San Francisco

• The Cougars will finish out the week with a trip to San Francisco (11-11, 4-6 WCC) Saturday at 1 p.m. PDT.
• BYU won a four-set match against the Dons earlier this season at home. The match saw sophomore Whitney Young tie a BYU and WCC blocking record, collecting 17 on the night.
• San Francisco has never beaten the Cougars, as BYU holds a perfect 9-0 record against the Dons.
• The team returns four starters from last year’s squad that finished 13-15, 9-9 WCC (T-4th).

VIDEO/STATS

Both matches will be streamed live online, with Saturday’s match being streamed on TheW.tv. Links to live stats and video feeds can be found on the BYU women’s volleyball schedule page.