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PROVO -- In a meeting between two in-state rivals, the Utah Utes (6-8, 2-1 MWC) swept the BYU Cougars (3-12, 0-3 MWC) (16-25, 21-25, 18-25) in the Smith Fieldhouse Friday.

“Losing to Utah is definitely sour,” BYU head coach Shay Goulding said. “However, at this point I really just want to see our team do better. We wanted a win and we needed a win to get our feet under us again. We have what we need physically we’re just not executing.”

The Cougars were led by Christie Carpenter with 10 kills followed closely by transfer Stephanie Snow with nine.

The first set began in the Utes favor with Utah taking an early 8-3 lead off strong hitting forcing Goulding to call her first timeout of the night. The timeout proved effective for the Cougars as they would pull within two after kills by Jennifer Hamson and Christina Measom. Two straight Carpenter kills would bring the score to 17-13 and would force Utah head coach Beth Launiere to call a timeout of her own.

Coming out of the huddle the Utes would go on a 3-0 run to extend their lead to seven. BYU would only score three more points the remainder of the set, as Utah would go on to win the set 25-16.

Things would begin to look up for the Cougars in the second set as BYU got off to a 5-3 start. However, the Utes wouldn’t trail for long coming back to take a 8-6 lead. Ignited by two strong kills by Measom the Cougars would take a 12-9 lead.

Still, Utah came back for more tying the score at 13-13. Three-straight kills by Carpenter would give BYU a 16-13 lead. The Utes would respond with a 3-0 run eventually tying the score at 21-21. A 4-0 run would give Utah the set victory.

In the third the Cougars struggled to find momentum after trailing 8-4 early on. Finding themselves behind 14-7, a strong kill by Measom brought BYU fans to their feet. Several key plays including two Carpenter kills would attempt to revive the Cougars bringing them within four of the Utes. However, the deficit proved to be too much for BYU as it was eventually defeated 18-25.

The Cougars will hit the road next weekend as they will next take on San Diego St. on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. in San Diego.

PROVO -- Coming off a seven-game losing streak, the BYU women’s volleyball team (3-11, 0-2 MWC) is ready to take on in-state rival Utah (6-8, 1-1 MWC) Friday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“We know our backs are against the wall and we are determined to break this losing streak,” BYU head coach Shay Goulding said. “Everyone is excited to play Utah. We feel very fortunate to have them at our place and see it as a great opportunity to get back on top of this season.”

In opening conference play, the Cougars dropped two home losses to No. 18 Colorado State and Wyoming last week, but University of Arizona transfer Stephanie Snow was a particular bright spot in a dismal weekend.

Snow played middle blocker at the U of A, but has played outside for the first 13 games of the season for the Cougars. Against Wyoming, Snow was placed in the middle and led the team in kills and blocks, earning season-highs in both with 18 kills and six blocks.

“I was very pleased with Stephanie in the middle,” said Goulding. “If we can afford to keep her there we certainly will. I thought she was a real bright spot for us this weekend.”

The Utes are coming off a 3-1 win over Wyoming and were swept by CSU in Salt Lake City. BYU leads the all-time series 64-25 with the last meeting giving the Utes a win at home in five sets.

Despite the rough start, the morale of the team is high.

“It is not an easy place to be in when you have had this many tough losses right in a row, but the attitude of the team is positive and I am very proud of how they are reacting,” said Goulding. “We came in and got after practice Monday in a very big way. I was pleased with how hard they worked. We reap what we sow and we simply must work harder and bring more fire to every practice and every match.”