Box Score PROVO, Utah – The West Virginia University volleyball team fell to host BYU, 3-0, in the first match of the BYU Nike Invitational on Thursday evening, held at Smith Fieldhouse, in Provo, Utah. The Mountaineers (2-2) fell to the No. 9-ranked Cougars (3-0) in set scores of 25-18, 25-11 and 25-14.
 
"While it wasn't the outcome we wanted, it was a good experience for our team," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "Now, we just have to take what we've learned and prepare for Wichita State on Friday and Stanford on Saturday."
 
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans led WVU with 10 kills against BYU. Freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan led the blocking effort with five total blocks, while sophomore defensive specialist Lindsay Proctor dug 10 balls in the match.
 
Junior setter Erin Slinde had 11 of the squad's 20 assists, with freshman setter Lacey Zerwas adding seven.
 
The Mountaineers posted 21 kills and nine team blocks in the loss. The Cougars had 41 kills for a .310 hitting percentage and four team blocks. Roni Jones-Perry led BYU's offense with 13 kills, followed by McKenna Miller with eight. Mary Lake had a game-high 16 digs in the match.
 
The Cougars tallied 15 kills in the first set, hitting .212, in taking the 25-18 victory over the Mountaineers. Both squads traded points early on before BYU scored six straight for a 17-9 advantage. Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo and Evans each put one through the pins to bring the Mountaineers within four, down 19-14. However, WVU couldn't find any momentum, as the Cougars notched back-to-back-to-back points for a 23-16 lead. BYU later scored on a kill from Jones-Perry to reach set point at 24-17. WVU extended the set with a team block, but Jones-Perry found the floor once again, as the Cougars claimed the 1-0 match advantage.
 
Things didn't get any easier in the second set, as BYU jumped out to a 6-0 lead before back-to-back kills from Evans put the Mountaineers on the scoreboard. The Cougars used another six-point scoring streak to their advantage down the stretch, making the score 21-8 in their favor. Freshman outside hitter Macy McElhaney and Evans each put down a kill, but it wasn't enough, as the Cougars scored three of the last four points to collect the 25-11 win over the Mountaineers.
 
BYU took an early five-point lead in the third set and never looked back. WVU used a timeout to regroup, as both squads exchanged points out of the stoppage. The Cougars later scored on a kill from Miller, followed by a service ace, to claim a 20-10 advantage over the Mountaineers. West Virginia eventually called their second timeout of the frame, but could not put forth any momentum out of the break, with the Cougars scoring three straight points for the 25-14 win and the 3-0 match victory.
 
The Mountaineers return to the court on Friday with a match against Wichita State (3-0), who also is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll, at 5 p.m. ET, before taking on No. 1 Stanford (2-0) in a 7 p.m. ET tilt on Saturday.
 
Live stats and video for all both matches can be found at WVUsports.com.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.