Final Stats | Box Score: #12 BYU 3, Pepperdine

PROVO, Utah - Led by senior Katie Messing's career-high 23 kills, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team put forth an impressive effort, but fell just short of victory against #12-ranked BYU. The Cougars improved to 10-1 inside Smith Fieldhouse with the 3-1 win.

BYU (18-3, 8-1 West Coast Conference), known for its decided home court advantage, lost just the fifth set of the season at home today against the Waves. Even more impressive, Pepperdine joins San Francisco and nationally ranked Washington as the only three squads to take a set in Provo in 2014.

Final set scores for the contest were 25-10, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17.

Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) paced the match with 23 kills while hitting .375 (23 kills-8 errors-40 attempts). She added nine digs and three blocks. It was just the third time in her career the senior outside hitter had surpassed the 20 kills mark.

Jillian Bergeson (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood HS) followed with eight kills, and Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy) and Olivia Okoro (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron HS/Tennessee) turned in seven kills each.

Defensively, the Waves (7-15, 2-8 WCC) delivered a solid effort and out-dug BYU 48-41. Bergeson and Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz./Valley Christian HS/Arizona) both charted 10 pickups.

Equally as impressive was Pepperdine's play at the net. Okoro led the Waves with six blocks, while Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) was credited with five. All seven players to see front-row action tallied at least one roof.

Although Pepperdine edged the Cougars in kills, 52-48, errors proved costly for the visiting squad. BYU ended the afternoon swinging at a .277 clip with just 15 misfires, while the Waves posted a .150 hitting percentage after committing 32 errors.

After a disastrous first set, Pepperdine rebounded in set two with a strong block up at the net. With three early roofs, the Waves jumped out in front 10-6 and maintained the lead the entire frame. The Waves charted seven total blocks in the stanza, including the set winner at 25-20.

Strehlow posted a block solo and three block assists to lead Pepperdine, followed by Okoro and Cash with three block assists apiece. Messing paced the offensive effort with five kills, while Cash added four.

Pepperdine carried over the momentum in the third set, and jumped out to an 11-7 advantage following a 4-0 run. Although the Cougars eventually knotted the score at 13-all, the Waves continued to sideout at a high rate against the nationally-ranked squad.

With the Waves ahead 20-19, Tambre Nobles put down back-to-back kills to spark a 6-0 run and BYU stole away the frame 25-20. Despite the setback, Messing was the star of the stanza with seven kills off of eight errorless swings.

BYU stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth, but Pepperdine rallied with kills by Okoro, Messing and Bergeson to go out in front 8-7.

Tied at 11, the Cougars finally found a bit a rhythm and scored nine unanswered points to take control and Pepperdine was never able to fully recover. Despite Messing's eight kills in the frame, the Waves bowed out 25-17.

Pepperdine returns to Malibu next week to host Portland (10/30) and Gonzaga (11/1). Both matches will be broadcast live online via WaveCasts.