PROVO, Utah — A high-level top-10 men's volleyball showdown on Saturday night ended with a 35-33 fourth set as No. 8 BYU defeated No. 10 UC San Diego 3-1.
 
Set scores were 25-13, 16-25, 25-21, 35-33 in favor of the Cougars. The Tritons' first road trip of the season saw them drop to 3-2 on the year.
 
The two teams also met in BYU's Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night, which was a 3-0 victory for the hosts. On Saturday, BYU's block once again powered the Cougars as they collected 16 stops to the Tritons' nine. BYU hit .326 while UC San Diego hit .216.
 
Sebastiano Sani (13) and Leo Pravednikov (12) both had double-digit kills. Peter Selcho added six while hitting .625. Setter Cameron Wurl tallied 34 assists, while John Luers chipped in 10.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons started the match with blocks on the first two rallies and later had a 5-3 lead, but that was quickly erased as BYU went on an 8-0 run. The rest of set one was all BYU as a later 7-1 run put the hosts up 22-11, giving them plenty of space to take the first 25-13.
 
UC San Diego had a negative hitting percentage in set one but returned the favor in set two, holding the Cougars to -.095 while converting at a rate of .375. BYU won the first two points before an 11-1 run put the Tritons in front for good. That stretch included two aces from Selcho. The Tritons later led by 10 at the 21-11 mark and eventually won the set 25-16.
 
The remaining two sets featured both teams performing well offensively as both had double-digit kills in the third and fourth games. The two sides also hit at least .300 in those last two sets.
 
The Tritons led 11-10 before three kills and two blocks gave BYU a 15-11 advantage. The closest the Tritons would get after that was down two at 16-14, with the Cougars going on to win the third 25-21.
 
BYU had a 17-13 lead in set four before the Tritons clawed back to tie the score at 19. The score was tied again later at 22 before the Cougars had two match points up 24-22. The Tritons survived those thanks to a pair of Cougar errors and then had their first set point up 25-24 after an ace from Luke Chandler.
 
The two sides then fought back-and-forth for the two-point gap needed to win. The Tritons ultimately had five set points and staved off seven match points before BYU finally got the advantage to win 35-33. The two sides also combined for nine service errors since the Cougars had their first match point.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Chandler's ace in set four was his first of the season.
• Jim Garrison had a team-high five blocks, his most of the year.
• The Tritons' 33 points in the fourth set are tied for their most in the four-season Rostratter era.

QUOTABLE
"I am really proud of our response from night one to night two out in a great environment against a really strong opponent," head coach Brad Rostratter said. "The ability to make changes and respond is something that we need to continue to improve, but I was proud of our adjustments as a serving team and our ability to compete together throughout the ups and downs of a match. We did not play the cleanest volleyball, but we showed a competitive spirit that we are proud of."
 
UP NEXT
The Tritons return home to host No. 1 UCLA next Friday, Jan. 23. The match begins at 7:00 p.m. at LionTree Arena. ESPN+ will have the broadcast, and tickets are available online from the Triton Box Office.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.