Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – No. 5 UC Irvine dropped a back-and-forth battle with No. 2 BYU, 3-1 at the Bren Events Center Friday.

The Cougars had to work overtime to defeat the Anteaters with two sets going past 25 points (28-30, 27-25, 25-17, 27-25) BYU improves to 8-0, while UCI evens its season total to 3-3.

COACH DAVID KNIFFIN SAID
BYU is one of those iconic teams that bring out the best in us. I was proud of our fight and moments when we were down our guys were composed. They just love playing volleyball in the Bren in front of a great crowd."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Outside hitter Joel Schneidmiller recorded a team-high 13 kills, while adding 11 digs and a season-high four block assists
>Middle blocker Scott Stadick pounded 12 kills, setting a new season-high. The senior had a team-best six block assists
>Opposite Alexandre Nsakanda added 10 kills, eight digs and four block assists
>Four Cougars hit double-figure kills, led by Gabi Garcia Fernandez with 22
> BYU out-hit the Anteaters .312 to .217, but UCI was better at the service line with a 7-4 advantage.

TURNING POINTS
FIRST SET
>With the score tied at 5-5, BYU scored four unanswered to take a 9-5 lead and force a UCI timeout
>A kill by Alexandre Nsakanda, an ace by JB Kam, a BYU attack error and a monster block by Scott Stadick and Joel Schneidmiller gave the Anteaters the 12-11 lead
>A Cougar service error and a kill by Schneidmiller helped the Anteaters to a 14-12 advantage
>UCI held a 18-15 lead until the Cougars would rally to tie the score at 20-20
>Following a UCI kill, a kill by Davide Gardini was followed by Gabi Garcia Fernandez ace, a Cougar triple block and  a kill by Zach Eschenberg to give BYU set point, 24-21
>UCI answered with a kill by Sean Dennis and back-to-back blocks to knot the score at 24 all
>With the entire building standing, the set came to a close on a BYU service error and a pair of UCI blocks (both assisted by Stadick), 30-28

SECOND SET
>The teams traded points the entire set with 23 ties and seven lead changes
>A UCI service error gave the Cougars set point, 24-23, but a Stadick kill in the middle tied it up to send the set in to overtime once more
>BYU would win the set, scoring the final two points on a UCI service error and a kill by Garcia Fernandez, 27-25
>Not one timeout was called all set
>Three of UCI's last four serves were either in the net or long

THIRD SET
>BYU came out quickly with a 5-0 lead and never looked back winning 25-17
>The Cougars controlled the set hitting .419 to UCI's .167

FOURTH SET
>UCI went up 5-2 on two Aiden Wolf-Neilsen and a block by JB Kam and Wolf-Neilsen
>BYU would score five unanswered to gain a 7-5 lead
>Kills by Kam and Schneidmiller were followed by two Cougar attack errors, the second a block by Stadick and Patrick Vorenkamp, to give UCI an 11-10 lead
>BYU would rattle off three consecutive points to take a 22-20 lead
>A kill by Schneidmiller and a block by Wolf-Neilsen and Schneidmiller tied it at 22s
>The teams would trade service errors before Vorenkamp fired an ace to give UCI set point 24-23
>Consecutive blocking errors gave the Cougars set point 25-24, but a BYU attack sailed wide to tie the set
>A kill by Gardini out of the back row and an Anteater attack error ended the match, 27-25

NOTES
>After not being out-blocked the first four matches, UCI was bettered at the net for the second consecutive night, 14.5-12.0
>Aiden Wolf-Neilsen provided a spark off the bench adding four kills and three block assists
>Stadick has posted six or more total blocks in each match this season
>Setter Patrick Vorenkamp, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Week, had 42 set assists and a career-high three aces and career-best nine digs

 UP NEXT
>UCI will take on cross-town rival Concordia Thursday (Jan. 30) at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.