LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Western Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-0 contest (25-17, 25-18, 25-17) to 19th-ranked BYU on Saturday afternoon in the final match of the LMU Invitational in Los Angeles.
 
FINAL SCORE: #19 BYU 3, Western Michigan 0
LOCATION: Gersten Pavilion (Los Angeles, Calif.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (1-9) | #19 BYU (9-0)
 
Leah Richmond picked up her second double-double of the tournament after leading the Broncos in both assists (25) and digs (11). The redshirt freshman set Mary Clare Brusek and Annalise Patchett up for a team-high eight kills apiece. Defensively, Elana Erickson and Carley Piercefield were close behind Richmond, with each registering eight digs. Up front, the duo of Molly Brown and Amanda Glanton notched four blocks apiece.
 
BYU started fast, claiming nine of the contest's first 11 points. At 17-9, the Cougars picked up four in a row to extend their lead to 21-9. Western Michigan was able to fend off five consecutive set points, but eventually dropped the first frame, 25-17.
 
A 7-2 run pushed the Cougars into an 11-6 lead in the early stages of the second set. Western Michigan came right back with four in a row, capped by a Piercefield ace, cutting the margin back to one, 11-10. BYU countered with a 5-1 spurt to build a 17-12 edge. WMU worked its way to within three, 17-14, but could not draw any closer for the rest of the frame.
 
In the third, BYU broke an 8-8 deadlock with five in a row to open up a 13-8 advantage. With the margin at 19-15, the Cougars rattled off four straight points to extend their lead to 23-15 and put the contest out of reach.
 
Western Michigan wraps up non-conference play next week with the Capital Credit Union Classic in Green Bay, Wis. The Broncos begin tournament play on Thursday against Green Bay. First serve is slated for 7 pm on ESPN+.