LOS ANGELES — The No. 3 seeded BYU men’s volleyball team fell 3-2 (32-30, 27-29, 23-25, 25-18, 12-15) against the No. 6 seeded USC in the Galen Center on Wednesday evening in the 2024 MPSF Quarterfinals.
Luke Benson led BYU with 25 kills on a .465 hitting percentage. Miks Ramanis and Kupono Browne also recorded double-digit kills with 19 and 14, respectively. Jackson Fife led all players in digs with a career-high performance of 12. USC's Jack Deuchar led all players with 30 kills.
It was an even match as BYU finished with a .353 hitting percentage, nearly outhitting USC who finished with a .343 team clip. The Cougars also recorded 70 kills compared to USC's 67.
Set One
A 5-0 run gave the Trojans an early 10-6 lead to force a BYU timeout. The Cougars then earned back-to-back points immediately following the timeout courtesy of two USC errors. A Gavin Julien kill and subsequent USC attack cut USC’s lead down to just one point at 16-15.
USC matched its biggest lead of the set at 20-16 following a Cougar attack error, causing BYU to burn its second and final timeout of the set. A kill by Ramanis sent through three Trojan blockers took the score to 22-18. Back-to-back kills by USC’s Dillon Klein gave the Trojans set point at 24-18, but BYU would survive through two more points to force a USC timeout at 24-20.
The Cougars continued on their momentum to go on a game-altering 5-0 run, earning their first set point at 25-24 for BYU’s second lead of the entire set. The game battled through six more set points until back-to-back kills from Ramanis would conclude the set at 32-30 for the most points won in a set by BYU this season.
Set Two
In similar fashion as the previous set, USC found another 10-6 lead in set two, leading to a BYU timeout. A kill by Benson found BYU down one at 15-14. A 3-0 run by the Cougars, featuring a Ramanis kill and Tyler Herget ace, took the score to 17-16 in favor of BYU.
A USC service error gave BYU a 21-20 edge, and back-to-back kills would take the score to 23-22, causing a Trojan timeout. Ties occurred later at points 24, 25 and 26 when BYU found its first set point at 27-26. USC then went on a 3-0 run to finish the second set at 29-27, evening the match at 1-1.
Set Three
USC opened the third set with a 10-6 lead after back-to-back kills from Klein, causing BYU to burn a timeout. A solo block by Herget cut USC’s lead to 11-8, Herget’s fourth block of the night. A block by Julien brought it back within two at 14-12.
BYU called its final timeout of the set when trailing four at 19-15. The Cougars later went on a 4-0 run to even the set at 21, forcing a USC timeout. Benson’s 21st kill of the evening kept BYU alive during a USC set point at 24-22, but a BYU service error would then decide set three at 25-23 for a 2-1 USC advantage.
Set Four
BYU earned an early 6-5 lead after a kill by Browne. The Cougars then reached a three-point lead at 10-7 after back-to-back USC errors. BYU would force a USC timeout when leading by four at 12-8.
Herget’s second ace of the night gave BYU a 20-15 lead, its largest of the night so far, forcing a USC timeout. Kills from Ramanis and Browne, including a Ramanis ace, then gave BYU a set point at 24-17. A kill by Benson closed the set at 25-18 in favor of BYU, forcing a fifth set.
Set Five
An ace by Ramanis gave BYU a 3-2 lead. BYU’s Jon Stanley entered to serve when down one at 7-6, and then a USC attack error tied the set at seven. Another kill by Ramanis would even the score at eight. USC earned the next two points off of Cougar errors, forcing a BYU timeout at 10-8.
The Trojans found a three-point lead at 12-9 until a kill by Teon Taylor took the score to 12-10. Another Taylor kill cut USC’s lead to two at 13-11. BYU then survived through two match points until a kill by Kyle Paulson would conclude the fifth set at 15-12 for a 3-2 USC win.
The winner of the MPSF Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and the Cougars await an at-large bid.
The 2024 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Selection Show will air Sunday, April 21st at 1 p.m. EDT on NCAA.com. A link to the show will be on the front page of NCAA.com.