PROVO -- With just over a week of practice under their belts, the Cougars will head to the University of Alberta to play in the Husky Energy Can-AM Men's Volleyball Challenge this Friday and Saturday to face the top Canadian university teams.
The Challenge includes the top-four university teams in Canada and four of the top teams from the United States. This year's field will include BYU, UCLA, Lewis and Pepperdine from the US and Alberta, British Columbia, Ryerson and Trinity Western from Canada. The Canadian teams will have already played several regular-season matches before the tournament begins. Teams will only play schools from the other country.
BYU coach Tom Peterson said the Challenge will be a great opportunity to measure the team's progress and what they need to do to be ready for the 2006 season.
"The competition there will be very good," Peterson said. "These are some of Canada's best teams and they have some very experienced players. It will be a good chance for us to see who we are and discover our major weaknesses."
This will mark the third-consecutive year the Cougars will make the trip north. In 2003, BYU finished 2-2 and in 2004 the Cougars were 1-3. Last season BYU opened with a five-game win over Manitoba and then dropped three-straight.
Players returning from the 2005 team include All-Americans Ivan Perez and Victor Batista, All-MPSF performer Rob Neilson and starters Brian Rowley, Taylor Evans and Russell Holmes. Perez and Batista led the team in kills per game last season at 3.78 and 3.53, respectively, while Rowley had the most digs with 206. Neilson was named All-MPSF in 2005 while averaging 13.22 assists per game.
The Cougars got their first taste of competition last Saturday, Oct. 10, playing against several alumni during the program's inaugural alumni weekend. BYU will play also play two preseason matches against Pepperdine, Oct. 28 and 29 in Dallas.