SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — No. 9 BYU men’s volleyball defeated No. 15 UC Santa Barbara 3-1 (28-26, 19-25, 25-22, 25-20) on Friday evening in Robertson Gymnasium, improving to 4-1 on the season.
"It was a good, tough win for our team on the road," said BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead. "Our guys plugged along and got points when we really needed them. What a night for Trent. He really flipped a switch and made some great adjustments with his attacking tonight. Herget made some good decisions in key moments that were crucial plays for us. I was also proud of Luke for his role tonight."
Leading BYU's offense, it was sophomore outside hitter Trent Moser who produced a career-night with 22 kills on a .439 clip. Another key performer for BYU's offense came from sophomore setter Tyler Herget, debuting in his first collegiate career start for the Cougars. Herget finished the match with a career-high in assists with 45 accompanied by a match-high nine digs. Kupono Browne also contributed an individual season-high of four aces, including eight kills.
The Cougars finished with 49 kills, 49 assists and a .327 clip, holding UCSB (2-4) to a .288 clip.
Set One
An ace by Gavin Julien tied the score at 4-4, his first of the season. The Gauchos’ defense came out fiery, reaching three team blocks after gaining a 6-4 lead. UCSB would go on to outblock the Cougars with 13 team blocks compared to BYU's five on the night. The Cougars then earned a three-point lead late in the set at 17-14, forcing the Gauchos to take a timeout.
Three offensive errors by the Gauchos gave BYU a 21-17 lead. With a tie at 22, an ace by NCAA kill-leader Geste Bianchi caused BYU to take a timeout, down one. The Gauchos found a match-point at 24-23, but UCSB’s serving specialist Dominic Lang would send the ball out, with the set now even at 24. An ace by Browne would close set one at 28-26 after four different set points for a 1-0 BYU lead.
Set Two
Browne’s fifth kill of the night brought the score to 8-6, with BYU trailing by two. BYU’s next four points came off of UCSB errors, with the score now at 14-13 and BYU down one. Another pair of kills by Moser took it to 17-16, BYU still down one point.
The Cougars would struggle from the service line in set two, and three errors allowed the Gauchos to reach a 21-18 lead. Now down four points, the Cougars took a timeout at 23-19, but a UCSB solo block and BYU attack error would even the match at 1-1, with the Gauchos winning set two 25-19.
Set Three
Luke Benson came off the bench to start out set three, and would be BYU’s server during its 3-0 run, tying the set at 4-4. Battling from there, Benson skied over a three-person block to give BYU a 14-12 lead. A kill by Teon Taylor and back-to-back Gaucho attack errors gave the Cougars their largest lead of the night so far at 18-14. After UCSB won the next two points, BYU took a timeout at 18-16, looking to halt any sort of momentum by the Gauchos.
With a set point for BYU at 24-20 after a Browne ace, the Gauchos found a way to stay alive for the next two points, including Bianchi’s 19th kill of the night. Biachi would go on to lead all players with 24 kills. Benson, BYU’s spark of the set, would close the third frame with a kill for a 25-22 victory, giving the Cougars a 2-1 edge.
Set Four
Back-to-back kills from Moser tied the score at three early in the fourth set. Browne later recorded back-to-back aces for a 9-8 lead. After trading blows from the end line, a kill by Benson gave BYU a three-point advantage at 16-13.
The Gauchos snuck their way back to a tie at 18-18 after an equalizer ace by Ben Coordt. Following a BYU timeout, Moser gifted BYU with another pair of kills, leading two at 20-18. UCSB would then take a timeout, with BYU leading by three at 23-20. An ace by Moser and UCSB attack error concluded the match at 25-20, with the Cougars winning the match 3-1.
Up Next
The Cougars will face the Gauchos one more time tomorrow night on Saturday, January 20 in Robertson Gymnasium at 6 p.m. PST, with live coverage on ESPN+.