No. 8 BYU sweeps No. 14 Princeton in 17th straight home victory

PROVO, Utah  — Outside hitter Trent Moser ignites No. 8 BYU men's volleyball to a 3-0 sweep of No. 14 Princeton (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) in its 17th consecutive victory at home. Tonight's win secures the second-most consecutive home wins in the rally scoring era in BYU men's volleyball history.

"I have a lot of confidence in my teammates, my setter and myself," said Moser. "Before tonight's game, I told Herget to just keep sending me balls and that I’d keep hitting them high for him. After a quick turnaround from last weeks games, I’ve been focusing on continuing to hit it high and hit it deep. Last weekend I was on the left side and tonight I was on the right side, so I stick to those principles."

The Cougars (6-1, 0-0 MPSF) finished with a .328 hitting percentage for the match, led by Moser's 12 kills on a .333 clip. Outside hitter Luke Benson tallied eight kills, while defensive specialist Jon Stanley had a season-high three kills and two blocks. Setter Tyler Herget dished out 27 assists to go along with eight digs, three blocks and a kill. For the defense, Gavin Julien led the Cougars with four block assists and a solo block.

BYU is now 4-0 all-time against the Tigers, holding them to a season-low clip of .152 tonight.

Set One

Princeton jumped ahead 7-4 to begin the match before the Cougars rallied off three straight points, tying the score at seven. Barring BYU's rally, the Tigers jumped ahead again and extended their lead to 12-8, forcing the Cougars to call a timeout. After five consecutive blocks from Princeton, the Cougars subbed in Jon Stanley and Jackson Fife when down 14-8.

Later in the set, a 4-0 scoring run from BYU would trim the Cougars' deficit to 15-14, including a momentum-shifting solo block from Julien, before a Benson kill at the net cut Princeton's lead to just one, 16-15. BYU continued to rally and took its first lead of the match, leading 19-18, following an attack error from the Tigers, forcing Princeton to call a timeout. 

Following the timeout, Princeton responded regaining the lead at 20-19, before the Cougars would eventually pull ahead 22-20, following a service ace from Herget. The two teams began to rally with BYU leading 24-23 before a service error from the Tigers gave the Cougars a 25-23 first-set win. 

Set Two

A kill from Moser gave BYU a 2-1 advantage to open the second frame before the two teams traded points back and forth eventually knotting the score at seven. Back-to-back kills from Herget and Teon Taylor gave the Cougars a 9-7 lead before a later Benson kill at the net extended BYU's lead to 13-10.

After a media timeout, the Cougars extended their lead to 17-11 following back-to-back block assists from Stanley and Gavin Julien, erupting the Smith Fieldhouse in cheers, forcing Princeton to call a timeout.

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— BYU Volleyball (@BYUvolleyball) January 23, 2024

BYU continued to maintain its lead and led 23-18 following a service error from the Tigers before the Cougars would earn a 25-19 second set victory. 

Set Three

In the third frame, BYU jumped ahead 4-3 following a kill by Julien, before back-to-back service aces from Benson extended the Cougars' lead to 7-4. 

A service ace from Princeton pulled the Tigers within two before another block assist from Julien kept BYU ahead 14-11. Following a timeout, the Cougars extended their lead to 17-13 off a Princeton attack error, forcing the Tigers to call a timeout. 

Later in the frame, a kill by Moser gave BYU a 20-14 advantage before Princeton made a late run, cutting its deficit to 23-20, forcing the Cougars to call a timeout. Following the timeout, Moser's 12th kill of the match and a service error from the Tigers gave BYU a 25-21 victory, clinching the overall match. 

Up Next

BYU and Princeton will face off a second time tomorrow night, with first serve set for 7 p.m. MST. The match will be televised on BYUtv and byutv.org.