PROVO, Utah — The No. 7 BYU men's volleyball team will host conference opponent Concordia University Irvine in a pair of matches from March 29-30 in the Smith Fieldhouse, with both games streaming live on BYUtv and byutv.org. Following Saturday’s match, BYU will honor its three seniors: Kupono Browne, Gavin Julien and Jon Stanley.
COUGARS (13-7, 4-4)
The Cougars stayed at No. 7 in Week 12 of the AVCA Coaches Poll. Overall, BYU has been ranked in the top-10 since February 6, 2023 for a total of 25 consecutive weeks in a row. BYU’s highest rank this year has been six, with two previous rankings at No. 6 on the week of February 12, 2024 and the week of March 4, 2024.
Junior outside hitter Luke Benson was named AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week. Benson led the Cougars with 47 kills on a .412 hitting percentage through two five-set victories over No. 8 Pepperdine on the road, averaging 4.70 kills per set. For his efforts, Benson was also named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week.
Julien had a career-high 11 blocks in the second match against No. 8 Pepperdine, including a season-high two solo blocks. Julien, who was named 2023 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, averaged 1.50 blocks per set and finished with 15 total blocks over the Waves. After this weekend, Julien is now tied for 11th all-time in BYU men’s volleyball history for career solo blocks, with 22 total.
GOLDEN EAGLES (6-12, 0-6)
The Golden Eagles are 6-12 on the season, and have not won a match since February 27, 2024 when they defeated University of Charleston 3-1 at home. Concordia is also 0-4 on the road this year.
Concordia is led by freshman Ties Cornelissen of Holland who averages 3.32 kills per set. Cornelissen’s career high of 24 kills occurred against Charleston.
COUGARS VS. GOLDEN EAGLES
BYU is currenly on a nine-game win streak against the Golden Eagles, dating back to 2020. Concordia has only defeated BYU one time in Provo, with a 3-2 win on March 28, 2019.
BROADCAST INFO
- Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. MDT on BYUtv
- Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. MDT on BYUtv
THIS SATURDAY!! pic.twitter.com/o11eSGjj41
— BYU Men’s Volleyball (@BYUmvolleyball) March 27, 2024