PROVO, Utah — Despite 14 kills each from Keoni Thiim and Lucas Torres, the No. 5 Cougars fell in four sets 3-1 (18-25, 22-25, 25-22, 22-25) to the No. 4 Rainbow Warriors on Saturday night at the Smith Fieldhouse in front of 5,387 fans.
"The season is literally just beginning," said BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead. "And we've got a good team. We knew January was going to be a dog fight. The guys believed they could be in these matches, and they showed that despite the scores. It's going to be crucial how we respond next. All the credit in the world to Hawaii. They were the better team straight out of the gates."
Thiim registered six digs and an ace in addition to his 14 kills. Junior transfer Torres subbed in off the bench and matched his teammate’s effort with 14 kills on a .250 clip to establish a new career-high in kills. Freshman Niko Hales also recorded a team-high seven blocks.
After dropping the first two sets, the Cougars survived a 25-22 third set before falling 25-22 in what would be the final set of the match. Both losses on the weekend marks the first time that BYU has dropped two-straight matches to Hawaii at home in a single season.
The Cougars were out-hit by the Rainbow Warriors, with BYU only hitting a .147 team percentage through the match. This is also the first match of the season where a BYU opponent hit less than .249 and simultaneously defeated the Cougars, with Hawaii hitting a season-low .217 on the night.
BYU's crowd was the second-highest attendance in the last five seasons, and the 19th largest crowd of all-time in the Smith Fieldhouse.
"Our crowd didn't give up on our guys," said Olmstead. "Our fans mean everything. Maybe it was their magic that brought them back to life at moments. It's hard not to believe that. I hope they see the potential in this group."
Set One
The night got started with both teams trading blows. The Rainbow Warriors got on the board first after a lengthy rally. Hawaii then jumped ahead with a 5-1 run contributed by two attack errors from BYU. The Rainbow Warriors continued to pull ahead, forcing a timeout from the Cougars at 11-6, with BYU hitting in the negative.
BYU jumped out of the huddle with a shot from Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga down the line. Despite an attack error into the net, Hawaii didn’t let up on the gas, jumping to an eight point lead at 17-9. BYU put setter Tyler Herget and opposite Torres in the mix from off the bench in attempt to bring in some fresh energy for BYU when still trailing by nine at 19-10. The Cougars saw a glimpse of momentum in the latter half of the set with a 6-2 run, though the Rainbow Warriors prevailed taking the first round 25-18.
Set Two
The second placed BYU with the task of fending back a 5-2 run from Hawaii. The opening moments clearly became a back-and-forth contest with the next seven points alternating teams.
Thiim and Torres laid down some crucial kills in the middle of the set to put the Cougars within a point of the Rainbow Warriors at 12-11. Hawaii then went for four-straight points to keep BYU at bay. The Cougars rallied late in the set, staving off set point four times before Hawaii took the second set 25-22.
Set Three
BYU began the third set with a quick one-two punch from Thiim who notched back-to-back kills. Herget added to the mix making it a 3-1 game with his first kill of the night. The Rainbow Warriors quickly took the lead 7-6 on a 6-3 run.
A solo block from Luke Benson on the next serve fueled a 6-1 run that got the Smith Fieldhouse on its feet and positioned BYU with the lead at 12-8. The flurry of offense was highlighted as well with kills from Hales and Torres, in addition to an ace from Benson.
The Cougars continued to control the scoreboard with kills from Thiim and Taylor. A block assist from Hales forced a second timeout of the set from Hawaii with an 18-12 BYU lead. A 5-1 run out of the break positioned the Cougars with a ten-point advantage 23-13. Despite the 8-0 rally from the Rainbow Warriors to extend the set, BYU managed a 25-22 win.
Set Four
Hawaii took the lead at 4-3 as the contest became tight in the opening moments of the fourth set. Hales found an opening in the Rainbow Warriors’ backcourt to keep the Cougars in the hunt. Hawaii proceeded to go on a 4-1 run that advanced its lead and forced a BYU timeout at 12-8.
Teon Taylor registered a kill followed by a block assist with Benson out of the huddle. The Rainbow Warriors maintained a four-point lead before the Cougars’ regrouped in their second timeout 16-12. Four-straight serves went BYU's way after the break to tie the set 16-16, highlighted by an ace from Tufuga.
Both sides ran up the scoreboard with each team gaining 3-0 runs. A kill from Tufuga tied the set 22-22. The Rainbow Warriors strung together three-straight points to take take the set 25-22 and defeat the Cougars in four sets.
Up Next
BYU will stay in Provo to face U.C. Santa Barbara for a two-match series on Friday Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8. Both games will be live on Big10+, with a rebroadcast of the games on the BYUtv app at 10 p.m. MT following each match.