Benson leads No. 6 BYU to three-set sweep against Harvard

PROVO, Utah — In their first ever matchup in NCAA men’s volleyball history, the No. 6 Cougars defeated the Crimson in three sets (25-21, 25-18, 25-15) on Saturday evening, maintaining their undefeated streak against Ivy League teams and marking their sixth sweep in the Smith Fieldhouse this season.

The Cougars hosted over 100 alumni this weekend, with former and current players gathering for a dinner program on Friday evening on BYU campus. BYU's former players were also highlighted during tonight's match in front of 4,869 fans.

"It’s been a busy weekend, with hosting all the alumni, so I appreciate our team’s focus through all that," said BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead. "I am proud of the guys for following through. We have to keep the pressure on, and in the second set we let them in a little bit. But overall it was a really good performance by our pins Luke and Miks. Teon was pretty remarkable in the middle as well. We are appreciative when any team is willing to come here and play us. It means a lot to me to have Harvard here."

Senior outside hitter Luke Benson led the way with a match-high nine kills on 15 attempts, finishing with a .500 hitting percentage and two aces. Miks Ramanis totaled eight kills and four blocks. Teon Taylor went six for seven on hitting, tying Ramanis with four blocks. 

BYU secured a .393 team clip, holding Harvard to a season-low .026 hitting percentage. The Cougars also outblocked the Crimson, with 10 total blocks compared to Harvard's six.

BYU men's volleyball is now 6-0 all-time against Ivy League schools.

Set One

The Cougars scored their first three points of the first set off Crimson service errors, followed by a Ramanis kill to put them up 4-3. After four-straight BYU points, including a kill by Tyler Herget and solo block by Taylor, Harvard was forced to call its first timeout.

Following the timeout, the Crimson went on a 6-2 run, narrowing BYU’s lead to 16-14. Aided by two service aces from Benson, the Cougars came back with another four-straight points, leading to another Harvard timeout.

The Crimson began another comeback with a 4-1 run, but a kill by Benson and multiple attack and service errors from Harvard secured BYU’s first-set victory 25-21.

In the first set, the Cougars recorded five kills, five assists and seven digs, with a .357 kill percentage.

Set Two

The Cougars took an early 3-0 lead in the second set off a kill from Benson and solo block by Ramanis. After trading service errors with Harvard, Benson, Niko Hales, Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga and Ramanis all recorded kills to give BYU a 15-9 advantage going into the media timeout.

After the timeout, Benson recorded three more kills, aiding a 21-15 lead for the Cougars. Another kill by Taylor resulted in the Crimson’s first timeout of the set. Following two kills by Tufuga and Benson, Ramanis recorded another kill to clinch the second set 25-18.

BYU hit .423 in the second set, with 14 kills, eight digs and five blocks. The team also held Harvard to a -0.091 hitting percentage.

Set Three

Taylor took the first point of the third set for the Cougars with a kill, followed by three more points off Crimson errors. Several kills from Tufuga, Ramanis, Benson and Taylor gave BYU a 15-7 lead going into the media timeout. The Cougars scored their next four points off Harvard errors, and a kill by Ramanis resulted in the Crimson’s first timeout of the set.

After the timeout, Gavin Chambers scored his first kill of the game for BYU off the bench, putting the team up 21-13. With one kill apiece, Ramanis and Taylor took the third set 25-15, securing a three-set victory for the Cougars.

In the third set, BYU recorded a game-high hitting percentage of .571, along with 12 kills, ten assists, six digs and two blocks.

Up Next

The Cougars will face the Crimson again on Monday, Mar. 17, at the Smith Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. MDT. The match will be broadcasted live on Big 10+, with a rebroadcast found on the BYUtv app at 10 p.m. MDT following the game.