PROVO, Utah — BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead today announced the 2026 men’s volleyball schedule that includes 16 home contests and 13 road matchups, culminating with hosting the 2026 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament in April.
The 29-match schedule also features 16 conference matches, 13 non-conference matches, 11 matches played in the state of California and three in Massachusetts.
Full 2026 BYU Men's Volleyball Schedule
The Cougars get the season started with a six-match homestand in the Smith Fieldhouse, starting with the home opener on Jan. 9 and a rematch on Jan. 10 against Saint Francis out of the Northeast Conference.
UC San Diego and UC Irvine come to Provo over the next two weeks. UC San Diego is coming off of an 18-win season, the most in its program’s history. UC Irvine finished last season ranked fifth nationally, with a 21-7 record.
A five-game road trip is up next, starting with two matches at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 29 and 30. It will be the Cougars’ third-straight opponent from the Big West Conference. BYU then plays three matches the following week in Massachusetts against Harvard and Merrimack.
The Cougars are home for matches Feb. 13 and 14 against Menlo College and Feb. 20 and 21 against back-to-back Southern Intercollegiate Athlete Conference champs Fort Valley.
March starts off in Northern California with matches against MPSF newcomers UC Merced and Jessop. The Cougars will also face longtime-rival Stanford on the trip.
BYU is back home March 20 and 21 against Concordia-Irvine, now led by former Grand Canyon head coach Jon Girten, and March 27 and 28 against 2025 MPSF champion Pepperdine.
April starts off at MPSF-foe Vanguard in Costa Mesa, California, April 2 and 3.
Next up is USC in Provo, April 10 and 11. The Trojans were MPSF runners up last season and reached as high as No. 3 in the national rankings in 2025.
The regular season finales will be April 16 and 18 at UCLA. The Bruins were national runners up last season, falling in the national championship game to Long Beach State.
For the first time since 2021, BYU will host the MPSF Tournament, which will take place April 21-25 in the Smith Fieldhouse.
BYU Last Season
The Cougars finished the 2025 season ranked No. 8 nationally, extending its streak to 46 consecutive weeks in the AVCA coaches poll. Under head coach Shawn Olmstead, now entering his 10th season, the Cougars earned ranked wins over Ohio State, Ball State, UCSB, Stanford and Pepperdine. BYU home matches drew an average of 3,994 fans per game, the second-highest attendance in the nation.
The Cougars lose five seniors from last year’s roster, all key contributors, along with standout freshman Niko Hales, who will spend this year and next year serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Barcelona, Spain.
Returning BYU players this season include senior libero Jackson Fife, who led the team in digs last season, and junior opposite/outside hitter Teilon-Jonathan Tafuga, who ranked third in kills. Several returners and newcomers are expected to make an impact, including senior Trent Moser, who returns to Provo after transferring to Grand Canyon for his junior season following two years with BYU.