PROVO, Utah – No. 10 BYU men's volleyball downed Concordia University Irvine 3-0 Saturday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.
The Cougars moved to 17-6 on the season, recording 38 kills on 65 attacks on the night, holding the Golden Eagles’ to hit just .222 from the floor with 30 kills on 72 attacks. They also secured nine service aces to CUI’s six. BYU suffered just six attack errors while forcing CUI to commit 14.
"It was really nice to be back in the Smith Fieldhouse," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "I am really proud of the guys. I feel like their response after a tough road trip was really good. It sets us up well for what we have circled on our calendars in a big match aganist Pepperdine."
Connor Oldani led the team in kills, securing 10 while hitting .562 from the floor. The sophomore also grabbed four digs and recorded an ace. Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga had eight kills of his own, while Trent Moser racked up seven. Senior Jackson Fife led the Cougars in digs with five, with Oldani following with four.
Of the 10 Cougars who saw playing time, seven recorded at least one service ace, with both Cole Hauser and Tyler Herget each getting two.
Nearly every Cougar with a kill hit over .500 from the floor with AJ Cottle and Trevor Herget each hitting .750 on six and three kills, respectively. Cottle and Moser both recorded two blocks to add to senior captain Tyler Herget dishing out 31 assists in Saturday night’s sweep.
The win marks Olmstead’s 204th win as BYU’s head coach. One more victory will tie him with his own coach from his collegiate playing days, Carl McGown, for the most wins as a head coach in Cougars’ men’s volleyball history.
Set 1
The Cougars opened Saturday's matchup against the Golden Eagles with two kills from Oldani and Cottle, taking an early 2-0 lead. CUI fought the early BYU momentum, tying things up at an even 5-5.
Both teams earned consecutive scores, tying things up once again at 7-7. Another 2-0 BYU run separated the scores before more back-and-forth play ensued, and CUI tied it up at 14-14 off a service ace.
The Cougars put together a 3-0 run following the tie, forcing a Golden Eagles timeout at 17-14. Four more unanswered points moved the BYU run to 7-0 and increased their lead to 21-14, prompting another CUI timeout.
BYU’s run ended at 9-0 following a service error, moving the Cougars’ advantage to 23-15. Kills from Cottle and Tufuga then secured the set for BYU at 25-15.
Set 2
BYU’s offense continued into the second set, beginning play with a 3-0 run. The Golden Eagles responded with two unanswered points of their own, halting the Cougars’ momentum. The teams alternated scores, with a 2-0 BYU run separating the score 11-9 in favor of the Cougars.
The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the match at 12-13, but it was short-lived after a service error knotted things back at 13.
A 3-0 run put the hosting Cougars back ahead, resulting in another CUI timeout with BYU ahead 18-16.
BYU was forced to take its first timeout after a 2-0 run shrunk the Cougars’ advantage to just one at 23-22. CUI tied the set at 23 apiece following a timeout before a kill from Moser put BYU back on top. An attack error from the Golden Eagles followed, giving the Cougars the set at 25-23 and a 2-0 advantage headed into the third set.
Set 3
A Cottle kill and Herget ace began set three, putting BYU ahead 4-1 to start play. Another ace from Moser increased the Cougars’ lead to 8-4. CUI responded with a 3-0 run, which was ended by a Chambers kill at 9-7.
The Cougars kept the advantage offensively, earning three 2-0 runs over the next duration of competition, with kills from Tufuga and Chambers putting BYU ahead 16-11 heading into a timeout.
BYU took the third set at 25-17 following a back-and-forth conclusion, earning a sweep for the second day in a row.
Up Next
The Cougars host Pepperdine at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, March 20, at 7 p.m. MDT, with streaming available on B1G+.