PROVO, Utah — No. 6 BYU men's volleyball is on the road this week for the team's first two MPSF conference matches. The Cougars are in California to face UC Merced on Friday and Jessup on Saturday.
About the Cougars
BYU is coming off of two tough road losses to No. 3 Hawai'i last week (3-1 and 3-0). The Cougars hung tight in a difficult road environment, neck-and-neck midway through most of the sets, but the Rainbow Warriors would pull away in the final moments of play.
Last week's losses ended a nine-match winning streak for BYU, putting the Cougars at a 13-4 overall record, with their only losses coming to the current No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the nation. Despite the losses last week, BYU remained at No. 6 in the AVCA national rankings.
Individually, the Cougars continue to be led by Trent Moser's 3.38 kills per set and .354 hitting percentage. Tyler Herget is now second in the conference and fifth nationally with 10.40 assists per set. Gavin Chambers is second in the conference and 10th nationally with 1.189 blocks per set. As a team, BYU is averaging 2.605 blocks per set, which is the fifth best mark in the nation.
About the Bobcats
UC Merced is 3-8 overall this season and have lost eight out of its last nine matches. While the Bobcats are 1-6 on the road this season, they are 2-2 on their home court. They are 0-3 in MPSF play.
The Bobcats and Cougars have two common opponents that both teams have faced this season, with UC Merced having fallen to both No. 10 UC San Diego and Menlo. BYU defeated both of those opponents.
Individually, junior outside hitter Mason Stokes leads the team with 115 kills this season. Stokes is one of only three players who have started each match for UC Merced this season, as a number of different lineups have been utilized. Junior opposite Kaleb Cole and senior setter Toby Miller are the two others who've started each match and lead the Bobcat attack.
About the Warriors
Jessup is 6-6 this season and are coming off of two home losses to No. 7 Pepperdine. The Warriors are also 0-3 in MPSF play this season, still searching for their first conference victory.
The only common opponent both the Warriors and Cougars have faced this season is UC San Diego. Jessup fell 3-1 to the Tritons in the season opener back in early January.
Jan Lopuch leads the Jessop attack with 3.08 kills per set, eighth best in the conference. Colin Marks is fourth in the MPSF with 10.03 assists per set. Clement Osahon Jr. has the third-best blocks per set average at 1.179. His .438 hitting percentage is the best mark in the confrence and the fifth-best in the nation.
Series Snapshots
For both the Bobcats and the Warriors, this weekend's matchups will be the first ever in men's volleyball against the BYU Cougars.
Broadcast Information
Both matches this weekend will be available to watch live on Big Ten Plus.