PROVO, Utah – No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball will take on No. 5 UC Irvine on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and Friday, Jan. 24, at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.
Both matches are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. PST and will be streamed live on BigWest.tv.
Winning their first six matches of the season, the Cougars (6-0) are off to their best start since going 12-0 to start the 2008 season. BYU has beaten four ranked opponents in the process and will look to continue its streak against the Anteaters (3-1).
UC Irvine has defeated No. 9 Stanford, No. 10 Princeton and No. 11 Loyola Chicago while dropping a five-set match to No. 6 Lewis. The Cougars beat both No. 6 Lewis and No. 11 Loyola Chicago in four sets on the road the first week of January.
The AVCA released its third coaches poll of the season on Monday and BYU remained at No. 2 while the Anteaters moved up two spots to No. 5 after defeating the ninth-ranked Cardinal in four sets last week.
As former conference foes, the Cougars have faced UC Irvine a total of 68 times while leading the series 48-20. BYU is 25-8 at home and 23-8 in Irvine while the Anteaters are 4-0 when the match is played at a neutral site.
Opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez ranks No. 1 in the NCAA Division I-II averaging 1.05 aces per set and 5.60 points per set. Outside hitter Davide Gardini is second in the nation with 4.70 kills per set, a hitting percentage of .521 and an average of 5.60 points per set. Setter Will Stanley ranks fourth in the NCAA with an average of 10.82 assists per set.
As a team, the Cougars are currently second in the country in hitting percentage (.377) and aces per set (2.20) while ranking third in kills per set (13.15). BYU is also sixth in the NCAA in blocks per set (2.775) and assists per set (12.00).