PROVO, Utah (April, 1, 2008) -- With four matches remaining in the regular season, the No. 3 BYU men's volleyball team will play at No. 13 Hawaii this Thursday and Friday in the Cougars last road matches before closing out the season at home against USC.
All-Americans Russell Holmes and Ivan Perez lead the way offensively and defensively for the blue and white. Holmes is the top blocker in the nation and ranks fifth in attack percentage among the country's best. Perez is also in the top 20 in kills, digs, and points per game.
The Cougars have been consistently successful against the Warriors in Provo, but have seen their troubles in Honolulu. BYU is 14-3 all-time against Hawai'i at home, but is only 9-8 on the island. The last time the two squared off at the Stan Sheriff Center featured a Hawaii sweep followed by a five-set win for the Warriors in April of 2006. The Cougars retaliated in 2007 with a four-set win and a sweep at the Smith Fieldhouse.
The Warriors have lost four of their last six Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches. UH is 7-6 at the Stan Sheriff Center this season, and junior James Clar leads the Warriors' attack, averaging 3.77 kills per game. Sophomore Ric Cervantes leads the team in digs with 297 and averages 3.38 per game. With a 7-11 league record, the Warriors sit in ninth place in the 12-member MPSF.
Hawaii will provide a live stats feed at http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/sport.html?p=11. There will also be an audio feed available at espn1420.com. For more information, please see the attached PDF document.