PROVO -- After four games on the road, the No. 3 Cougars returned to the Smith Field House and defeated the No. 8 Hawaii Warriors in a 3-0 match (25-18, 25-20, 25-22), Thursday.
“Our serving really got us off tonight and we put a lot of pressure on them in game one and two,” BYU interim head coach Rob Neilson said. “The way we ran our offense was what put us up. They really stepped it up and played well. It was a good overall win tonight and tomorrow we need to come in focused while working on our blocking as well as intensity.”
Hitting at a season-high .722 percent, Rob Stowell tallied a team-high 14 kills for the match. Teammates Taylor Sander and Futi Tavana also hit in double-digits, with Sander adding 11 kills and Tavana 10.
BYU started strong in the first set, holding the Warriors at two points during a 6-0 run to put them up 7-2. The Cougars continued to build off of their lead throughout the set with help from Sander and Tavana who contributed four kills each. Tavana put the ball down for the final point and ended the set at 25-18.
After rallying back-and-forth for the first six points in the second set, the Cougars jumped to a 13-7 lead over Hawaii. Similar to the first set, BYU kept a comfortable lead due to strong net play by Stowell who supplied the set-high six kills. The Cougars finished round two at 25-20.
Hawaii fought for the lead in the third set, tying the Cougars early on at 5-5, mid-way through the set at 13-13 and closer to game point at 17-17. A kill from Sander put BYU ahead and the Cougars continued on their way to a victory over Hawaii 25-22.
The BYU men’s volleyball team will be back in the Smith Fieldhouse tomorrow night for another face-off with the Hawaii Warriors at 7 p.m.