BYU volleyball beats UC Santa Barbara, remains unbeaten at home

BYU was triumphant in its return to the Smith Fieldhouse Friday evening towards No. 14 UC Santa Barbara adhering to two straight months of road matches. In what was the Cougars’ fifth consecutive contest compared to a nationally ranked foe, the university walked away with a 3-1 victory for its third earn in the final 4 matches. 

It marks just the second time this period that the Cougars have desired extra than three sets to make a victory at dwelling. 

The sequence has been dominated by the house squad more than the past 5 decades, and BYU ongoing that craze. The Cougars’ lone decline Friday arrived in the very first recreation, the night time ending in established scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-23 and 25-20. 

BYU entered the match ranked No. 10 for the school’s optimum rating this year. On the flooring, the Cougars amazed, proving the poll proper.

“We’ve been participating in definitely superior volleyball the final few months on the road,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead explained. “I just felt like (our players) tried out to do a very little far too a great deal in the initial established. … We have been just producing a few too lots of problems and striving to overdo points. So we just instructed them, ‘Guys, just even out.’ And which is all they did. We didn’t do a ton. We just form of settled down, evened out.”

BYU’s only direct of the first established came after the to start with position. From there, UC Santa Barbara took over, holding to a slim gain most of the game. The Gauchos took their most significant lead late (23-17), but almost lost it when the Cougars scored 4 factors in a row to get inside of two. UC Santa Barbara completed items off moments afterwards, handing the Cougars just their second shed set at house this period.

“Against a staff like Santa Barbara you go down 1-, which is not a good position to be,” Olmstead mentioned. “So I was fairly impressed for the guys to go down … towards a group like that, and just to be ready to keep the study course.”

BYU stayed the course and rectified the loss in the future set, by no means trailing en route to the 6-point earn. The Cougars put on a dominant overall performance, top by as quite a few as 9. Sophomore outside hitter Anthony Cherfan’s six kills led BYU and designed the distinction in his team’s victory. 

Cherfan’s electricity off the bench altered the match. “The essential to all this is just becoming poised … becoming constant, bringing the aggressive … spirit into every one rally, each solitary perform,” Cherfan claimed. “I arrived in and brought this have confidence in and self-belief back again in us, and that is how we have been in a position to execute this match.”

The third established was up for grabs, with 8 guide adjustments, in advance of BYU started pulling away close to the conclude. A 5-1 operate served the Cougars acquire a three-place lead. Even so, UC Santa Barbara went on a run of its own to knot points up at 23. Two Cherfan kills afterwards, and BYU experienced a 2-1 set lead. 

The remaining established observed the Cougars remain a single stage forward of the Gauchos their greatest direct getting 5 factors. BYU had its fewest kills with just nine in the last game, but got help from UC Santa Barbara as the Gauchos dedicated 8 company glitches. Freshman outdoors hitter Trent Moser finished the match for his workforce from the assistance line with an ace, the Cougars’ fifth of the night. 

Moser and Cherfan each completed the evening with a workforce-high 14 kills. Senior setter Heath Hughes fed the pair of outdoors hitters, in the long run recording 37 assists. 

BYU will once again satisfy UC Santa Barbara tomorrow night time in Provo ahead of its conference opener next 7 days at UCLA. 

Saturday’s match towards the Gauchos can be viewed stay on BYUtv at 7 p.m.