PROVO, Utah - Taylor Sander led BYU men's volleyball with 12 kills and three aces as the Cougars beat Winnipeg 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-21) in their first exhibition match of the season.

Three other BYU hitters finished with five kills, including Carson Heninger, Michael Hatch and Devin Young. Hatch led the team in blocks with five, while Tim Dobbert, Joe Grosh and Heninger each had four. Josue Rivera, Phil Fuchs and Grosh added service aces for the Cougars.

BYU finished the first set on a 13-7 run to win 25-19. After leading 18-16, the Cougars streaked to a 24-17 lead thanks to a kill from Sander and Tim Dobbert, three blocks and a hitting error by Winnipeg.

BYU ended the second set on a 16-4 run with dominant hitting and a few errors from Winnipeg. An initial 5-0 run took the Cougars from down two to up three at 14-11. BYU extended the lead to 10 with the winning margin of 25-15. Heninger finished off the set with three kills in the final seven points.

PROVO, Utah—BYU men’s volleyball gets set for the 2014 season hosting exhibition matches Friday and Saturday against Winnipeg.

Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. MST in the Smith Fieldhouse. Admission is free to both matches.

BYU finished the 2013 season in the NCAA championship match, going 26-5 in the regular season. The Cougars were 21-3 in conference play, taking the regular season title and tournament title.

Winnipeg went 13-11 last season, finishing with a loss in the CW quarterfinals against Trinity Western.

The Cougars open the regular season in Illinois with matchups against Loyola and Lewis, Jan. 3 and 4, respectively. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. CST. BYU’s home opener is against Cal State Northridge Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. MST on BYUtv.