PROVO, Utah -- Tim Dobbert’s 14 kills led No. 4 BYU men's volleyball past McKendree for its third three-set win (25-23, 25-22, 25-17) in as many days Saturday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.

"I was excited to get lots of guys opportunities to play," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "I like how the guys responded and played. We need to shore things up a little bit, improve in our passing and the typical little things. Overall though, I was pleased with our effort tonight."

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Dobbert set a new season-high in kills and came just one kill shy of his career high as the Cougars (4-1) hit a .333 clip compared to the Bearcats’ .200 clip. Price Jarman led BYU with four blocks and tacked on seven kills as Leo Durkin tallied 32 assists and two blocks on the night.

The first set was tight throughout, as BYU’s 23-20 advantage was the only 3-point lead for either team. A key sequence of a kill and a dig by Dobbert on back-to-back points erased a 20-19 McKendree lead. With the Cougars up 24-23, It was Dobbert who closed out the set with another kill.

BYU gained a big lead early in the second set, with a 10-5 edge before a Bearcat timeout. McKendree gradually clawed back to cut the lead to 15-14. The Cougars scored five of the next seven points to lead 20-16, but the Bearcats again responded to narrow the gap to 22-21. From there, BYU had a 3-0 run on a McKendree service error, a kill by Joseph Grosh and a block by Jarman and Kiril Meretev. After one more Bearcat point, Dobbert capped another set with a kill for a 25-22 Cougar win.

With the third set tied 10-10, a kill by Grosh sparked three-straight points for BYU. After a Dobbert kill put the Cougars up 14-11, BYU maintained a lead of at least three points the rest of the way. The Cougars scored seven of the last nine points to win the set 25-17, as Zach Eschenberg’s kill closed out the match.

BYU next plays on Thursday at Cal State Northridge at 6 p.m. PST. That match will be streamed at GoMatadors.com and a link to live stats can be found on the BYU men’s volleyball schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – No. 4 BYU men’s volleyball returns home to the Smith Fieldhouse this week, facing McKendree in the home opener before hosting Concordia Irvine and McKendree for a second match.

Last Time Out

The Cougars split a pair of road matches last week, first sweeping No. 6 Lewis before falling in four sets to No. 11 Loyola-Chicago. Ben Patch led the team, averaging 6.00 kills per set and 1.57 digs per set.

McKendree

• BYU faces off against McKendree Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. MST and then again on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.
• The Cougars and Bearcats have never met before.
• McKendree rolls into town with an 0-4 record, falling to ranked MPSF opponents Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and Stanford.
• The Bearcats finished the 2016 season with an 11-14, 5-11 MIVA record, falling in the MIVA Tournament semifinals match.

Concordia Irvine

• BYU will compete against Concordia Irvine Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. MST.
• This will be the first meeting between the Cougars and Eagles.
• Concorida Irvine has a 4-3 record to date, having won its last four matches against McMaster, St. Francis, Lindenwood and Cal Baptist.
• The Eagles ended the 2017 campaign with a 13-7 independent record.

Additional Match Info

McKendree and Concordia Irvine will also face off against each other Friday, Jan. 13, at noon MST. Admission to the match is free.

BYU’s matches on Thursday and Friday will both be streamed live on TheW.tv. Saturday’s match against McKendree will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143. Links to live stats for all matches can be found on the BYU men’s volleyball schedule page.