PROVO, Utah – No. 4 BYU men’s volleyball defeated USC in three sets (25-17, 25-17, 25-22) Thursday evening at the Smith Fieldhouse to earn a spot in the MPSF Championship.

“I really like the way our guys came out,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "I thought our offense did a really nice job and was clicking on all cylinders. Overall, I'm happy with the performance."

Gabi Garcia Fernandez, Cyrus Fa'alogo and Brenden Sander all led the team with 12 kills apiece. Fernandez also led the team with three aces and Sander contributed two. Leo Durkin set the team with 41 assists and Zach Hendrickson contributed seven digs in the win.

The No. 1 seeded Cougars (21-6) and No. 6 seeded Trojans (8-20) traded blows at the start of the first set with neither team taking more than a two-point lead. Back-to-back Sander aces helped push the Cougars on a 10-1 run to bring them up 20-12. The Trojans fired back with a few points of their own, but it didn’t prove to be enough as a kill from Sander gave BYU the set, 25-17.  

Set two proved to be a close one for the two teams, with neither team again taking more than a two-point lead early on. An ace from Felipe de Brito Ferreira gave the Cougars a 9-8 edge. The teams continued to trade blows until a block by Ferreira carried the Cougars to a 16-13 lead – the largest lead of the set to that point. Back-to-back Fernandez aces helped BYU to a 23-17 advantage, and a kill from Price Jarman gave BYU the set, 25-17.

The Cougars secured an early 4-2 lead in the third set. A kill from the Trojans then tied the set up at 6-6. A Fa’alogo kill pushed the Cougars up 8-6. USC eventually went on a 5-0 run to take the lead at 14-10 – its largest of the set. Fernandez’s third ace of the night shortened the Trojan’s lead back to one, 19-18. A block from Miki Jauhiainen and Jarman tied it up 20-20. The two teams remained neck-and-neck until the Cougars pulled away to secure the set and match, 25-22.

The Cougars return to the Smith Fieldhouse to face No. 2 seed UCLA in the MPSF Championship match Saturday, April 21, at 7 p.m. MDT. The match will be televised live on BYUtv and streamed by SportsLive.

No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 4 seed Concordia Irvine

PROVO, Utah — No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball advanced to the championship match of the MPSF tournament after beating No. 13 Concordia Irvine in four sets (26-28, 25-21, 26-24, 25-18) Thursday at the Smith Fieldhouse.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but the Bruins fought to even the game at 17-all. After a timeout, UCLA came out and took the lead and managed to stay on top until set point, 24-21. A 7-2 run by Concordia gave the Eagles set one, 28-26.

In set two, neither team was able to take a lead larger than three points for the majority of the set. With a 15-13 Concordia lead, the Bruins answered with six-straight points to take a 19-15 advantage. UCLA went on to take set two, 25-21.

Set three proved to be another close one as the Eagles took a 16-13 advantage, the largest lead of the set. The Bruins evened the score once again at 18-all and eventually took a 23-21 lead. At set point, an attack error gave UCLA the set, 26-24.

Five-straight points by the Bruins gave them an early 13-9 lead in set four. Concordia was unable to put together a run as UCLA continued to increase the lead and ultimately take the set and match, 25-18.

PROVO, Utah – No. 4 BYU men’s volleyball hosts the semifinals and championship match of the MPSF Tournament this week.

The Cougars (20-6, 10-2 MPSF) are the No. 1 seed in the tournament and had a bye last week in the quarterfinals.

BYU will compete against No. 6 seed USC (8-19, 3-9 MPSF), who upset No. 3 seed Pepperdine in Malibu last week, on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. MDT.

Joining the Cougars and Trojans in Provo will be No. 2 seed UCLA (23-6, 9-3 MPSF) and No. 4 seed Concordia Irvine (16-14, 5-7 MPSF), who will play each other on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. MDT.

The winner of each match will play in the championship match on Saturday, April 21, at 7 p.m. MDT.

No. 2 seed UCLA

• BYU split the season series with UCLA, with each team winning on its home court in three sets.
• The Cougars hold a 34-32 edge in the all-time series against the Bruins.
• BYU had won eight-straight matches against UCLA before falling in the final regular-season match earlier this month.
• The Cougars are 22-10 at home against the Bruins.
• UCLA has had just one loss since falling in three to BYU at home in the beginning of March – losing to USC in five.

No. 4 seed Concordia Irvine

• BYU also split the meetings against Concordia Irvine this year. The Cougars swept the Eagles on the road before falling in five at home.
• BYU holds a 2-1 record in the short overall series history and is 1-1 when playing Concordia Irvine at home.
• The Eagles have lost just one in their last seven matches, falling at Stanford after the upset of the Cougars in Provo.
• The Bruins swept Concordia Irvine in both matches during the regular season.

No. 6 seed USC

• BYU won both meetings this season in four sets.
• The Cougars are 39-13 all-time against the Trojans.
• BYU is 23-4 when facing USC at home.
• The Trojans are 2-2 in their last four matches, defeating UCLA and Pepperdine while falling at Grand Canyon and Concordia Irvine.

Video/Stats

There will be a live stream of Thursday’s match featuring UCLA and Concordia Irvine available by SportsLive. A paid subscription is required to view the CBSi stream. The BYU vs. USC match will be televised live on BYUtv and streamed live by SportsLive. Should BYU advance, Saturday’s match would also be televised by BYUtv and streamed by SportsLive. If the Cougars fail to advance, the match would only be streamed by SportsLive.

Live stats will be available for all matches on the BYU men's volleyball schedule page.

Tickets

All-session reserved and general admission tickets are on sale by the BYU Ticket Office. Prices range from $18 to $49 depending on the seating area selected. Children age 2 and up require a ticket in the reserved seats. Children age 6 and up require a ticket in the general admission areas. Individual session passes will be available starting Thursday, April 19, at 9 a.m. MDT.