No. 3 BYU returns home for matches against No. 10 UCSB

PROVO, Utah – No. 3 BYU men’s volleyball returns home to the Smith Fieldhouse this week for a pair of conference matches against No. 10 UC Santa Barbara on Friday and Saturday.

Last Time Out

The Cougars swept No. 9 UC Irvine on the road in both matches last week. Ben Patch led the way each night with 16 kills on Friday and 17 on Saturday.

No. 10 UC Santa Barbara

• BYU (6-2, 4-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) plays UC Santa Barbara (8-3, 4-2 MPSF) both Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. MST.
• Last week the Gauchos lost a five-set match to Long Beach State after sweeping Cal State Northridge.  UC Santa Barbara’s only other losses of the year came at UC Irvine and at Lewis.
• The Gauchos were picked to finish fifth in the MPSF preseason coaches’ poll and collected one first-place vote.
• The Cougars lead the overall series history 36-21 and are 21-8 when playing at the Smith Fieldhouse.
• Last season, both matches were played at Santa Barbara with the Gauchos picking up a sweep the first night and BYU winning a five-set thriller the following night.

Video/Stats

Both matches this week will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143. Links to live stats and a video feed can be found on the BYU men’s volleyball schedule page.