No. 8 BYU returns to Provo

PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball returns home to the Smith Fieldhouse this week for their first matches in Provo since Jan. 12, taking on Concordia Irvine on Thursday and No. 14 USC on Saturday as MPSF play continues.

Week 6 Match Notes

No. 8 BYU (4-4, 0-2 MPSF)

• The Cougars opened conference play last week on the road with a pair of losses at No. 5 Pepperdine and No. 4 UCLA, their fifth and sixth consecutive matches away from Provo. 

• Sophomore opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez continued his impressive play with his fourth consecutive match with double-digit kills and seventh in eight matches. He had an all-around solid outing against the Bruins with 11 kills, three aces, seven digs and three blocks. He ranks first in the MPSF in kills with 4.27 per set and third in aces with .46 per set.

• Miki Jauhiainen and Felipe de Brito Ferreira continue to stand out on the defensive end for the Cougars, as both rank among the top 10 in the MPSF in blocks. Jauhiainen sits in third place with one block per set and de Brito Ferreira sits in seventh with .88 blocks per set.

• The strong defensive play from the middle blockers as well as the setter and outside hitters put BYU at the top of the conference in blocks with 2.48 per set, and consistent pressure from the service line has the Cougars at second in aces with 1.7 per set.

Concordia Irvine (5-8, 1-0 MPSF)

• The Eagles won their only match last week against Grand Canyon in four sets, giving them a solid start to conference play and the No. 2 spot in the MPSF standings.

• BYU owns the overall series against CUI 2-1, but the Eagles won the last meeting in Provo on Mar. 29, 2018, in a five-set battle.

• CUI head coach Shawn Patchell is a BYU alum and former head coach of the men’s volleyball team here in Provo, having played on the first NCAA BYU men’s volleyball team as a four-year starter.

• The Eagles are led by junior outside hitter Jordan Hoppe on the offensive end, averaging 3.47 kills per set. On the defensive end, sophomore libero Addison Enriques leads the MPSF in digs with 2.31 per set, and senior middle blocker Hunter Howell ranks fifth in the conference in blocks with .95 per set.

• CUI holds the advantage over the Cougars in kills per set and assists per set with 11.7–10.4 and 11.0–10.04 leads, but BYU leads in hitting percentage and blocks per set with .287–.247 and 2.5–2.0 leads.

No. 14 USC (7-4, 1-0 MPSF)

• The Trojans also opened conference play against Grand Canyon, sweeping the Lopes en route to a second-place tie with Concordia in the MPSF standings.

• BYU is 40-13 against USC in the all-time series, including victories in the last six meetings between the teams.

• Senior libero Matt Douglas was named MPSF Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for his 10-dig performance against Grand Canyon. He is fourth in the MPSF on the season in digs with a 2.03 per-set average.

• Senior outside hitters Jack Wyett and Ryan Moss lead the charge on offense for the Trojans, both ranking in the top six in the conference in kills. Moss was named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after a win over UC Irvine on Jan. 23.

• USC leads BYU in kills per set and hitting percentage with 13.5–10.4 and .333–.287 advantages, but the Cougar defense takes the cake in blocks with a 2.5–2.0 lead in blocks per set and a 118–104 lead in total block assists.

Both matches will be televised live on BYUtv and live stats can be found on the men’s volleyball schedule page.