Weekend Sweep Lifts Cougars in Polls
PROVO -- After a pair of four-game victories over No. 15 Pacific on Friday and Saturday, the BYU men's volleyball team climbed all the way to No. 2 in the Volleyball Magazine Poll, and gained one spot in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches' Top-15 Poll.
Now 3-1 on the season, the Cougars earned one first-place vote in the coaches' poll to move from No. 6 to No. 5, while cruising past Stanford, Hawaii and Penn State in the Volleyball Magazine Poll.
UCLA took over the top spot in both polls after defeating formerly top-ranked Penn State and No. 3 Hawaii in Honolulu over the weekend. With losses to UCLA and Hawaii, the Nittany Lions dropped from No. 1 in both polls to No. 7 in the coaches' poll and No. 5 in the Volleyball Magazine top-10 poll.
The Cougars will defend their new rankings by taking on No. 12 USC (3-3) on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25-26, in the Smith Fieldhouse. First serve for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m. (MST).
Friday's match will be broadcast live on both KBYU and BYU-TV. Chris Tunis will call the action, with Chris McGown lending expert analysis.
Volleyball Magazine PollNo School Record
1 UCLA 5-1
2 BYU 3-1
3 Stanford 3-1
4 Hawaii 3-2
5 Penn State 2-2
6 UC Santa Barbara 5-0
7 Pepperdine 6-2
8 UC Irvine 2-2
9 Loyola-Chicago 2-1
10 Ball State 4-0
USA Today/AVCA Coaches' Top-15 Poll
No. School Record
1 UCLA 5-1
2 Stanford 3-1
3 Pepperdine 6-2
4 Hawaii 3-2
5 BYU 3-1
6 UC Santa Barbara 5-0
7 Penn State 2-2
8 UC Irvine 2-2
9 Ball State 4-0
10 Loyola-Chicago 2-1
11 Lewis 0-3
12 USC 3-3
13 Ohio State 2-1
14 Long Beach State 2-5
15 CS Northridge 3-2