MPSF Finals Berth at Stake Against UCI

MALIBU -- After picking up its first playoff win since winning the 2004 National Championship, BYU will look to repeat history as the Cougars face UC Irvine in the MPSF semifinals at Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse, the same venue where it won the 2004 MPSF Championship.

The match will follow the UC Santa Barbara/Pepperdine match which starts at 5:30 p.m. (PDT) Thursday evening. Live audio, stats and pay-per-view video are available for the matches. Links are available at www.byucougars.com. Approximate start time is 8 p.m.

The No. 2 Cougars (23-5) and No. 3 Anteaters (25-5) will meet for the third time this season. Each team won a match earlier this year in the regular-season series played at the Smith Fieldhouse.

BYU advances to the MPSF semifinals after having swept Cal-State Northridge last Saturday. UCI overcame a 2-0 deficit to win a five-set thriller over Hawaii to earn its trip to Malibu. The Cougars enter the match having one eight consecutive matches and 14 of their last 15. The Anteaters have won three straight after losing their previous two matches.

Early in the season BYU and UCI faced off as the respective No. 1 and 2 teams in the nation. The Cougars swept the Anteaters in the first match before falling in five in the Saturday match.

The winner of the match will face UC Santa Barbara or Pepperdine in Saturday's MPSF final with a trip to the Final Four at stake. The final match will be televised nationally on CSTV at 7 p.m. (PDT)