BYU Splits Weekend Series

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -- The BYU men's volleyball team split their weekend series with Cal State Northridge after Saturday's 3-set victory (25-17, 25-16, 25-19) as they improve to 14-7 on the season.

Junior Futi Tavana led the way for the Cougars, hitting .625 with 11 kills while adding six blocks.

Taylor Sander joined Tavana in double-digit kills with an all-player high of 12 while filling the stat sheet on five digs, six blocks and three service aces.

The Cougars had four different players with two or more service aces for a team total of nine compared to CSUN's two. Joe Kauliakamoa, Robb Stowell and Alex DaPron all tallied two aces to add with Sander's three for BYU.

Set one was decided after a late 6-0 run put the Cougars up 21-10 on their way to a 25-17 victory. Two of the six points came from back-to-back aces by Stowell. Another run, 7-0, from BYU in the second set gave the Cougars the 25-16 set victory with the end in sight.

The Matadors scored first in set three off a kill from Greg Faulkner with the Cougars responding with two points of their own. Back-and-forth action continued before BYU took control when a kill from Sander sparked a 4-0, giving the Cougars the momentum they needed to keep the lead. An ace from Kauliakamoa finished the set in BYU's 6-point favor for the win.

BYU outblocked the Matadors 14.5 to 6 on the night and finished hitting .410 as a team compared to CSUN's .115. The Matadors has zero players in double-figure kills and recorded one more dig than the Cougars on the night.

After three weeks away, the second-ranked BYU Cougars will return to the Smith Fieldhouse for a weekend matchup against tenth-ranked Hawaii on March 24 and 25, Thursday and Friday, at 7 p.m.