Match Stats
- #3 BYU 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 28-26) def. #7 California, Irvine 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 28-26)
- UCI moves to 7-3 (4-2 MPSF); BYU falls to 7-2 (2-1 MPSF)
- Smith Fieldhouse, Provo, Utah
- Attendance: 2,636
- Match Stats
The #3 BYU Cougars rebounded from their first home loss of the season on Friday to score a vengeful 3-0 sweep of #7 UC-Irvine on Saturday.
The Cougars hit nearly 100 points higher on Saturday than they did a night prior, in spite of nearly every other statistical category being flat, or worse, on a per-set basis. That implies that BYU simply was more precise with their ball placement on Saturday, giving UCI fewer opportunities to counter – UCI had only 19 digs in the 3 sets versus 34 in the 5 a night earlier.
Offensively, BYU was led by 12 kills each from Ben Patch and Jake Langlois. Langlois chipped in 4 blocks and 3 aces for 17 total points.
Press Releases
Courtesy BYU Athletics:
PROVO, Utah – Strong play from Jake Langlois and Ben Patch helped No. 3 BYU men’s volleyball sweep No. 7 UC Irvine (25-21, 25-18, 28-26) in the second match between the two teams at the Smith Fieldhouse Saturday night.
“We were a lot more confident and assertive from the service line, so I was really proud of the guys for doing that,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “There was good energy as well. We stayed a lot more composed than we did last night. The guys wanted a redo. They felt like they let a few things slip through their fingers last night and they wanted this shot. I was excited for them.”
Langlois recorded 12 kills on a .500 clip and contributed four blocks while Patch added 12 kills and four digs. Leo Durkin tallied 32 assists and five digs during BYU’s victory. The Cougars improved to 7-2 overall with the win (2-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) while UC Irvine fell to 7-3 (4-2 MPSF).
Back-to-back service aces by Langlois and a kill by Patch got the Cougars rolling with a 6-4 lead to open the first set. BYU jumped up to a 13-7 advantage on three consecutive Anteater miscues to force UC Irvine to use its second timeout of the set. The Cougars maintained a comfortable margin as Brenden Sander and Price Jarman teamed up for a block to extend the Cougars’ lead, 16-9. UC Irvine fought back to pull within two, 21-19, but a block by Sander and Joseph Grosh held off the Anteaters on the next point. BYU won the set 25-21 on a Tim Dobbert kill.
UC Irvine notched the first point of the second set before the Cougars answered with a kill by Sander. The opponents traded points, but BYU pulled ahead 8-5 on a decisive Langlois kill. The Anteaters cut the deficit back to one, 14-13, before BYU extended its advantage to four on a pair of Jarman service aces. Patch and Langlois followed with kills to push BYU ahead 21-14. The Cougars fueled offensive momentum until the end of the set, taking a 25-18 victory on a UC Irvine attack error.
The Anteaters weren’t ready to give up as they rallied to match BYU’s pace at the beginning of the third set. Both teams alternated service errors while neither team held more than a two-point margin. A Langlois kill gave the Cougars a 14-13 lead before Anteater kills contributed to an 18-15 UC Irvine advantage. BYU fought back to tie the score 20-20 and retake the lead on a Langlois kill. Patch and Langlois logged kills to send BYU ahead 23-21. The Anteaters tied the set again, 24-24, but the Cougars pulled out in the end with a 28-26 win on a UC Irvine attack error.
The Cougars take on UCLA at the Smith Fieldhouse next Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, with both matches beginning at 7 p.m. MST. Friday’s match will be broadcast on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143 while Saturday’s match will be streamed live on TheW.tv.
Courtesy UC-Irivne Athletics:
PROV, Utah – No. 7 UC Irvine fell to No. 3 BYU, 3-0 (21-25, 18-25, 26-28) in a non-conference contest at Smith Fieldhouse Saturday.
Senior Thomas Hodges led UC Irvine (7-3) with eight kills, while senior Tamir Hershko had seven kills and five digs. Aaron Koubi saw his first action of the season with five kills and two blocks. Setter Michael Saeata had four kills, hitting .667 (4-0-6) and 26 set assists and middle blocker Matthew Younggren added four kills and four blocks. Libero Dillon Hoffman recorded a match-best nine digs.
The Anteaters were out-hit .189 (32-18-74) to .333 (38-14-72) and out-blocked 8.5 to 6.0.
Jake Langlois and Ben Patch paced BYU with 12 kills apiece. Langlois also had a team-high four blocks.
BYU had back-to-back aces to open a 6-4 lead in the first set. Three Anteater errors extended the Cougar advantage to 13-7. UCI rallied to get to 21-19, but a block on the next point killed the momentum as BYU won the set 25-21.
Set two was all BYU as they won 25-18 before an exciting set three was a back-and-forth affair. UCI went up 18-15 on two kills by Thomas Hodges, only to watch the Cougars tie the set 20-20 and move back in front 21-20 on a Jake Langlois kill. The teams would be deadlocked at 24-24 and again at 26-26, before BYU would secure the match on two Anteater errors, 28-26.
UCI will travel to Cal Baptist Wednesday (Feb. 1) for a 7:00 p.m. contest before returning home to host USC Friday (Feb. 3) at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
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