After finishing last season as the NCAA runner-up, BYU men’s volleyball team begins their 2017 campaign in the #3 position.
The Cougars went 27-4 last season and 19-3 MPSF, falling to now-ranked No. 1 Ohio State in the National Title match.
BYU lost four matches last season to – then-#11 Stanford, then-#2 Long Beach State, then-#8 Pepperdine and in the National Title match to then-#3 Ohio State. The Cougars will begin their season at #6 Lewis on January 6 and #11 Loyola-Chicago on January 7.
BYU returns 10 players that saw the court, including five starters and the teams libero. The team lost just one starter in Michael Hatch. The Cougars bring in eight newcomers for the 2017 season.
Top Returners
Brenden Sander, junior
- Outside Hitter
- 2016 season awards
- AVCA First Team All-America, All-MPSF Tournament Team, All-MPSF First Team
- Averaged 3.19 kills per set, adding 1.05 digs per set and 0.74 blocks per set
Jake Langlois,
- Outside Hitter
- 2016 season awards
- AVCA Second Team All-America, All-MPSF First Team, All-MPSF Honorable Mention
- Averaged 2.99 kills per set, adding 1.39 digs and 0.94 blocks per set
Ben Patch, junior
- Opposite
- 2016 season awards
- AVCA First Team All-America, All-MPSF Tournament MVP, All-MPSF First Team, 2016 Bryan Ivie Award recipient
- Averaged a team-best 4.32 kills per set
Price Jarman, junior
- Middle Blocker
- 2016 season awards
- All-MPSF Second Team
- Averaged 1.31 blocks per set and a team-best .508 hitting percentage
Leo Durkin, junior
- Setter
- 2016 season awards
- AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, All-MPSF Tournament Team, All-MPSF Second Team, All-MPSF Academic honors
- Averaged 10.54 assists per set
Erik Sikes, junior
- Libero
- Averaged 2.01 digs per set
Newcomers
Tanner Skabelund, redshirt freshman
- Outside Hitter
- Named 2013 SCV Player of the Year and Foot Hill League Player of the Year
- Played with Legacy Volleyball Club
Wil Stanley, freshman
- Setter
- Named ILH Player of the Year 2015, received a Fab 50 national ranking
- Played with A’oakoa Club
Mitchel Worthington, freshman
- Libero
- Named Second Team All-State, Section Player of the Year
Sam Cagle, freshman
- Middle Blocker
- Briefly attended BYU-Idaho before transferring to BYU
Zach Eschenberg, freshman
- Outside Hitter
- Named team MVP as junior and senior
- Played for Ventura Country Volleyball Club
Storm Fa’agata, freshman
- Outside Hitter
- Named a Moore League Co-MVP
- Played for Southern California Volleyball Club
- Played for Team USA in the US Men’s Junior National Team
Miki Jauhiainen, freshman
- Middle Blockers
- Selected to the 2017 Finnish Senior National Team and 2017 Finnish World League roster
- Played at the highest club level for Rantaperkion Isku
Jacob Komenda, freshman
- Opposite
- Named as his high school’s Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior
Who they lost
Michael Hatch, senior
- Middle Blocker
- 2016 season awards
- All-MPSF Honorable Mention, recipient of the Elite 90 Award
- Recorded 144 blocks and 77 kills on a .412 hitting percentage
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