PROVO, Utah – No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball swept Concordia (32-30, 25-18, 25-13) Thursday in the Smith Fieldhouse in its first match back home after six consecutive matches on the road.

BYU vs. Concordia Final Box Score

"I"m happy for the guys – they needed this," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "It was a tough little road stretch, and for them to be able to come in here and put that behind them was really important. We all believed we could be better and we definitely saw improvement in the areas we wanted to focus on tonight."

Gabi Garcia Fernandez totaled 14 kills, giving him his fifth consecutive match in double digits, and contributed three of the Cougars’ five service aces, while Davide Gardini tied Garcia Fernandez for a team-high 14 kills and added five digs as well. Setter Wil Stanley had 41 assists and five digs and Felipe de Brito Ferreira notched eight kills at a .600 hitting percentage. The team reached new season highs in hitting percentage and kills in a three-set match with .463 clip and 50 total kills.

The Eagles (5-9, 1-1 MPSF) got off to a hot start in the first set, using three quick kills to give them a 5-1 advantage over the Cougars (5-4, 1-2 MPSF). Kills by Andrew Lincoln and Gardini aided BYU in taking its first lead of the set, 12-11. The teams traded points back and forth throughout the remainder of the game until back-to-back Gardini kills sealed the set for BYU, 32-30.

The second set began with the Cougars and Eagles trading points back and forth once again. Garcia Fernandez then notched his 10th kill of the set, giving BYU a two-point lead, 8-6, while de Brito Ferreira propelled the Cougars into double digits off a kill, 10-7. BYU then went on a 4-0 run, with kills by Miki Jauhiainen, Garcia Fernandez and Gardini to put them up 15-10. Gardini’s 10th and 11th kills, as well as an ace, propelled the Cougars to a 20-14 lead. BYU then finished the set, 25-18, on a Garcia Fernandez kill.

Three kills in a row led to an immediate 3-0 lead for the Cougars in the third set. Despite its attempt to reduce the point discrepancy, Concordia fell behind as BYU continued to notch kills and aces, putting them up 15-6. A triple block by Gardini, Jauhiainen and Garcia Fernandez led to BYU’s first 13-point lead, 23-10. Coming off the bench, Zach Eschenberg and Branden Oberender claimed the last two points, giving the Cougars the set and match win, 25-13.

The Cougars remain at home to take on No. 14 USC on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. MST. The match will be broadcast on BYUtv and live stats will be available on the men’s volleyball schedule page.

PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball returns home to the Smith Fieldhouse this week for their first matches in Provo since Jan. 12, taking on Concordia Irvine on Thursday and No. 14 USC on Saturday as MPSF play continues.

Week 6 Match Notes

No. 8 BYU (4-4, 0-2 MPSF)

• The Cougars opened conference play last week on the road with a pair of losses at No. 5 Pepperdine and No. 4 UCLA, their fifth and sixth consecutive matches away from Provo. 

• Sophomore opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez continued his impressive play with his fourth consecutive match with double-digit kills and seventh in eight matches. He had an all-around solid outing against the Bruins with 11 kills, three aces, seven digs and three blocks. He ranks first in the MPSF in kills with 4.27 per set and third in aces with .46 per set.

• Miki Jauhiainen and Felipe de Brito Ferreira continue to stand out on the defensive end for the Cougars, as both rank among the top 10 in the MPSF in blocks. Jauhiainen sits in third place with one block per set and de Brito Ferreira sits in seventh with .88 blocks per set.

• The strong defensive play from the middle blockers as well as the setter and outside hitters put BYU at the top of the conference in blocks with 2.48 per set, and consistent pressure from the service line has the Cougars at second in aces with 1.7 per set.

Concordia Irvine (5-8, 1-0 MPSF)

• The Eagles won their only match last week against Grand Canyon in four sets, giving them a solid start to conference play and the No. 2 spot in the MPSF standings.

• BYU owns the overall series against CUI 2-1, but the Eagles won the last meeting in Provo on Mar. 29, 2018, in a five-set battle.

• CUI head coach Shawn Patchell is a BYU alum and former head coach of the men’s volleyball team here in Provo, having played on the first NCAA BYU men’s volleyball team as a four-year starter.

• The Eagles are led by junior outside hitter Jordan Hoppe on the offensive end, averaging 3.47 kills per set. On the defensive end, sophomore libero Addison Enriques leads the MPSF in digs with 2.31 per set, and senior middle blocker Hunter Howell ranks fifth in the conference in blocks with .95 per set.

• CUI holds the advantage over the Cougars in kills per set and assists per set with 11.7–10.4 and 11.0–10.04 leads, but BYU leads in hitting percentage and blocks per set with .287–.247 and 2.5–2.0 leads.

No. 14 USC (7-4, 1-0 MPSF)

• The Trojans also opened conference play against Grand Canyon, sweeping the Lopes en route to a second-place tie with Concordia in the MPSF standings.

• BYU is 40-13 against USC in the all-time series, including victories in the last six meetings between the teams.

• Senior libero Matt Douglas was named MPSF Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for his 10-dig performance against Grand Canyon. He is fourth in the MPSF on the season in digs with a 2.03 per-set average.

• Senior outside hitters Jack Wyett and Ryan Moss lead the charge on offense for the Trojans, both ranking in the top six in the conference in kills. Moss was named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after a win over UC Irvine on Jan. 23.

• USC leads BYU in kills per set and hitting percentage with 13.5–10.4 and .333–.287 advantages, but the Cougar defense takes the cake in blocks with a 2.5–2.0 lead in blocks per set and a 118–104 lead in total block assists.

Both matches will be televised live on BYUtv and live stats can be found on the men’s volleyball schedule page.