No. 3 BYU travels to California to take on No. 9 UCSB

PROVO, Utah — No. 3 BYU men’s volleyball travels to California this week for back-to-back matches against No. 9 UC Santa Barbara Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2 at Robertson Gymnasium.

Week Four Match Notes

No. 3 BYU (4-0)

• The Cougars are coming off of a bye week after two road victories in Pennsylvania over Penn State (3-2) and Saint Francis (3-0) the week before.

• BYU currently sits in first place in the MPSF conference standings with a perfect 4-0 record. The team ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage and blocks.

• Sophomore opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez had a career-high 27 kills in a five-set thriller over Penn State on Jan. 18, and leads the MPSF in kills and points.

• Freshman outside hitter Davide Gardini had a career-high four service aces in the Cougars’ sweep over Saint Francis on Jan. 19, and sits in second place in the MPSF in aces with .50 per set.

No. 9 UC Santa Barbara (7-3)

• The Gauchos are currently riding a four-match win streak with victories over three ranked teams in No. 7 Loyola Chicago, No. 10 Lewis and No. 11 Ball State.

• UCSB is averaging 11.88 kills per set on a .317 hitting percentage, led by senior outside hitter Corey Chavers, who is averaging 3.52 kills per set at a .342 clip.

• Freshman middle blocker Brandon Hicks leads the team in total blocks with 29 and is averaging 1.16 blocks per set over his 25 sets played.

• BYU leads the all-time series against UCSB 42-22, and the Cougars have won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Links for live stats and streaming can be found on the men's volleyball schedule page.