No. 2 BYU set for showdown at No. 1 Hawai'i

PROVO, Utah – No. 2 BYU will face top-ranked Hawai'i in a pair of matches featuring the two remaining undefeated teams in men's volleyball March 5-6 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

BYU Game Notes

Both matches are set to start at 7 p.m. HST. Spectrum Sports will televise the matches and live streams will be available both nights on BigWest.tv.

Winning their first 16 matches of the year, the Cougars (16-0, 6-0 MPSF) are in the midst of their second-best start to a season in program history as well as the second-best winning streak in the rally era. The Rainbow Warriors (14-0, 0-0 BWC) are also off to their second-best start having won all 14 of their matches so far this year. Last season, Hawai'i won its first 25 matches to set a program record before eventually losing to Long Beach State in the 2019 NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship.

The Cougars control the series with a 41-20 overall record over the UH. However, BYU is 14-14 when playing Hawai'i at the Stan Sheriff Center. Under head coach Shawn Olmstead, the Cougars are 5-2 against the Rainbow Warriors and are 3-0 when playing them in Honolulu.

Both teams have met as the two top-ranked teams in the regular season before. In 2001, second-ranked BYU hosted No. 1 Hawai'i for a pair of matches at the Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars swept the Rainbow Warriors in the first match before winning a five-set thriller the following night.  

Since 2001, BYU is 19-10 when facing opponents ranked No. 1 in the country. In those 29 matches, the Cougars are 7-3 when ranked No. 2 heading into the matchup. Olmstead has led BYU to a 4-1 record against top-ranked teams, including winning all three matches played on the road. 

The Cougars have played one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA DI-II so far this season with 11 of their 16 wins being against ranked teams. The Rainbow Warriors have faced their fair share of ranked opponents with six of their 14 victories coming against teams rated in the top 15.

BYU averages 3.01 blocks per set to lead the NCAA while Hawai'i ranks second with an average of 2.89 blocks per set. The Cougars remained second in the nation in hitting percentage (.351) while also ranking sixth in assists per set (12.18) and seventh in kills per set (12.89).

Opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez averages .840 aces per set to continue to lead the NCAA and is 11 aces away from setting the school record for the most aces recorded in a season. The junior also leads the nation with an average of 5.38 points per set. Setter Wil Stanley is averaging 10.74 assists per set to rank third in the country while middle blocker Felipe de Brito Ferreira is seventh in blocks per set (1.282).

The Rainbow Warriors lead all teams in hitting percentage (.386), kills per set (13.84) and opponent hitting percentage (.171). Opposite hitter Rado Parapunov ranks fourth in the NCAA DI-II in kills per set (4.35) and points per set (5.18) to lead UH's attack. Middle blockers Patrick Gasman and Guilherme Voss anchor the Hawaii defense with averages of 1.32 and 1.18 blocks per set, respectively.

Hawai'i has remained atop the AVCA Coaches Poll all season while BYU has been ranked No. 2 the last eight weeks after being ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll.

The Cougars will be on the road all of March before returning to the Smith Fieldhouse for Senior Night against Grand Canyon on April 2.