No. 1 BYU to Open 2021 Season Against No. 8 UCLA

Provo, UTAH. - The BYU Cougars are set to take on in-conference opponent UCLA this Thursday and Saturday in the Smith Fieldhouse. After nearly 11 months without play, the 2021 season will officially begin.

The matches are scheduled for February 4th and 6th. Thursday’s first serve will be at 7:00 pm MST while Saturday’s will be at 4:00 pm MST. Both games will be streamed on BYUtv. At this time, only limited family members of players are allowed to attend games in the Smith Fieldhouse. 

This is the first time since 2010 that the Cougars have faced UCLA opening weekend. The team is looking to maintain Coach Olmstead’s perfect 7-0 record against the Bruins in Provo. BYU holds the overall series record 36-34. 

The No. 1 Cougars have held the top spot in the country since March 2020.  BYU has not played any matches yet in 2021, but ranking has stood. This week’s opponent, UCLA, is ranked 8th nationally and is coming off of a sweep of No. 10 Grand Canyon. That win was UCLA’s first game of the 2021 season. 

Both teams will be looking to win big this weekend, as this matchup has become somewhat of a rivalry. MPSF game wins will be important this year due to the fact that BYU and UCLA are slated to only play in conference opponents in the regular season. BYU is projected to finish first in the conference, with UCLA estimated to come in third. The Cougars and Bruins will not meet again until April 9th and 10th in Los Angeles.