BYU ends nine-match losing streak with a sweep over CUI

PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s volleyball put an end to its nine-match losing streak after sweeping Concordia University Irvine (25-16, 25-14, 25-17) in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday.

Friday's win is BYU’s first sweep since taking down UC Irvine in the Smith Fieldhouse on Jan. 22. Additionally, this is BYU’s first win in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation this season. The Cougars now hold an overall season record of 6-11 and 1-4 in the MPSF. 

“The ranking doesn’t matter right now,” said BYU sophomore setter Bartosz Slawinski. “The most important thing is how we play, how we perform and if we’re getting better. I’m super proud of today’s win and we’ll do it again tomorrow.”

The starting lineup featured head coach Shawn Olmstead’s 12th variation in 17 matches, as the Cougars rebuild after losing five starters from last season. Starters included Slawinski, senior outside hitter Davide Gardini, sophomore outside hitter Kupono Browne, sophomore middle blocker Gavin Julien, senior libero Mitchel Worthington, freshman middle blocker Teon Taylor and freshman outside hitter Miks Ramanis. 

Offensively, BYU nearly doubled CUI’s kill count of 23, tallying 42 kills. Additionally, the Cougars racked up a .569 hitting percentage, their highest clip of the season. Defensively, BYU notched 10 blocks compared to CUI’s two.

At the top of the leaderboard, Gardini put up 15 kills and a .636 hitting percentage. Browne followed closely behind with 14 kills and a .571 clip.

SET ONE
The Cougars started off with a 5-2 lead after managing a 4-0 run, including kills by Ramanis and Taylor. BYU gave up a point due to error, but Browne quickly slammed a kill. Two more errors by the Cougars, paired with two CUI kills, reduced BYU’s lead to just 8-7.

Three service aces and a kill by Ramanis allowed BYU to break away with a seven point lead at 15-8. After trading errors, a kill streak of six straight commenced amongst the teams, including points by Gardini and Browne. The streak ended with BYU’s fifth service ace of the set, extending BYU’s lead to 22-12.

In the final minutes, the Cougars gave up two service errors. However, Browne tallied two kills to bring BYU to set-point at 24-15. A CUI service error sealed the set win for BYU at 25-16. 

SET TWO
The Cougars started hot with three straight kills by Ramanis and Gardini. A solo block by Taylor ended the 4-0 run. The Eagles put up a 2-0 run, but Browne and Gardini notched kills to end their momentum. Julien’s first kill of the night, paired with an ace by Browne, widened the gap to 8-3. 

The Cougars allowed a service error, but Gardini followed with a kill and an ace. Ramanis and Browne followed his lead, slamming a kill each. Another solo block by Taylor put the Eagles behind by eight points at 13-5. 

From there, CUI’s Uriel Batista attempted to close the gap with two back-to-back kills. Battling back, Browne, Gardini and Ramanis all laid down kills to put BYU on a 5-1 run. A service error by the Eagles allowed the Cougars to reach 20-10. Ultimately, two more kills by Browne and freshman outside hitter Luke Benson’s second ace of the night gave BYU its second-set win at 25-14. 

SET THREE
CUI’s Jonathan Carlson tallied two kills to put the Eagles ahead for the first time all night at 3-1. Two crucial kills by Gardini tied the set at 3-3. This kill by Gardini set the teams off on a killing spree, hitting 11 straight. Seven ties later, BYU pulled away with a two-point lead at 12-10 after three consecutive CUI errors. The Cougars allowed one service error before extending their lead with a 3-0 run.

Eight combined errors later and BYU reached 21-16 after Browne’s 13th kill of the night. An ace by junior libero Jon Stanley and final kills by Gardini and Ramanis solidified BYU’s third-set win at 25-17.

Coming up, BYU and CUI will face once more in the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday.