BYU falls to No. 12 Stanford in a heartbreaker

PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s volleyball won the first two sets of the match before No. 12 Stanford pulled off a reverse sweep over the Cougars (25-19, 27-25, 23-25, 20-25, 22-24) in the Maples Pavilion on Saturday night.

This loss puts BYU’s overall record to 8-14 and 3-7 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. 

Stanford led the night with 72 kills and a .329 hitting percentage. BYU followed closely behind with 69 kills and a .308 clip. Both teams struggled from the service line with the Cardinal racking up 25 service errors, followed by the Cougars’ 20.

For the second consecutive night, Stanford’s Will Rottman dominated with 33 kills and a .400 clip. BYU senior outside hitter Davide Gardini led the Cougars with 27 kills and a .357 clip.

SET ONE
The teams traded kills and errors, tying three times by 4-4. BYU took the lead with a 3-0 run, including two Stanford errors and a kill by Gardini. The kill by Gardini set the teams off on a kill streak, the next nine points coming all off of kills. BYU maintained its lead at 12-9, thanks to two additional kills and an ace by Gardini. 

The Cardinal continued to trail closely behind, but two kills and a block by BYU freshman outside hitter Miks Ramanis kept the team at bay. Three Stanford service errors put the Cougars up 20-16. Four quick Gardini kills brought BYU to set-point at 24-18. A block by freshman setter Noa Haine, getting his first career start, and senior middle blocker Branden Oberender secured the Cougars a set-win at 25-19.

SET TWO
Stanford started with a 4-1 lead after two kills and a BYU service error. Haine and Ramanis slammed kills to keep BYU close behind, but a 4-0 run by the Cardinal extended Stanford’s lead to 9-3. 

From there, the teams traded points, featuring kills by Ramanis and freshman middle blocker Teon Taylor. However, three BYU errors and Stanford’s Rottman’s ninth kill of the match put Stanford up by five points at 18-13.

The Cougars battled back with a 5-1 run, including kills by Gardini and sophomore outside hitter Kupono Browne, to close the gap to just 20-19. For the first time in the set, BYU tied the score at 24-24 after posting four kills. 

Rottman and Gardini put down kills to tie the set again at 25-25, but two crucial Stanford errors gave BYU its second set-win at 27-25.

SET THREE
Browne started the set with two quick kills to give BYU a slight edge at 3-2. Stanford took off on a 6-1 run, including two kills by Rottman. The Cardinal gave up two points due to errors, but still led 11-7.

The Cougars managed a 5-1 run, including two more kills by Browne. This put BYU behind by just one point at 14-13. Rottman fought back with four kills of his own to widen the gap to 19-15. BYU rattled off a 5-1 run, thanks to four kills by Gardini, nearly tying the score at 21-20.

Even with two more Gardini kills, two BYU errors gave Stanford its first set-win at 25-23.

SET FOUR
Gardini and Ramanis tallied quick kills to put BYU on the board. An ace by Gardini gave the Cougars a 4-1 lead. However, four BYU errors diminished this lead, tying the set at 5-5.

Three Stanford kills paired with four BYU errors allowed the Cardinal to take a 12-8 lead. From there, the teams traded kills, but Rottman’s 22nd and 23rd kills of the night put Stanford up 21-16. Three Cardinal kills and a final BYU service error secured Stanford its second set-win at 25-20.

SET FIVE
The Cardinal started with a 3-1 lead after two BYU errors. The tides turned after kills by sophomore middle blocker Gavin Julien, Ramanis and Gardini. These points allowed BYU to take the lead at 7-5. Stanford racked up another four kills to tie the set at 11-11.

Rottman laid two opportune kills to take back the lead for the Cardinal. A BYU error allowed Stanford to reach match-point at 14-13. However, three errors by the Cardinal and a Gardini kill turned the set around, giving BYU the edge at 16-15.

The foes tied another eight times, trading kills and errors. Ultimately, BYU’s 20th service error of the night and a final kill by Rottman solidified the win for Stanford, with a 24-22 final set after extra points.

This stands as the longest fifth set in the MPSF since 2017 and ties for the third longest in MPSF history. 

Up next, BYU will host UCLA for its final regular season matchups in the Smith Fieldhouse on April 15 and 16.