Cougars head to No. 6 UC Irvine for two matches this week

PROVO, Utah — No. 12 BYU men's volleyball (4-0) is headed to California to face No. 6 UC Irvine (6-0) on Wednesday and Friday.

After back-to-back wins against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Cougars moved up one spot from No. 13 in this week’s AVCA coaches poll. BYU pulled off two sweeps over FDU, improving to 4-0 on the season. In 2022, the Cougars pulled off a sweep just two times, with one 3-0 victory over UC Irvine and another versus CUI. In 2023, BYU has swept opponents in three out of its four matches.

Freshman outside hitter Trent Moser debuted in his first match as a starter for No. 13 BYU last weekend, totaling 20 kills through two games. Moser also rounded out his performance by adding two service aces, 9 digs and four total blocks, with a .357 clip. The freshman from Gilbert, Arizona led BYU’s offense in kills against Fairleigh Dickinson as the youngest starter on the court. Moser was also nominated by BYU as MPSF Offensive Player of the Week.

In the latest matchup between BYU and UC Irvine, the Cougars won in Provo 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21). This year, BYU hosted UC Irvine in the Smith Fieldhouse during the opening week of the 2023 season, but the two teams never faced each other. In Provo, UC Irvine defeated both McKendree (3-0) and No. 14 Lewis (3-1). In the Anteaters' first game against McKendree, the first set went to 36-34.

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