Cougars Prepare for Biggest Match of the Season

PROVO -- It all comes down to this. No. 1 vs. No. 2. The MPSF regular-season title, homecourt advantage throughout the MPSF Tournament and one giant step closer to the NCAA Final Four in Long Beach, Calif., is all riding on the outcome of this weekend's two-match series between top-ranked Hawai'i and second-ranked BYU. The two teams will square off Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 at the Smith Fieldhouse, beginning at 7 p.m. (MDT).

"In my opinion, this will be the most important weekend in BYU volleyball history," BYU head coach Carl McGown said. "There are so many things at stake this weekend, including a trip to the Final Four. As a collegiate volleyball player, it really isn't possible to play for more important things in one match."

The second-ranked Cougars (18-3, 12-3) enter this weekend's series against No. 1 Hawai'i (17-4, 12-3) needing to win just one of the two scheduled matches in order to clinch homecourt advantage throughout the upcoming MPSF Tournament. Two wins would likely put the Cougars in the driver's seat for an at-large berth to the NCAA Final Four in Long Beach, should they fail to earn the automatic bid by winning the league tournament.

Currently BYU and Hawai'i are tied for the league lead with identical 12-3 records, however one win would clinch the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs for the Cougars by virtue of the number of wins BYU has posted against inter-divisional opponents. The Cougars are 5-0 against Mountain Division opponents, while the Warriors are 4-1 against opponents in the Pacific Division.

After holding the number-one ranking in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll for a season-best five straight weeks, the Cougars dropped last week to No. 2 after a five-game loss at Pacific. Hawai'i took over the top spot, marking the first time since 1996 the Warriors had earned the No. 1 ranking. In this week's poll, the Warriors remained No. 1 for a second straight week, despite the Cougars' two-straight, three-game victories at fifth-ranked Stanford.

The Cougars own a slight 11-9 lead in the series, having defeated the Warriors in five of the last six meetings, including four straight victories in Provo. BYU is 7-1 all time against Hawai'i when playing in Provo.

Friday's match will be televised live on KBYU, ch. 11 with Holly Rowe calling the action and Chris McGown lending expert commentary. Fans outside the Salt Lake area can watch the game on BYU-TV. For BYU-TV access, visit http://www.byutv.org or view the information sheet listed below.

HOW TO ACCESS BYU-TV:

BYU Television is available from the following sources:

• Dish Network, channel 9403

• DirecTV, channel 374 see 2001 DirecTV offers

• AT&T Digital Cable (Utah)- Gradual rollout beginning March 30th

• Cox Digital Cable (Phoenix Area)- Available Now!

• Cable America (Mesa, AZ)- Channel 97.

• Via the Internet at www.byutv.org

Dish Network- On Dish, BYUTV is part of the basic Dish Network Top 40 package. However, this receive from different satellites, because it is located on Dish Network's second satellite.

You can order a Dish Network receiver with Dish 500 satellite dish from New Star Communications at 1-800-968-9929. Be sure to give them reference code #2011.

Or, you may contact any Dish Network reseller. You can also reach Dish Network directly at 1-800-333-DISH.

DirecTV- On Direct, BYU Television is part of the basic Select Choice package. To receive the

channel, though, you must have a multi-satellite 18x24 oval dish and related receiver, because BYUTV is on DirecTV's second satellite.

You can also order a new or upgrade dish from New Star Communications at 1-800-968-9929. Be sure to give them reference code #2011.

Or, you may visit visit your local reseller or contact DirecTV at 1-800-DIRECTV. DirecTV is offering many discount packages for 2001. View the 2001 offers.

Please note that neither BYUTV nor Brigham Young University is affiliated with the Dish Network or DirecTV except as a provider of educational programming. We are simply providing this information as a service to those who may be interested.

AT&T Digital Cable (Utah)- BYUTV will be available throughout the state of Utah on AT&T Digital Cable. A gradual statewide rollout is expected by begin March 30.

Cox Digital Cable (Phoenix Area)- Cox Cable subscribers in the Phoenix/Mesa area now have access to BYUTV on the Cox digital system.

In addition, BYUTV is available on the All-American Cable System in Mesa (channel 97).

On the Internet- You can watch and listen to BYUTV using the Windows Media Player via the Net. Both Windows and Mac versions of this product can be downloaded for free by visiting http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/. Please note that this service generally requires a high-speed Internet connection for the best experience.