No. 2 men's volleyball sweeps Stanford in first match with fans

Gabi garcia fernandez gets a kill over Stanford's block

PROVO, Utah – No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball (9-2) swept Stanford (0-6), in a Friday night match-up for the first time in front of live fans in the Smith Fieldhouse. (25-16, 25-15, 25-16)

"It felt great. It felt awesome. There was a lot of noise, I wasn't expecting that much noise." Said head coach Shawn Olmstead "I did get goosebumps which doesnt happen very often. The guys loved it, and I was happy for them, I was happy for everybody; for the administration at BYU and all that they put in to make this possible, and at the state and county level. It was really good."

Zach Eschenberg led the team with eight kills immediately followed by Gabi Garcia Fernandez with seven. Garcia Fernandez added two service aces to his stat line while David Gardini recorded a team-high of three.

Player Highlights:

Zach Eschenberg: 8 kills, one service ace, three digs, one block assist
Gabi Garcia Fernandez: 7 kills, .417 hitting percentage, two service aces, three digs
Wil Stanley: 31 assists, two digs
Davide Gardini: 4 kills, one assist, three service aces, four block assists

SET ONE

The two teams were evenly matched through the first points of the game. A late 7-2 run boosted the Cougars to a 23-15 edge. A kill followed immediately by an ace from Zach Eschenberg secured the first set for the Cougars at 25-16.

SET TWO

In the second set, the two teams battled through the first points eventually ending tied at 4-4. Back back-to-back kills from Eschenberg and Gardini followed by a Stanford attack error gave BYU the 7-4 lead. BYU held the lead through the end of the set going on a 7-3 run making the score 21-13. Back-to-back kills from Gardini and Gabi Garcia Fernandez closed out the set for BYU at 25-15.

SET THREE

After trading point to open the third set, BYU took a 10-6 lead on a Gardini ace. Back-to-back errors from the Cardinal followed by another ace from Gardini pushed BYU to a 19-12 lead. Gavin Julien capped the set with a kill and the Cougars secured the sweep at 25-16.

BYU returns to the Smith Fieldhouse for its second game against the Cardinal on Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv.

Karina Amos | Posted: 8 Mar 2021 | Updated: 22 Mar 2021

Event Preview

Karina Amos

No. 2 men's volleyball to host Stanford Cardinal Friday and Saturday

PROVO, Utah. — No. 2 BYU will host Stanford for a pair of matches March 12 and 13 in the Smith Fieldhouse at 7:00 p.m. MST. The games will be broadcast on BYUtv and the BYUtv App.

A limited number of fans will be in attendance for the first time during the 2021 season. Tickets for Friday, March 12 are sold out with the March 13 tickets going on sale March 9.

“We’ve appreciated having the opportunity to play this season considering everything that's going on, but part of what makes BYU so special is the fans and environment in the Smith Fieldhouse,” said Junior Davide Gardini. “Having fans back, distanced and in safe circumstances, means a lot to us and it’s gonna bring back the environment that we all love.”

This could be the final time Stanford men’s volleyball will compete against BYU in the Smith Fieldhouse since their program is slated to be discontinued after the 2021 season. In July of 2020, Stanford announced the elimination of 11 athletic teams, including the two-time national champion men’s volleyball team.

No. 2 BYU Cougars (8-2, 8-2 MPSF)

BYU was voted No. 2 in this week’s NVA/ AVCA poll
The Cougars lead the conference in team offense and team defense
Setter Wil Stanley ranks third nationally in assists per set with 10.75
BYU is on a 3 game sweep streak after beating Grand Canyon, Concordia Irvine and USC.

Stanford Cardinal (0-5, 0-5 MPSF)