After landing a No. 2 seed in the MPSF Conference Championship Tournament, the men’s volleyball team will host a quarterfinal playoff game in the Smith Fieldhouse on April 23.
BYU’s BJ Hiapo watches as Kevin Sagers digs the ball during the first set of a game against UC San Diego in the Smith Fieldhouse this season.
The Cougars had a successful season, finishing with a record of 20-7 overall and 16-6 in the MPSF.
After ending the season with back-to-back wins against a strong Pepperdine team, interim coach Rob Neilson said clinching home court would have big impact on how they start the tournament.
“With our fans, the altitude, and just being comfortable at home, we really love our home court advantage,” Neilson said. ”We have done a great job being undefeated at home and hope to be able to play a great match.”
Neilson feels the team has come a long way this season and has become a close-knit unit that can have confidence going up against the toughest teams in the conference.
“We feel like we have learned a lot as a team,” Neilson said. ”We have improved week to week and we really like our group. We feel like we have talent at every position, we feel like we have come together as a team, and we like our chances going forward. Obviously it is really tough coming into a conference tournament, but I feel like we can be as confident as any team in the tournament.”
BYU will play the winner of the Saturday match between Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara. Neilson said they probably match up better against Long Beach but he expects to compete against UC Santa Barbara (14-12), which has given the Cougars some struggles this season.
“We have had more success against Long Beach State this year,” Neilson said. “I don’t know if that means anything, but I think we will end up playing Santa Barbara just by looking at the record. They are a really tough team, but we are tough as well, and I like our chances.”
Photo by Stephanie Rhodes. BYU’s Robb Stowell hits the ball back toward UC San Diego during a match in the Smith Fieldhouse.
With the commencement of the postseason and the NCAA Tournament coming up in May, Neilson and BYU fans alike have high expectations for the Cougars. With a home court quarterfinal win, BYU would have a legitimate shot at winning the conference title, and it could even put the Cougars in play for a national title.
“Teamwork and consistency has been our main focus in preparation for tournament play,” Neilson said. “If our guys can play hard for each other and play at a consistent level where we are comfortable, we feel like we can do something special this postseason.”
