By GREGORY BENNETT
The third-ranked BYU men’s volleyball will look to rebound from their first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation loss as they host No. 2 Pepperdine Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.
The Cougars (19-1, 12-1) will look to do more than take sole possession of first place in the MPSF Mountain Division. According to head coach Carl McGown, they will look to gain invaluable confidence going into the conference and national tournaments.
“I think these two matches are important simply to let us know how we compare to Pepperdine,” McGown said.
McGown said that the only real difference it would make in the tournament is that if they lose they will be in a bracket with No. 1 Long Beach State and if they win they will most likely be in a bracket with defending national champion UCLA.
“When you go into your bracket it is good to know you’re the best team,” McGown said. “It’s a confidence thing. If we beat Pepperdine, we’ll know we can beat them.”
With last week’s 3-2 loss at the hands of Long Beach State, the Cougars dropped from the No. 1 spot. The drop is something McGown said his team has thought nothing of. What BYU is concerned with is what to do about Pepperdine’s George Roumain.
Roumain, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound outside hitter, is considered by many to be the most dominant player in NCAA men’s volleyball. Affectionately known by other players as the “Freezer” because of his size, he was named as the 1998 Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association and Volleyball Magazine.
He is currently leading the nation in kills per game average with 8.18 per game. He is also second in the MPSF in hitting percentage with an impressive .483. BYU’s Ryan Millar is second with a .479 average.
“A guy hitting that many balls at that high of a percentage is remarkable,” McGown said. “We are hoping to slow him down a little bit. You’re not going to stop him. We’re just hoping to put some speed bumps in the way and do a good job against the rest of the team.”
Pepperdine (18-1, 12-1) will come into tonight’s match with a nine match winning streak. Their only loss on the season was a 3-2 loss at the hands of Long Beach State, Feb. 13. Since then opponents have won only one game in their last nine matches.
If the Cougars are to have success against Pepperdine they will need solid play from their two All-Americans, Ossie Antonetti and Millar.
Antonetti led BYU in kills against the 49ers last weekend with 32 and Millar ended that same match with 14 blocks.
According to McGown, last week’s loss, the first the Cougars have suffered since last season’s playoffs, gave the Cougars a chance to refocus their energy.
“Our practices have been good this week,” McGown said. “Losing is helpful in that respect. Helps us focus more.”
Both matches are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse.
