By RUSS RIGGS
After an emotional match against USC last weekend, the BYU men’s volleyball team will look to pick up a couple more victories in the Smith Fieldhouse.
However, the matches this weekend are a far cry from battling No. 1 USC.
UC San Diego comes into the match, Friday, Feb. 25, with a 3-8 record, 0-8 in the conference previous to playing LaVerne on Feb. 23.
“UC San Diego has high academic standards and they are playing without scholarships,” Coach Carl McGown said. “They are the weakest team in our conference.”
Although the Tritons have been pathetic this season, they have a couple bright spots.
Donald Chen has been playing well of late and leads the team in kills with 169, averaging 5.4 per game.
Earnest Yun leads UC San Diego with 41 blocks averaging 1.4 per game.
BYU has never lost to the Tritons, posting a 7-0 record dating back to March 16, 1993.
Matt Olsen said that the Cougars can’t afford to take the Tritons lightly.
“We hope we don’t underestimate them,” Olsen said. “We have to treat them like any other team and respect them. We can’t play down to their level.”
San Diego State, who comes to town Saturday night, Feb. 26, is 1-10 overall and 0-10 in league play.
The Aztecs are hitting .271 as a team and are led by Mike Szymanski who is averaging 5.26 kills per game.
Casey Jennings, who hopes to see some action after nursing a sore ankle for the past few matches, said the Cougars will be ready to play.
“We have to act like any opponent can beat us,” Jennings said. “If we let them in and give them a chance, they could win.”
Jennings said he is excited to get back into the lineup after watching the Cougars from the sideline.
“There is an 80 percent chance that I’m going to play,” Jennings said. “I want to play. I miss it and I need the reps.”
Coach McGown said that he would like to see Jennings return to the court.
“We would like to get him some action, but he has to be cleared by the trainers,” McGown said.
BYU will look to extend its current home winning streak of 37 games. The current stint ranks third among all-time winning streaks in NCAA men’s volleyball history. UCLA owns the top two with 83 and 42.
The Cougars are led by Joaquin Acosta who has 243 kills and is averaging 4.86 kills per game. Scott Bunker leads the team in blocks with 126 averaging 2.42 per game, and Brad Goldston is highest in digs with 157 averaging 2.96 per game.
Coach McGown said while UC San Diego and San Diego State are the cellar dwellers of the league, these matches are crucial to the teams success.
“We play UCLA next weekend, so we need to benefit from these matches and get better,” McGown said.
Both matches begin at 7 PM.
