By Brandon Garrett
After two intense matches over the weekend, the No. 8 men?s volleyball team walked away with upsets over No. 5 Long Beach State University.
The two teams were so evenly matched that both games went to five matches and were determined by close scores.
Saturday?s second match was so back and forth that the score was tied 34 times, and there were 44 lead changes.
?I?ve got the biggest headache right now,? Junior outside hitter Andrew Stewart said after the match. ?I?ve been yelling so much because of this. They are really a great team.?
Stewart recorded 17 kills with a number of key blocks and serves on Saturday.
Both fifth sets provided plenty of excitement for the fans. In Saturday?s match up, LBSU forced a fifth game and quickly took the lead with a score of 5-1. BYU called a quick timeout and planned its comeback. It then chipped away at the 49ers and tied the game at 10.
LBSU made a short run to make the score 12-10 in the match but the Cougars responded quickly with decisive blocks by BYU?s Futi Tavana to come back and tie it at 13. The Cougars stifled two attempts by the 49ers in order to secure the match and the game.
?Junior Kent Tuttle recorded a team-high 23 kills on Saturday with 39 attempts.
?I was really blessed,? Tuttle said. ?It was a hard fought match, and I am really thankful for my teammates.?
Despite playing well, service errors were a big issue for the Cougars over the weekend. They recorded 18 errors on Friday and 28 on Saturday.
?Sometimes you just don?t feel it,? head coach Shawn Patchell said. ?For example, Yamil is a great server, but he had six errors on the night. But he adjusted.?
The Cougars had their hands full with LBSU?s Dean Bittner. He recorded a career-high 42 kills on Saturday night.
?He was the player of the match,? Patchell said. ?We just couldn?t stop him. He was very fun to watch but very hard to stop.?
The Cougars recorded a 79-percent attack percentage on Saturday?s first match.
?We?d been practicing for that all week,? Tuttle said. ?We had the goal to be at 70 percent and I guess we got over that.?
BYU will next take on the UCLA Bruins in Provo on Friday and Saturday. The Cougars will attempt to improve their ranking in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in early May.
?We?re peaking as a team right now,? Patchell said. ?This win is a sign of a well-balanced and mature team. We just have to focus on one play at a time ? that?s how we get on runs. One play at a time equals momentum.?
brandonjgarrett@gmail.com