By KRISTIAN EKENES
After finishing a stellar season, the BYU men’s volleyball team sent a message to the nation, saying it is a force to be reckoned with.
The No. 2 Cougars closed the regular season with two strong wins against the No. 13 Pepperdine Waves (9-15, 5-15 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) on Friday and Saturday.
The Cougars got off to a slow start on Friday, losing the first set 25-18. However, BYU dominated the next three sets 25-21, 25-19 and 25-18 to win the match 3-1.
Freshman outside hitter Taylor Sander led all players with 20 kills, three service aces, nine digs and four blocks. Junior opposite Robb Stowell contributed 14 kills for the Cougars.
Maurice Torres led Pepperdine with 13 kills, followed by contributions from Chase Ross and Cory Riecks, who had 11 kills apiece for the Waves.
The Cougars continued their dominance on Saturday, defeating the Waves 3-0 (27-25, 26-24, 25-16).
After being down 17-14, the Cougars rallied to tie the first set at 25. Otavio Souza was the x-factor in the first set, coming up with one crucial block and two straight kills to cap the 27-25 win.
BYU led by as many as six points midway through the second set. The Waves, however, mustered a comeback and held on close to the Cougars, tying the set at 24. Once again, Souza and Stowell showed up for BYU, scoring the next two points to seal the 26-24 win.
The third set opened with back and forth scoring between both teams. After being tied at 7-7, BYU outscored Pepperdine 18-9 to closeout the match with a 25-16 win.
The Cougars (20-7, 16-6 MPSF) finished MPSF play in second place, clinching home court advantage in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals which will begin on April 23.
