Opposite hitter Matt Underwood and libero Jaylen Reyes both set personal records in BYU men’s volleyball’s second straight loss to Stanford Saturday night. The Cougars lost again in four sets (21-25, 26-24, 24-26, 18-25).
Underwood hit a career-high 18 kills, and Reyes dug a record 18 balls in the match. Underwood set his previous career record of 17 kills Feb. 20 against the Long Beach State 49ers, but Reyes’ previous record of 16 digs stood for almost two years. Either record could help BYU overcome Stanford on its home court however.
“Matt was for sure better tonight,” BYU head coach Chris McGown said. “He was keeping us in it offensively.”
Brenden Sander and Jake Langlois helped the Cougar offense with 11 and nine kills, respectively, but the Stanford Cardinals dominated the weekend’s competition.
The Cougars lost set one but fought back in set two and took a 15-11 lead. Stanford mounted a comeback to tie the score 17-17, but BYU held off a streak. The teams battled in long rallies, and the score remained tied at 24 points each, but two quick kills finished off the set for BYU’s only victory.
Stanford stalled BYU’s success early in the third set and got up 12-7 before BYU went on a six-point run and led 14-12. The Cougars maintained their lead, but at 24-22 the momentum reversed again. Stanford scored four points in a row and won the set 26-24.
Set four started close, and the teams traded points until they tied it up at 7-7. BYU earned a two-point lead, but the Cardinals took it back quickly and led 16-11. The Cougars never managed to recover, and Stanford won 25-18 and ended the match.
“It was a tight match,” McGown said. “It felt more competitive tonight.”
Men’s volleyball will compete again in a double-header against Pepperdine March 13 and 14 in Malibu, California, before returning to Provo.
