No. 3 BYU moves to 4-2 on the season after trading games with No. 2 Long Beach State over the weekend in Long Beach, California.
Friday night's victory over the 49ers came in four sets behind junior outside hitter Jake Langlois' 16 kills, nine digs and six blocks. Leo Durkin, Price Jarman, Brenden Sander and Ben Patch all chipped in for Friday's victory too.
Leo Durkin, Price Jarman, and Brenden Sander go for the block against Stanford last Saturday. The Cougars moved to 4-2 after trading games with Long Beach State over the weekend. (Ari Davis)
'It was a nice road win for this group,' BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. 'I'm happy for the team. We executed the game plan as a team.'
BYU took a lead in the first set 15-11 which forced Long Beach State to regroup in a timeout. The Cougars allowed a 7-2 rally, eventually leading to a 24-23 deficit, in favor of the 49ers, after the timeout. The Cougars finished the set with three straight points to take the set 26-24.
The second set went well for BYU, quickly gaining a five point lead. The Cougars stayed strong for the rest of the set, winning it 25-17.
BYU was not able to come back after falling behind 6-11 in the third set and conceded the set 25-16.
The Cougars took an early lead in the fourth set 6-3 and held on to finish the set on a 6-3 run to take it 25-20.
BYU was rushed by the 49ers on Saturday as the Cougars played catchup for most of the match, falling behind Long Beach by nine in two sets and five in another.
'We didn't compete as a team tonight and that's unfortunate,' Olmstead said. 'We have to find a way to do that both nights. We'll get back to work in the gym to find a way to do just that.'
BYU struggled to find production on offense in the match, with an .182 attack percentage compared to the 49ers' .347. Long Beach State out killed the Cougs 45-31.
The Cougars are back to action against UC Irvine next Friday and Saturday in California.