Leo Durkin, Storm Fa'agata-Tufuga, Mitchel Worthington and Price Jarman, celebrate a Cougar point against McKendree. The Cougars swept the Bearcats on Saturday night. (Ari Davis)
New players had the opportunity to contribute to BYU's sweep of McKendree on Saturday night, as the Cougars' typical starters cheered from the sidelines.
'I was excited we got some other guys opportunities to play,' said BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead. 'I liked how the guys responded and played.'
Tim Dobbert led the team with 14 kills, followed by seven from Price Jarman and a .667 hitting clip. For the second night in a row Storm Fa'agata-Tufuga lead the team with four digs. Leo Durkin added 32 assists.
Back-to-back kills by Kiril Meretev and Jarman gave the Cougars a 22-20 lead late in the first set. Dobbert finished the set with an aggressive tool off the Bearcat block. BYU finished the first set 25-23 with a strong .583 hitting clip and Dobbert leading with five kills.
BYU took an early lead in the second set, going up 11-5 due to powerful blocking from the front line. Big kills from Jarman and Dobbert at the end of the set gave the Cougars victory 25-22.
Meretev's defense gave BYU the lead and momentum early in the third set. An ace from Andrew Lincoln brought the Cougars' lead to 21-15. The Cougars finished the match 25-17 with an overall .333 hitting clip.
The Cougars travel to California State Northridge next weekend to play the Matadors back to back nights.
'We've got to get a little bit better and shorten things up,' Olmstead said.