BYU men’s volleyball grinds out 3-1 win over Mount Olive
BYU men’s volleyball played a hard-fought match against Mount Olive Saturday in the Smith Fieldhouse, using every ounce of energy in a four-set win over the Trojans.
The first set tested the Cougars’ confidence but they still managed to walk away with a 26-24 victory. This set went back and forth with service errors and blocks coming from both sides. From a Gavin Julien kill to a Jon Stanley block, the Cougars did just enough to overcome the tough opposing Trojans.
The second set started similar to the first until the Cougars tightened up down the stretch, winning the set 25-23.
The third set favored the Trojans, as they found ways to go on several scoring runs that helped them win the third set 25-19. The biggest key to the set victory was an early 6-0 run to take a 9-4 lead in the set, one the Trojans would never surrender.
The Cougars got back up, however, and with the help of 3,224 fans in attendance at the Smith Fieldhouse, got a comfortable win in the fourth set, 25-20. BYU had a 5-0 run early to take the advantage and Julien and Stanley continued stellar play to seal the match victory.
Miks Ramanis, who led the team with 22 kills tonight, helped the Cougars overcome the resiliency of the Trojans throughout the match. “I have been pretty solid with (my pregame routine). I just think about doing my job, my part on the court.”
The team has overcome the loss of several senior starters from last season and an injury to star senior Davide Gardini to start the season 4-2. Despite back-to-back wins over Mount Olive, service errors have been an area of needed improvement for the young Cougar squad
“We are going into next week with a lot of serving (errors),” Stanley said. “We are not getting down on ourselves because it is something that we are going to be working on. We are looking forward to (the next match).”
BYU started the season with back-to-back losses at Penn State, but the Cougars have now won four matches in a row, all at home, and have momentum on their side. The next match will be at home in the Smith Fieldhouse against a stout Ball State team on Friday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. MST.
