By RUSS RIGGS
The 7th ranked BYU volleyball team will take on 14th ranked UC-Santa Barbara Friday and Saturday April 7-8 in the Smith Fieldhouse as they look to end the season on a positive note.
These last two matches of the regular season are very important to the Cougars, who are looking to gain momentum going into the MPSF tournament.
The Cougars are well rested and very hungry — it’s been two weeks since Ohio State snapped BYU’s 40-game home winning streak.
“This break has given us a chance to recharge our batteries,” middle blocker Mac Wilson said. “It’s great to have some time to get our legs back.”
The players have had a chance to lift weights, work on conditioning, and reflect on the goals of this year’s team.
“Most of the matches we have played are about us. It’s about what we do,” outside hitter Cameron Van Tassell said.
“All along we’ve known this season would be close. We didn’t expect to go 30-1 again. But whoever comes out of our league has a shot — we can beat anybody out there.”
The Gauchos, 10-11 overall and 6-9 in conference play, come in riding high after a 3-2 victory over UC Irvine. Additionally, they are 3-1 in their last four matches. Kevin Collins leads UCSB, averaging nearly 6.5 kills per game.
“Santa Barbara is solid, and they are good enough to beat us,” VanTassell said. “But we don’t expect to lose. People are going to get fired up this weekend.”
BYU will not be hosting the MPSF tournament this year, so these matches will be the last chance for the Cougar faithful to see the volleyball team in action.
“I just hope we get a few people there so we can have a loud crowd. We need to start a new winning streak at home,” middle blocker Matt Olsen said. “We need to win both of these matches to gain confidence going into the tournament.”
Two victories this weekend would be a real shot in the arm for BYU, who will head to California April 22-29 to compete for the MPSF crown. The winner gets an automatic berth into the NCAA Final Four.
“I think we need to win for our confidence. We would like to finish with two wins,” outside hitter Casey Jennings said. “We’re all just trying to work hard and improve. We’re pretty pumped to get the tourney going.”
And, if BYU has visions of another national championship, they must forget this season’s disappointing losses and use these matches as a fresh start for the beginning of the real season.
“We need to turn it up a notch and good things will happen,” setter Chris Pitzak said.
Both matches begin at 7 p.m.
