It was a thrilling and successful road trip for the BYU men's volleyball team this week as it visited Ball State for back-to-back games at Worthen Arena in Indiana.
These games were a battle between a couple of the best teams in the country as the AVCA Coaches Poll ranked the visiting Cougars No. 5, just one spot ahead of the hosting Cardinals.
On Thursday, BYU found itself in a hole being down two sets to nothing but were able to find life when Teon Taylor capped off a 25-15 win in set No. 3. This set proved to be a source of momentum for the Cougars as they won the following set 25-19 which then led to BYU completing the comeback off a spike from senior Luke Benson to extend their winning ways to 5-0.
WHAT A GAME. pic.twitter.com/kBfgCJbEyC
— BYU Men’s Volleyball (@BYUmvolleyball) January 17, 2025
Friday's rematch was destined to be a spirited affair with the Cougars hoping to stay perfect, and the hosting Cardinals seeking revenge in front of their home crowd.
Similar to Thursday's opening set, Ball State closed out the first set with a 25-22 win. However, they weren't able to hold off the Cougars, who evened it with a close 26-24 win in the second set.
With the Cardinals taking the lead after the third set, it opened the door for them to do what they couldn't accomplish the previous day — finish off the Cougars.
Once again, with their backs up against a wall, the Cougars battled to force a 5th set after a 25-17 win, sealed by an attacking error from Ball State.
In a true test of character, the cardiac Cougars, in another tight game capped off the comeback with a tag-team block from Teon Taylor and Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga.
6-0 pic.twitter.com/TTkFEuCfGZ
— BYU Men’s Volleyball (@BYUmvolleyball) January 18, 2025
The 6-0 Cougars will be back on the road for their upcoming games in Irvine, California, against the University of California on Jan. 22 and 24 before returning home on Jan. 31.