It was a hard-fought night in Provo as the No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball team came back from a two-set deficit but ultimately fell short in a five-set thriller against No. 5 UC Irvine.
Despite losing the first and second sets (25-17, 26-24), the Cougars pulled off an intense comeback and won the third and fourth sets (25-23, 25-23). In the end, the Anteaters got the edge in the fifth set (15-10) to win the match 3-2.
Connor Oldani led BYU with a career-high 22 kills on a .349 hitting percentage. For the second night in a row, Oldani set a new personal best in kills and achieved the highest single-match kill total by a Cougar so far this season.
Kyle Zediker kept BYU's offense strong with a season-high production of 29 assists and three kills on .750 hitting. Max Philippe had his first career start and finished with five total blocks, tallying his first collegiate blocks.
BYU felt the impact of the loss of their star freshman middle blocker AJ Cottle, who is recovering from a broken thumb. Cottle recently won MPFS Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against No. 11 UC San Diego last weekend.
The Cougars struggled in the beginning of the opening set with the Anteaters going on a 4-0 run. The Cougars fought hard to come back but fell short defensively, recording zero blocks and losing 25-17.
BYU came into the second set stronger and led for the first 20 points. However, the Anteaters stayed on the Cougars' tails and overcame a six-point deficit to win 26-24. Despite the setback, Oldani led both teams with 12 kills over the first two sets.
In the third set, BYU managed a small lead but UCI stayed close behind. The set was eventually tied at 22-22 after a UCI kill and a double block. BYU responded with kills from Oldani and Trent Moser, winning the set 25-23 to keep the Cougars alive.
The fourth set became a true back-and-forth battle with fifteen tie scores and four lead changes. After a tied score of 23-23, the Cougars gained enough momentum to win the set 25-23, sending the match into a fifth set.
The Smith Fieldhouse was packed and full of energy as the fifth set began. BYU continued its momentum and managed to reach a 5-4 lead. However, UCI fought to come back and pull ahead to win the set 15-10.
BYU is now 4-2 and faces its first road trip of the season. They face UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 29, at 8 p.m. MST at Robertson Gym in Santa Barbara, Calif.