No. 8 BYU sweeps No. 20 Lincoln Memorial to open Harvard Invitational

The No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball team beat No. 20 Lincoln Memorial in three consecutive sets Friday afternoon in their first match of the Harvard Invitational in Massachusetts.

The Cougars controlled the match from start to finish, setting the tone at the Harvard Invitational with a three-set sweep of the Railsplitters (25-21, 25-19, 25-19).

BYU had a season high seven aces, with Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga and Ian Little recording two each.

Tufuga finished with 14 kills, followed closely by Trent Moser with 13. Connor Oldani also contributed nine kills in the win.

Gavin Chambers led the defense with 4 blocks. The Cougars had 14 total blocks in the match.

The Cougars started off strong early in the opening set with an early lead, but the Railsplitters stayed close behind.

As LMU pushed to tie the score late, a net violation on the Railsplitters gave BYU a crucial two-point cushion, providing the momentum the Cougars needed to close out the set. Tufuga led BYU in the set, recording six kills on 12 attack attempts.

BYU maintained a steady lead throughout the second set, but LMU mounted another late push with a 4-0 run to pull within one point. The Cougars answered immediately, with a 4-0 run of their own to close the set and secure a 25-19 win.

The Cougars carried that momentum into the third set, staying out in front throughout. Key assists from Herget's and Little’s first kills of the season helped BYU close out the match with a 25-19 win over the Railsplitters.

With this win, BYU is now 7-2 with five wins against ranked opponents so far this season. The Cougars hit .278 while holding the Railsplitters to a season low hitting percentage of .077.

BYU now turns its attention to the remaining matches of the Harvard Invitational. The Cougars will face Harvard on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET before taking on Merrimack on Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Both matches will be available to stream live on ESPN+.