The No. 10 BYU men’s volleyball team swept Concordia University Irvine 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-21) on March 20, marking the Cougars’ first home victory in nearly a month.
The win is significant for BYU as it ends a two-game losing streak and improves their season record to 16-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The match also brings head coach Shawn Olmstead closer to becoming the winningest coach in program history.
“I am really pleased with the guys’ response to a tough road trip,” head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “Our block was in really good spots tonight, and our serving was great. Most important was to get our main guys back on the court to rebuild some confidence. I think we succeeded in that.”
BYU recorded 35 kills compared to Concordia’s 34 but limited themselves to just six attack errors while forcing CUI into eighteen. The Cougars also tallied five service aces and allowed only one from their opponent. Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga, Trent Moser, and Connor Oldani each led BYU with eight kills apiece, while freshman AJ Cottle contributed five kills with a .625 hitting percentage and seven blocks. Tufuga led the team with five digs, Tyler Herget distributed twenty-eight assists over three sets, and Gavin Chambers added four kills along with two blocks.
The victory marks Olmstead’s 203rd as head coach of the men’s volleyball program, putting him just two wins behind Carl McGown’s all-time record of 205 career victories for BYU coaches. With several matches remaining at Smith Fieldhouse this month, Olmstead has an opportunity to tie or surpass that milestone soon.
BYU will return to Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 21 for another match against Concordia Irvine.
