BYU volleyball: Cougar spikers poised for greatness at the end of an era

The BYU men’s volleyball team has one of their strongest teams in years. The MPSF as we know it is ending. Take the chance to enjoy it while it lasts.

There are few athletic teams in Provo that have the national prominence in their sport that BYU volleyball has.

The Cougar spikers regularly start multiple All-Americans, including three this year. They are deep at every position in the same way an SEC powerhouse in football is deep. They have guys buried on the bench that would start at most schools.

In the United States, there are essentially two great places for watching men’s volleyball at the highest level: the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii, and the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse of BYU.

On Friday nights during volleyball season, the Smith Fieldhouse roars and tingles. The best in the sport clash there week after week. The arena sports updated speaker systems, huge LED signboards, and ear-splitting 5000+ crowds.

Three national championship banners hang in the rafters.

Currently, the American Volleyball Coaches Association has penciled BYU volleyball as the third ranked team in the country. The Cougars have occupied that spot for nearly the breadth of the 2017 season. This last Friday and Saturday, they faced off with Long Beach State, the top ranked team.

The teams are tied at the top of the conference standings, both vying for the highest seed in the upcoming Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament that would ensure home court advantage as long as they stay in it. The tension and hype going in was high.

Through some masterful serve and serve receive, the 49ers were just that much better than the Cougars in all phases Saturday night, and took the match in three sets. But Friday night was a different story.

That match was a shining example of the best of what the sport has to offer.

Two teams with national championship aspirations going blow for blow in front of a crowd stuffed to the rafters. A five set thriller that went to extras in two of the sets. Big momentum swings and high level play.

For fans of BYU sports, it was more than worth the price of admission. And it’s a sight that, after this season, may never be quite the same.

There is still time to enjoy the MPSF and BYU volleyball while they are in their top form.

The Big West has decided to start sponsoring men’s volleyball. While that’s good for the sport, they’re taking about half of the MPSF with them. The conference as we know it, the one people call “the SEC of men’s volleyball” will be no more.

There is no better time to leap into an underratedly fantastic sport for Cougar fans.

In the coming weeks, when the NCAA tourney has died out, before the NBA playoffs fire up and teams start actually playing some defense, the MPSF men’s volleyball tournament will be in full swing.

BYU volleyball has claimed that tournament title, and the NCAA autobid that comes with it, three of the last four years. Those that were there were lucky enough to see the tourney last year saw an all-timer against volleyball-rival UCLA for the conference hardware.

That season, the Cougars eventually fell in the national title match to Ohio State. The Buckeyes basically served them right out of the building. 

But the sting of being the runner up has had an effect. The problems that overwhelmed BYU men’s volleyball in the big game have been considerably cleaned up this season.

Now a dangerous serving team, the Cougars are led from the line by all-American walk-on-to-hero Jake Langlois. Back up setter Wil Stanley totes a killer jump serve he can pull out in the clutch.

Bell-ringer Ben Patch is finally back from injury, still rocking his near-50-in vertical jump that few blocks in the country can reach. Outside hitter Brenden Sander has overcome his earlier knee troubles to regain his usual form, shoring up the Cougars on both pins. Tim Dobbert has held the team together during the two’s absences, and is probably the best backup opposite hitter in the country.

The team has plenty of young guys that will excel for the Cougars for years to come. But this is likely the last time in a while that the team will be this stacked, this athletic, this prepared to win it all.

Next: JUCO cornerback commits to Cougars

If you’re looking for a place to watch volleyball as good as it gets in North America, this is it. If you are searching for a place to exercise your Cougar fandom while the big sports rest, don’t miss the chance to cheer the BYU men’s volleyball team on.

There won’t be a combination of a team this good in a conference this competitive for a long, long time.

There’s just enough time to enjoy one last ride.