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BYU Volleyball: Cougars sweep Trojans in MPSF semis

By Shaun Gordon

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Brigham Young Cougars fans cheer during the team's semifinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball tournament against the Portland Pilots at the Orleans Arena on March 9, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brigham Young won 84-70. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Brigham Young Cougars fans cheer during the team's semifinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball tournament against the Portland Pilots at the Orleans Arena on March 9, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brigham Young won 84-70. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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BYU Men’s Volleyball has earned a spot in the MPSF Tournament finals after a decisive sweep over USC.

It’s another trip to the conference finals for BYU Men’s Volleyball.

The No. 1 seed Cougars swept No. 6 seed USC in the second MPSF Tournament semifinal of the day, earning a spot in the finals on Saturday night. BYU won the first two sets easily by identical 25-17 margins, but needed an 8-2 run to close out the third set 25-22.

It was a balanced effort for the Cougars. Brenden Sander, Gabi Garcia Fernandez, and Cyrus Fa’alogo all had 12 kills, with Fa’alogo hitting an outstanding .611.

BYU hit a combined .529, outhitting the Trojans by more than .300. The Cougars finished the match with 44 total kills, along with 24 digs and 6 service aces.

Surprisingly, BYU only had 4 blocks in the entire match. The Cougars lead the NCAA in kills, averaging nearly 11 kill per match. But when you hit the ball as well as BYU did you can survive an off night on the blocks.

The Cougars tend to make the most of having home-court advantage in the MPSF Tournament. The win over USC is their 9th straight tournament win in the Smith Fieldhouse, and their 12th in the last 13.

Fortunately for BYU, they’ll host Saturday’s final against No. 2 seed UCLA. The Bruins took down No. 4 seed Concordia 3-1 in the first semifinal of the day.

The winner of that match will punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. No matter who wins on Saturday, though, the loser still has a good chance to claim the lone at-large berth, since the Bruins sit at No. 2 in the nation and the Cougars sit at No. 4.

If both teams make it to the NCAA Tournament the tables will be turned, since UCLA will be the host.

MPSF Tournament Final

No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 1 seed BYU – Saturday, April 21 – 7:00pm MT

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