BYU volleyball back in action

After a 10-day layoff, the top-ranked BYU men's volleyball team returns to play with its final nonconference match tonight and a two-match set against perennial powerhouse and No. 2 Pepperdine later this week.

BYU visits three-time NAIA champion Cal-Baptist tonight in Riverside, Calif. The Cougars beat the Lancers 3-0 and 3-1 in the two season-opening matches last month in Provo.

Looming on the horizon, however, is a pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches against Pepperdine, the 2005 NCAA champion that finished third last year in the MSPF. The two play Thursday and Saturday nights in Malibu, Calif.

In this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 15 coach's poll, BYU retained its top spot by collecting all but one of the 16 first-place votes and 239 total points, trailed by Pepperdine with the other first-place ballot and 219 points. UC Irvine (12-3 overall) and UC Santa Barbara (10-3) were tied for third, with Penn State (6-2) rounding out the top five.

Both teams sport identical 9-1 overall records at the start of this week.