BYU volleyball team set to host No. 1 Pepperdine
PROVO — Los Angeles. San Diego. Honolulu. Most of us would kill for a mid-winter getaway to such inviting locales, but after a month on the road, nothing is more exciting for the No. 4 BYU men's volleyball team than the prospect of being at home in cold, snowy Provo.
Waiting for BYU is No. 1 Pepperdine, a team that presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the Cougars, who already took down No. 3 Stanford this season and could stand to cement another statement victory.
"Not that I'm complaining about the places we've been, but it feels amazing to be back home," BYU outside hitter Andrew Stewart said. "We're playing No. 1 Pepperdine and expecting a big crowd the first week back. What else can you ask for?"
Pepperdine leads the all-time series 26-19, but the teams split last season's meeting in Malibu, Calif., and Stewart doesn't think the team will be intimidated on their home court.
"There's a bit more hype when you play a top-ranked team, but any team in our conference could be ranked No. 1 after any given weekend, so I don't think the rankings matter that much," Stewart said. "We play really good teams every week."
The Cougars (9-6, 7-5) went 4-4 on the road during the past month, sweeping No. 14 UC San Diego, getting swept by No. 8 Hawaii and splitting matches with No. 6 UCLA and No. 11 UC Irvine.
BYU now has a 4-5 record against top-10 opponents this season and has gone 3-5 against top-ranked teams since 2005. The last time the Cougars faced a No. 1 team was last season when BYU split the two matches against UC Irvine, which eventually won the national championship.
The Cougars are led by Stewart, who leads the team in both kills (226) and digs (123). Sophomore opposite Robb Stowell, junior outside hitter Kevin Sagers and senior setter Reed Chilton also bolster the Cougar attack, which ranks fifth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in both hitting percentage and kills.
On defense, BYU middle blockers Russell Lavaja and Futi Tavana provide the Cougars with the most productive front line in the conference. Lavaja ranks first in the MPSF with 1.52 blocks per match, while Tavana is fourth with 1.38 blocks per match.
The Cougars are going to need their blockers to come up big if they want to pull off the upset over a Pepperdine team that ranks in the top two in the conference in just about every offensive category.
Freshman opposite Maurice Torres has 213 kills this season to lead the Waves (9-4, 8-3), while outside hitter J.D. Schleppenbach was named MPSF co-Player of the Week after recording career-highs of 24 kills and 17 digs to go along with two aces in a four-set win over No. 5 CS Northridge last week. Friday's victory was also Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy's 500th career victory.
"I think it's going to be an exciting game," Stewart said. "It's human nature to want to see the best and beat the best. Hopefully we'll be up to the challenge."
The match will begin at 7 p.m. MST at the Smith Fieldhouse and will be broadcast on BYU-TV. The Cougars and Waves will play again on Saturday, a match that will also begin at 7 p.m. MST.
Men's volleyball
No. 4 BYU vs. No. 1 Pepperdine
Tonight and Saturday, 7 p.m.
Smith Fieldhouse, Provo
TV: BYU-TV
