BYU’s men’s volleyball squad hasn’t been fazed in 2023, despite a schedule that has seen well over half of the Cougars’ contests played against nationally ranked foes.
“I couldn’t be happier with what has transpired thus far,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said early last week of the success his team has experienced against an onslaught of top teams.
“It built the guys’ confidence being away from home (and winning). It helped them see that we can be a tough team. We can stay together as a team.” — BYU coach Shawn Olmstead
The Cougars themselves are counted among the nation’s elite, checking in at No. 8; that recognition has come in large part because of the school’s performances against other ranked squads.
Having faced its fair share of quality opponents a month and a half into the season, BYU has had ample opportunities to prove itself. In contests played against teams nationally ranked at the time of the match, the Cougars have held their own, posting a 5-4 record in those meetings.
The majority of those contests have come during the last month. The Cougars’ last eight matches have been played against teams that found themselves in the AVCA rankings when they met BYU.
Olmstead knew his team would face challenging stretches this season. “You see it when everything finally comes together and you’ve got your schedule,” he said.
BYU did not face as difficult a schedule to start the year, however, jumping out to a 5-0 start before beginning its difficult eight-match stretch. Only one of the school’s first five contests came against a nationally ranked foe, in No. 14 Lewis. The Cougars cruised past the Flyers, dropping only one set — a two-point loss that proved to be BYU’s only stumble in its dominant start to the season.
Nearly three weeks later, the Cougars faced stiffer competition when they met their match and fell in a three-set sweep to No. 6 UC Irvine. But the team quickly adjusted, earning arguably its best victory of the season two nights later against the previously unbeaten Anteaters.
“We got swept pretty easily the first night,” Olmstead said. “(But) you really don’t have much time to sit and worry about what occurred. You just got to rebound and be ready to go pretty quickly. … That’s what the season is.”
The next week BYU again split a pair of matches, this time with No. 8 Ball State, another team ranked ahead of the Cougars.
“(Those wins were) confirmation for all the things we’ve been working on,” Olmstead said of his team’s victories over top-10 teams in back-to-back weeks. “It’s all building up (to) where we’ve got to be good toward the end of the season.”
Pollsters have begun taking notice of the Cougars’ performances against top teams in the country, having climbed to No. 8 in the rankings despite starting the season on the outside looking in.
What makes BYU’s record against the nation’s best most impressive is that only three of those nine matches have been played in Provo. The Cougars have yet to host a team ranked in the top 10.
“It built the guys’ confidence being away from home (and winning),” Olmstead said. “It helped them see that we can be a tough team. We can stay together as a team. Because in those moments when you’re away from home, you kind of need your team more than anything else because you don’t have a home crowd. … That’s kind of the fun part about it, being able to build those bonds and that confidence and trust in each other when you’re on the road.”
The Cougars returned home, earning a couple of 3-1 wins over a No. 14-ranked UC Santa Barbara squad two weekends ago. However, BYU fell in its latest matches, both against No. 2 UCLA; the first time this season that the Cougars have lost two straight.
Still, BYU has proven formidable so far, competing with and defeating some of the country’s most outstanding volleyball teams when given the opportunity.
For the first time in over a month, BYU will face an unranked opponent when it takes the floor Friday evening. The school will play on the road against Concordia, the lone MPSF squad without a number next to its name. The Cougars and Eagles will meet Friday and Saturday, both matches beginning at 8 p.m. It will be Concordia’s first league contests of the season.
