BYU gamers swarm Jon Stanley after scoring the match successful level because the Cougars defeat Pepperdine on the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse in Provo on Friday, March 24, 2023. BYU gained in 5 units. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
BYU earned one other fifth-set victory Friday night, toppling No. 7 Pepperdine on the Smith Fieldhouse within the Provo faculty’s first Mountain Pacific Sports activities Federation contest in practically three weeks.
The No. 8-ranked Cougars acquired the win with set scores of 21-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-20, 15-11.
“Credit score to the fellows for staying in it,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead mentioned after his crew’s fourth fifth-set win of the 12 months. “The fifth set goes to be backwards and forwards. And it’s going to be a play right here or there. After which somebody’s going to get one other play right here or there after which it’s over. So I couldn’t inform you that we’ve acquired this magic potion.”
It took a particular night time to beat Pepperdine. The Waves got here into Friday’s contest winners of their final 4 matches, having dropped only one set throughout that span. Pepperdine entered the weekend accountable for the third spot within the MPSF standings with BYU in fourth.
On Friday, the Waves began out in management, by no means trailing within the first set. The Cougars hardly threatened their guests, knotting issues at 10 earlier than all however disappearing. Pepperdine stayed simply out of attain the remainder of the way in which to earn the win. The victory noticed the California faculty maintain BYU off the service line, posting 81% on sideout alternatives.
“I don’t know the way we had been so flat and simply out of it,” Olmstead mentioned. “I informed the fellows, ‘If you wish to pack it up, let’s pack it up and let’s get out of right here.’ … However they clearly didn’t need to.”
BYU took an early lead within the second set earlier than a Pepperdine 6-0 run put the Waves up by one halfway by the sport. The Cougars responded by scoring twice in a row to go forward 13-12. From there, the 2 groups traded factors till BYU broke the pattern and took a 21-19 benefit on a Jon Stanley service ace. That was sufficient to maintain BYU out entrance and in the end tie the match at one set apiece.
The Cougars dropped set three, by no means recovering from Pepperdine’s 7-0 run close to its starting. BYU would path the remainder of the sport, not coming nearer than three factors because the Waves regained a one set benefit.
“I believe firstly of the match, we got here out fairly flat,” Cougars’ sophomore exterior hitter Luke Benson mentioned. “We felt that we wanted plenty of power.”
Within the fourth set, BYU’s power slowly grew in tandem with its lead, getting the margin to as many as 5 factors down the stretch. Benson helped carry issues dwelling for the Cougars, securing three of his crew’s ultimate 4 kills to ship the match to a deciding set.
“Within the fifth set … it was like we had a fireplace burning below us,” Benson mentioned. “We had been prepared to do no matter it takes to win the purpose. … The distinction from the primary set to the fifth set was simply that fireside, actually wanting it.”
After falling down 7-8 within the ultimate set, that fireside started to indicate. The Cougars scored the subsequent 5 factors leaving Pepperdine of their wake. Stanley accomplished the match along with his second service ace of the night time, inflicting an already raucous crowd of 4,156 to erupt.
“I believe all of us knew he was going to get an ace,” Benson mentioned. “All of us love Jon. He’s wonderful.”
Within the dropping effort, Pepperdine senior exterior hitter Jaylen Jasper had a season excessive in kills with 37. The loss retains the Waves winless in Provo since 2016.
Jasper and Pepperdine will get a second crack at BYU tomorrow night on the Smith Fieldhouse after Friday’s outcome snapped the Cougars two match dropping streak to the Waves. BYU and Pepperdine are scheduled to start play at 7 p.m.