Box Score

HONOLULU -The University of Hawai`i men's volleyball team came out full speed ahead but the Cougars of Brigham Young University showed their staying power, outlasting the Warriors and snatching a 3-2 (24-30, 23-30, 30-22, 30-27, 15-11) win. No. 5 Hawai`i now drops to 13-7, 10-6 MPSF while No. 1 BYU rises to 17-3, 15-1.

Leading the Warrior offense was sophomore Matt Bender who had 23 kills, and one ace for the squad. Seniors Arri Jeschke and Ryan Woodward each put down 11 kills with Woodward hitting a season high .400. Middle blocker Joshua Stanhiser hit a team high .500 with nine kills in 16 swings with just one error. Senior Kimo Tuyay dished out 58 assists and also accumulated five blocks for the Warriors, while libero Alfred Reft picked up nine digs for the evening.

In game one BYU kept things close, but at 14-14 the Warriors pulled ahead by three off a block from Mauli`a LaBarre and Bender. Hawai`i held on to their lead and jumped further ahead after three BYU errors, making the score 22-17. The Warriors kept the game lively as the Cougars struggled to make an impact on the match. After their errors, BYU was allowed just seven more points before a block point from Stanhiser and Woodward gave the Warriors the decisive, 30-24 win.

Game two saw a more energetic BYU squad, for most of the game both teams traded leads. But at 23-22, the Warriors began to pull ahead, going on a 4-0 run to make the score 27-22. Joe Hillman scored the next and last point for BYU in game two, after which the Warriors went on a 3-0 run to take game two, 30-23 and give them a 2-0 edge in the match. Hillman had a team high 27 kills for the Cougars; he hit .512 with just five errors for the night.

The Warriors returned to a very determined BYU team in game three. Hawai`i trailed by five at mid game and could not catch up as the Cougars increased their lead to as much as eight before taking the game 30-22. BYU who had been out blocked by the Warriors eight and a half to two, upped their game and surpassed Hawai`i in blocking by the end of game four (11.5 to 11).

In game four the Warriors had no answer for the Cougars who hit error free for most of game four. BYU would go on to hit .708 in the game and push the match to a fifth and deciding game. In game five the Warriors struggled to stop the Cougar tide as it rolled over them for a 15-11 victory in the game and a 3-2 match win.

The Warriors will continue their home stand versus the Cal Baptist Lancers on March 26 and 27. The Lancers are currently ranked at No. 1 in the NAIA polls.

Season Statistics

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