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PROVO, Utah – The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team dropped its season-opener to No. 2 Brigham Young in straight sets, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17, Friday night in the season opener at Smith Fieldhouse.
 
The Warriors (0-1) lost to the Cougars for the fifth consecutive time dating back to 2011.
 
Junior outside hitter Jace Olsen led the Warriors with 10 kills but had 11 errors in 29 swings. Sophomore outside hitter JP Marks added seven kills with seven hitting errors in 18 attempts. Middle blockers Davis Holt (5) and Nick West (4) combined for nine kills with only one error in 18 attacks.
 
As a team, the Warriors hit .101 while the Cougars (1-0) hit .388 and posted 11 team blocks. All-American Taylor Sander led the way with a match-high 14 kills on .542 hitting. Ben Patch added eight kills and four blocks.
 
The first set was close until the Cougars scored four straight – including a pair of thunderous kills by Sander – for an 18-12 lead. BYU coasted to a 25-18 victory, hitting .500 as Patch and Sander combined for 10 kills with just one error in 16 attempts. In contrast, the Warriors hit .120.
 
In Set 2, the Cougars surged ahead 10-6 with a mini three-point run before the Warriors tied it at 12 on back-to-back kills by Olsen and Marks. BYU answered right back with three straight to regain the lead and stuffed Marks and Sinisa Zarkovic on consecutive plays for a 20-15 advantage. The Warriors cut it two at 24-22 after an ace by Marks before Sander ended the drama with his 10^th kill.
 
The Warriors fell behind early in Set 3 as the Cougars used a 9-3 run for a five-point lead at 10-5. Consecutive hitting errors by Olsen gave BYU a 20-12 cushion and the Cougars cruised to a 25-17 victory while limiting the Warriors to hit .000.
 
The teams play again Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MT (4:00 p.m. HT). The match can be heard on ESPN 1420AM with Blaine Kauwe calling the action.