Men’s volleyball sweeps Brigham Young, 3-0
By Vidur Malik
Jan. 29, 2010 8:10 p.m.
For the second consecutive Friday night, the men’s volleyball team swept a powerhouse MPSF opponent. Tonight, the Bruins took down the No. 4 Brigham Young Cougars (5-3, 3-2) back in Pauley Pavilion. After a marathon first set, the Bruins easily won the next two sets, posting a 40-38, 30-21, 30-24 victory.
After the Cougars forced a 28-28 tie in the first set, both teams traded points, and had their share of set points. With the Bruins up 39-38, redshirt junior outside hitter Dylan Bowermaster smacked a kill past the BYU defense to finally end the first set.
“We just kept grinding, and I just feel like we wanted it more, you know, and that’s what it takes in those long matches,” Bowermaster said. “Sometimes they come down to just a few points and we just gritted it out and came out on top.”
Bowermaster finished with 14 kills and a .750 clip, and also hit two service aces.
The Bruins comfortably won the next two sets, hitting for a .538 clip in the second set, and .500 in the third. Redshirt sophomore opposite Jack Polales hit 19 kills, and senior outside hitter Garrett Muagututia finished with 13. The team hit .459 overall, while BYU only hit .252 for the match. Sophomore quick hitter Nick Vogel thought the team was able to play with energy after the long first set.
“I think we kind of got in their heads,” Vogel said. “After fighting that hard for a first game, it’s tough to lose that. Coming into the second two we were really fired up and they just didn’t seem to have it as much. We kept the pressure on them when it was necessary, and it worked.”
Vogel and his teammates were able to continue their strong play at the block after their significant improvement during the CSUN match. The Bruins recorded 11 blocks while BYU had just five.
“I think some of us, especially me, have a tendency to get a little excited, and we don’t stay as steadfast and as focused as we should when we’re blocking,” Vogel said. “We definitely stayed disciplined, and we read where the ball was going, we got there, we put up a solid block, and our defense did the rest after that. We played a great night all around.”
Coach Al Scates praised his players, saying that their strong play comes from within.
“The boys are playing with a lot of passion now,” Scates said. “They need to do that. We need to come out here with the adrenaline flowing, and they’re doing it. It’s intrinsic motivation. That’s the way it has to be done. It comes from them.”
The Bruins play BYU again tomorrow, and Vogel is looking for an encore performance.
“They served well. We knew they were going to serve well, but I think our passing is definitely going to have stay top notch, as well as the intensity,” Vogel said. “It’s great being here in Pauley Pavilion, it’s great having a lot of fans, so just a duplicate of what we did tonight I think should do it.”
