MPSF Volleyball Results, Feb. 28
Photo: Davide Gardini, BYU (Courtesy BYU Athletics)
Thursday, February 28
*No. 14 USC 3, at Concordia 2 (25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-13)
Recap by USC
Ryan Moss had 23 kills and 9 digs and Gianluca Grasso added 21 kills, 8 digs and 2 blocks to help the No. 13-ranked USC men’s volleyball team post a 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-13 comeback win at unranked Concordia in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match on Thursday (Feb. 28) in Irvine.
USC improved to 8-7 overall, equaling its win total for all of last season, and moved to 2-3 in the MPSF. It was the Trojans’ first victory in 7 tries on an opponent’s home court in 2019. Concordia fell to 5-13 overall and 1-5 in MPSF play.
USC hit .350 to Concordia’s .298 and the Trojans had more digs (51 to 39). The Eagles outblocked USC, 11.5 to 8.0.
Chris Hall added 14 digs for USC, Matt Douglas had 8 digs, Brandon Browning came off the bench to get 7 digs and Kyle Gear had 5 blocks.
For Concordia, Zachary Meyer had 14 kills and 8 digs, Luke Krzmarzick had 12 kills, 5 blocks and 2 aces, Hunter Howell had 9 kills and 7 blocks, Chandler Gibb had 12 digs and 6 blocks, Jordan Hoppe had 4 blocks and Addison Enriques had 6 digs.
The first set was tight throughout until USC scored back-to-back points to go up 20-18 and then the Trojans closed out the set by tallying 5 of the last 7 points. The second set was knotted at 21-21 before Concordia ran off 3 straight points and then held off the late-charging Trojans. The Eagles built an early 7-3 lead in the third set and USC could never catch all the way up as Concordia hit .485 in the set. With the fourth set tied at 6-6, the Trojans scored 7 of the next 8 points to move ahead 13-7 and maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the set while hitting 565. USC went up 5-2 in the fifth set before Concordia tied it at 6-6, but then the Trojans scored the next 3 points, all the cushion it needed to finish out the match.
USC next hosts No. 4 Pepperdine on Saturday (March 2) in the Galen Center in an MPSF match at 7 p.m. PT.
*at No. 9 BYU 3, No. 8 Stanford 2 (21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 17-15)
Recap by BYU
PROVO, Utah – Davide Gardini’s career-high 22 kills led No. 9 BYU to a five-set (21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 17-15) victory over No. 8 Stanford at the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday to remain undefeated at home.
The decisive fifth set began in Stanford’s favor after it claimed the first two points. BYU battled to regain the lead, however, and a Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga kill tied up the set 5-5. Stanford took the advantage again but a Felipe de Brito Ferreira kill evened it out once more, 11-11. A BYU triple block kept Stanford from taking the first possible match point opportunity, and a Taylor Richards pancake ultimately led to BYU taking the set and match point, 17-15.
BYU is now 8-4 on the season with a 4-2 record in the MPSF, while Stanford maintains an 11-6 overall record and a 3-3 MPSF record.
"I thought we did a good job overall," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "The defensive effort from the start was kind of slow on both sides. In the end, the guys found a way to win. To be able to rebound, find a way to win and continue battling is what it comes down to."
Gardini set a career high in kills while hitting at a career-high .515 clip for a five-set match. Wil Stanley set a season high for assists in a five-set match with 54, while also contributing four digs. Gabi Garcia Fernandez added 13 kills, six digs and four blocks to extend his double-digit kill streak to eight matches. As a team, BYU hit a season-high percentage for a five-set match at .365.
In set one, the teams traded points back and forth, with Stanford maintaining a slim lead. Miki Jauhiainenand Gardini each tallied a kill to put the Cougars within one, 14-13. After a tight middle of the set, the Cougars tied it up, 20-20, off of a Jauhiainen kill. However, the Cardinal then went on a 4-0 run to take the set 25-21.
BYU’s strong response at the beginning of the second set led to a Garcia Fernandez ace, putting the score at 2-2. The quick start was followed by a 3-0 run with two kills by Fa’agata-Tufuga and Garcia Fernandez, 7-4. Four kills by Gardini, paired with a de Brito Ferreira ace, boosted the Cougars to a 17-13 edge. A block by Garcia Fernandez and Jauhiainen propelled BYU into the 20’s, and a service error by Stanford sealed the set for the Cougars, 25-17.
BYU’s momentum rolled into the third set as they claimed two back-to-back kills, 4-2. The Cardinal took the advantage, 10-6, but the Cougars slowly chipped away at the deficit. A Gardini ace followed by a block tied the score up 17-17. However, Stanford went on a 4-0 run and claimed its last point on a kill, taking the set 25-21.
The fourth set began much like the first with the teams trading points back and forth. The Cougars claimed a two-point lead going into double digits with a Jauhiainen and Garcia Fernandez block and a Stanford attack error, 11-9. The teams then continued trading points back and forth in an intense competition, until a Garcia Fernandez ace put BYU up at set point, 24-21. Another Gardini kill then gave the Cougars the set, 25-23.
The Cougars face off against Stanford again in their next match on Saturday, Mar. 2, at 7 p.m. PST at the Maples Pavilion. The match will be broadcast live by the Pac-12 and live stats will be located on the men’s volleyball schedule page.