LONG BEACH, Calif. – In a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation showdown, the No. 1 BYU men’s volleyball team made quick of No. 4 Long Beach State in straight sets (25-22, 25-13, 25-15) Saturday on the road.

The victory extends the Cougars’ win-streak to nine straight matches. BYU improves to 17-3 overall and 16-2 in the MPSF while the 49ers fall to 17-7 overall and 13-6 in the MPSF.

“This was as good of a match as we’ve played,” BYU head coach Chris McGown said. “The boys put everything together tonight. We played great defense, we executed our game plan and we did a nice job offensively. We played as well-rounded of a game as I’ve seen us play, and it was against a tough team in a tough environment.”

Freshman Ben Patch led the Cougars with a match-high 12 kills, while junior Taylor Sander and sophomore Josue Rivera added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Sander hit a match-high .476 clip and added six digs. Rivera contributed six blocks, tying a match-best. Senior Ryan Boyce distributed 35 assists.

BYU out-blocked the 49ers 13.5 – 4 and recorded a .434 attack while holding Long Beach State to a .154 clip.  

The first set saw multiple ties after back-and-forth action. The 49ers took a 13-12 advantage but the Cougars fought back to pull ahead 17-15. A 3-1 Long Beach State run tied up the set once again at 18. BYU answered with back-to-back kills from Patch and Rivera to move in front 20-18. Tied at 21, the Cougars went on a 3-0 run capped off by an ace from Rivera for set point. BYU wrapped up the set 25-22 with a kill from Sander.

BYU started the second set strong with a 7-0 run to take an early 8-1 lead and kept the momentum throughout. The Cougars went on to extend their lead to a commanding double-digit advantage, 17-7, after a balanced offensive attack. Rivera set up BYU with set point and Russ Lavaja finished off the set with a kill, 25-13.

The Cougars took a quick 5-2 lead in the third. The 49ers pulled within one but BYU went on a 6-0 run to pad its lead to 14-7. The Cougars stayed on pace for an eight-point edge, 19-11. Long Beach State managed a 3-0 run to cut into BYU’s lead, 20-14, but a Patch kill and 49er error stopped the run. BYU capped off the set with its own 5-1 run. Sander completed the sweep with a kill for the 25-15 set three win.

No. 1 BYU (15-3, 14-2 MPSF)
T-No. 9 Cal State Northridge (10-8, 8-8 MPSF)
No. 4 Long Beach State (16-6, 12-5 MPSF)

PROVO, Utah – The top-ranked BYU men’s volleyball team is back in action after a week off, traveling to take on No. 9 Cal State Northridge Friday and No. 4 Long Beach State Saturday at 7 p.m. PDT both nights.

The Cougars have held the No. 1 spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll for three straight weeks. BYU is also atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings, leading the next closest team by three matches.

The team is No. 1 in the MPSF in hitting percentage with a .322 attack and No. 1 in opponent hitting percentage, holding teams to a .241 clip.

Freshman Michael Hatch is first in the conference in blocks per set with 1.47. Junior Taylor Sander has the fourth-best service aces average at .41 while senior Russ Lavaja’s .485 hitting percentage is good for No. 4.

The Cougars are riding a seven-match win streak dating back to a 3-1 win over USC Feb. 16.

Cal State Northridge

Drew Staker leads the Matadors and the MPSF with a .508 hitting percentage.

Cal State Northridge is coming off back-to-back losses to UCSB, 3-1, and UCLA, 3-2. Against the Bruins, John Baker had 15 kills and Drew Staker hit .600 (10-1-15).

In the teams’ last meeting, BYU grabbed a 3-1 decision over Cal State Northridge Feb. 2 in Provo. The Cougars lead the overall series with the Matadors, 30-22.

Cal State Northridge hosts Cal Baptist Wednesday before welcoming BYU Friday in its home finale.

Long Beach State

Taylor Crabb leads Long Beach State and the MPSF with a 4.36 kills average and is third in points per set with 4.91.

Taylor Gregory has the third-best blocks average in the conference with 1.37 and Connor Olbright is third in assists with 10.82 per set.

As a team, the 49ers are No. 1 in digs in the MPSF with a 9.61 average.

Long Beach State started last week off with a loss to UCLA 3-2 before going on to defeat George Mason, 3-2, and IPFW, 3-0, in the Active Ankle Classic it hosted. Crabb had 18 kills in the sweep after a 21-kill night in the UCLA match.

The 49ers came away with the 3-2 win against BYU in Provo Feb. 1, but the Cougars hold the advantage in the overall series, 24-20.

Long Beach State takes on Cal Baptist Thursday before its matchup with BYU on Saturday.

Live stats will be available for both BYU vs. CS Northridge and BYU vs. Long Beach State through GameTracker.