No. 2 men's volleyball sweeps Stanford in first match with fans

PROVO, Utah – No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball (9-2) swept Stanford (0-6), in a Friday night match-up for the first time in front of live fans in the Smith Fieldhouse. (25-16, 25-15, 25-16)

"It felt great. It felt awesome. There was a lot of noise, I wasn't expecting that much noise." Said head coach Shawn Olmstead "I did get goosebumps which doesnt happen very often. The guys loved it, and I was happy for them, I was happy for everybody; for the administration at BYU and all that they put in to make this possible, and at the state and county level. It was really good." 

Zach Eschenberg led the team with eight kills immediately followed by Gabi Garcia Fernandez with seven. Garcia Fernandez added two service aces to his stat line while David Gardini recorded a team-high of three.

Player Highlights:

• Zach Eschenberg: 8 kills, one service ace, three digs, one block assist
• Gabi Garcia Fernandez: 7 kills, .417 hitting percentage, two service aces, three digs
• Wil Stanley: 31 assists, two digs
• Davide Gardini: 4 kills, one assist, three service aces, four block assists

SET ONE

The two teams were evenly matched through the first points of the game. A late 7-2 run boosted the Cougars to a 23-15 edge. A kill followed immediately by an ace from Zach Eschenberg secured the first set for the Cougars at 25-16.

SET TWO

In the second set, the two teams battled through the first points eventually ending tied at 4-4. Back back-to-back kills from Eschenberg and Gardini followed by a Stanford attack error gave BYU the 7-4 lead. BYU held the lead through the end of the set going on a 7-3 run making the score 21-13. Back-to-back kills from Gardini and Gabi Garcia Fernandez closed out the set for BYU at 25-15.

SET THREE

After trading point to open the third set, BYU took a 10-6 lead on a Gardini ace. Back-to-back errors from the Cardinal followed by another ace from Gardini pushed BYU to a 19-12 lead. Gavin Julien capped the set with a kill and the Cougars secured the sweep at 25-16.

BYU returns to the Smith Fieldhouse for its second game against the Cardinal on Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv.