No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball swept by No. 1 Hawaii in national championship
The No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball team lost the NCAA national championship game to No. 1 Hawaii in straight sets on Saturday night at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
“Any opportunities I had going out after my season last year, I wouldn’t trade any of that for what we got this year with the guys and just the memories and that brotherhood we built,” setter Wil Stanley said after the loss.
Hawaii was dominant in all areas of the game. The Rainbow Warriors hit a .400 clip on attacks, nearly .200 higher than BYU’s .207, and served 10 aces to BYU’s two.
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Shawn Olmstead on BYUSN - 05.07.2021
PROVO On the court, Wil Stanley may be the most important piece of the offense for the second-ranked BYU men s volleyball team.
The quarterback of the team, the 6-foot-4 setter from Honolulu is in charge of setting up every spike, kill and slam to a group that includes All-American hitters Gabi Garcia Fernandez and middle blockers Felipe de Brito Ferreira and Miki Jauhiainen.
Basically, if it s an attack, chances are Stanley has to guide it.
But last year, the senior with the Spirit of Aloha was called on for an even bigger task one that had very little to do with sets, bumps and spikes.
BYU men’s volleyball punches ticket to national championship game with victory over Lewis
The No. 2 BYU men’s volleyball team advanced to the national championship game with a 3-1 victory over Lewis in the NCAA tournament semifinals on Thursday night at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
“Credit to Lewis for hanging in there being down 2-0. They turned the tide a bit there, but even more credit to our guys for fighting through that lull too,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “A tough, super close third set and then a really close fourth set, so I’m proud of our guys coming around.”
PROVO It s been 17 years since BYU men s volleyball won a national championship in 2004, but never has it felt so close as when the Cougars landed in Columbus for this year s tournament with the No. 2 overall seed.
Of course, BYU has been close to its fourth title before, only to fall agonizingly short of the ultimate goal. This year could prove to be no exception, with No. 1 Hawaii still the top-rated team in the country despite a loss in the Big West Tournament semifinals more than two weeks ago.
That was the Warriors first loss of the season. Prior to the stunning upset by UC San Diego, you had to go all the way back to last season to find another loss in the islands, during a two-match split with the same BYU team that now sits on the opposite side of the seven-team bracket at the Covelli Center on the campus of Ohio State University.