And the second.
And after a brief lull in the third set, that one, as well.
Gabi Garcia Fernandez had 12 kills, four aces and four blocks as the second-ranked and top-seeded BYU men s volleyball swept No. 4 Grand Canyon, 25-14, 25-19, 29-27, in Friday s semifinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo.
Zach Eschenberg had 10 kills, five digs and four blocks for the Cougars (18-3), who advanced to face No. 3 Pepperdine in Saturday s championship match for the third time in conference history and first since 2008.
The Cougars simply dominated from the start, from a run of four consecutive aces from Garcia Fernandez in the first set to Eschenberg s diving dig and set up for another blast in the second.
How Shawn Olmstead brought BYU men’s volleyball back as national championship contenders
Seventeen years ago, BYU men’s volleyball head coach Shawn Olmstead lifted the men’s volleyball NCAA National Championship trophy as a libero for the Cougars.
In the 10-year gap between the national championship win and Olmstead being named head coach, BYU made the NCAA Championship game once in its two NCAA tournament appearances and won one MPSF Championship.
Now, Olmstead has brought BYU men’s volleyball back to glory as the Cougars have made the NCAA Championship game and won an MPSF Tournament title twice during his five-year tenure.
The No. 2 BYU men's volleyball team hung on to sweep No. 4 Grand Canyon University in front of 700 fans in the MPSF semifinal at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.
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BYU Head Coach Shawn Olmstead Interview - 2021 MPSF Men s Volleyball Championship
BYU s Gabi Garcia Fernandez Discusses Upcoming 2021 MPSF Men s Volleyball Championships
PROVO BYU men s volleyball coach Shawn Olmstead was ready for a long day Thursday.
It was the opening day of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men s volleyball tournament. And while the Cougars didn t have a match or even a semifinal opponent to be prepared for, they did have plenty to do.
As part of the rules established by the conference, the remaining winners of seeds 2-7 will essentially be re-bracketed following the first round, with top-seeded BYU playing the lowest remaining seed available in Friday s late semifinal (7 p.m. MDT, FloVolleyball).
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