Post by lalalaluuuke on Mar 2, 2007 16:21:04 GMT -5
Friday, March 02, 2007
Cougar spikers head out on long road trip
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DARNELL DICKSON - Daily Herald
Fans who caught BYU's sweep of Hawaii on Saturday better have a long memory, because the Cougars won't be back in the Smith Fieldhouse for a while.
Third-ranked BYU (11-4 overall, 7-3 MPSF) plays at No. 12 USC today and Saturday, the first of three straight California road trips. BYU has road matches against No. 4 UCSB (March 9-10) and No. 11 Cal-Northridge (March 23-24) before finally returning home for 14th-ranked Long Beach State on March 29 and 30.
"This road trip could be the defining moment of our season," said BYU co-head coach Ryan Millar.
After losing four straight matches, BYU took two from Hawaii last weekend and seemed to regain some of the form it had during a 9-0 start. Millar and co-head coach Shawn Patchell said they thought the team was a little tentative in some matches and worked hard to instill a sense of urgency in the players.
"We got the point across to never give up, go for every ball," Millar said. "Don't hesitate, just go get it."
That effort was evident in the Hawaii matches, where hustle plays turned the momentum in several games. Millar also wants the team to be ready to go from the start of matches.
"In the first game (on Saturday), we weren't playing very well," Millar said. "Then we got a couple of blocks from Russell Holmes and that got us going. But we can't wait to make one or two plays to flip the switch."
USC (6-9, 5-7) started slowly this season but has won three of its past four matches. The Trojans split with Hawaii in Honolulu, then beat Stanford and No. 9 Pacific. USC also has a 3-0 win over No. 5 UCLA, the first victory over its rival school in men's volleyball since 2000 and the first sweep in the series since 1991.
Junior Juan Figueroa (6-2 OH) leads USC with 4.76 kills per game and opposite C.J. Schellenberg (6-7 So.) averages 3.93. Like BYU, the Trojans are a young team with mainly underclassmen contributing.
Yosleyder Cala (6-8 So.) paces the BYU attack with 4.12 kills per game and is hitting a healthy .417. Junior Ivan Perez (3.70 kpg) and freshman Robby Stowell (3.69) give BYU a strong offensive attack. Freshman setter Yamil Perez is averaging 13.44 assists per game. While BYU is hitting .337, opponents have managed a percentage of just .195.
BYU will miss the comfy confines of the Fieldhouse, where the Cougars lead the nation in men's volleyball attendance with an average of 3,924 fans per home match.
Cougar spikers head out on long road trip
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DARNELL DICKSON - Daily Herald
Fans who caught BYU's sweep of Hawaii on Saturday better have a long memory, because the Cougars won't be back in the Smith Fieldhouse for a while.
Third-ranked BYU (11-4 overall, 7-3 MPSF) plays at No. 12 USC today and Saturday, the first of three straight California road trips. BYU has road matches against No. 4 UCSB (March 9-10) and No. 11 Cal-Northridge (March 23-24) before finally returning home for 14th-ranked Long Beach State on March 29 and 30.
"This road trip could be the defining moment of our season," said BYU co-head coach Ryan Millar.
After losing four straight matches, BYU took two from Hawaii last weekend and seemed to regain some of the form it had during a 9-0 start. Millar and co-head coach Shawn Patchell said they thought the team was a little tentative in some matches and worked hard to instill a sense of urgency in the players.
"We got the point across to never give up, go for every ball," Millar said. "Don't hesitate, just go get it."
That effort was evident in the Hawaii matches, where hustle plays turned the momentum in several games. Millar also wants the team to be ready to go from the start of matches.
"In the first game (on Saturday), we weren't playing very well," Millar said. "Then we got a couple of blocks from Russell Holmes and that got us going. But we can't wait to make one or two plays to flip the switch."
USC (6-9, 5-7) started slowly this season but has won three of its past four matches. The Trojans split with Hawaii in Honolulu, then beat Stanford and No. 9 Pacific. USC also has a 3-0 win over No. 5 UCLA, the first victory over its rival school in men's volleyball since 2000 and the first sweep in the series since 1991.
Junior Juan Figueroa (6-2 OH) leads USC with 4.76 kills per game and opposite C.J. Schellenberg (6-7 So.) averages 3.93. Like BYU, the Trojans are a young team with mainly underclassmen contributing.
Yosleyder Cala (6-8 So.) paces the BYU attack with 4.12 kills per game and is hitting a healthy .417. Junior Ivan Perez (3.70 kpg) and freshman Robby Stowell (3.69) give BYU a strong offensive attack. Freshman setter Yamil Perez is averaging 13.44 assists per game. While BYU is hitting .337, opponents have managed a percentage of just .195.
BYU will miss the comfy confines of the Fieldhouse, where the Cougars lead the nation in men's volleyball attendance with an average of 3,924 fans per home match.