No. 2 BYU Volleyball Defeats No. 8 Pepperdine Tying Second-Best Start In History

PROVO, Utah – The No. 2 ranked BYU men’s volleyball team defeated No. 8 Pepperdine tying the Cougars’ second-best start in program history.

The Cougars hosted the Waves at George Albert Smith Fieldhouse in Provo on Saturday, February 8.

BYU won sets one (25-18), two (25-22), and four (25-20) on its way to a 3-1 win over the Pepperdine. The Waves extended the match to a fourth set after taking set three (25-23).

This is the first season the Cougars have started the season with a 12-0 record since 2008.

In 2008, BYU fell to No. 5 Pepperdine 2-3 in the MPSF Championship game.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008, YOUR COUGS ARE 12-0#GoCougs | #BYUMVB pic.twitter.com/OgV0rsv6AH

— BYU Volleyball (@BYUvolleyball) February 9, 2020

BYU’s best start to a season came in 1999 when the Cougars started with 18 consecutive victories before suffering a 2-3 loss to Long Beach State. The Cougars finished the 1999 season with a 30-1 record and a win over Long Beach State in the MPSF Championship for the school’s first national championship title.

Saturday’s victory was BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead’s 100th career victory. Olmstead has coached at BYU since 2008 and has led the men’s volleyball program since the 2016 season.

Davide Gardini finishes the match and continues #BYUMVB's undefeated season. The Cougs' are now 12 and 0, and Shawn Olmstead takes home his 100th career win.#PeppvsBYU pic.twitter.com/cyySfKr6Pz

— BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) February 9, 2020

BYU’s next match is against Grand Canyon at GCU Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The Antelopes have an 8-2 record this season. BYU owns a 4-1 all-time record against Grand Canyon.

The Cougars and Antelopes play on Friday, February 14 at 6 p.m. (MDT).