After last night's bizarre debacle, the MPSF determined the final points of BYU's match with UCLA would be replayed (again) starting at 16-16 in the fifth set. The Cougars made quick work of the replay, but that's as positive as it got all night on Saturday.
In the replay of Friday's match, Taylor Sander recorded a kill to make it 17-16, then Futi Tavana blocked a UCLA return to give BYU the match with an 18-16 fifth set. The win set the Cougars up with one match to claim the regular-season MPSF title.
But the showing in Saturday's regularly scheduled match was BYU's worst of the season, as the Bruins posted a 25-17, 25-19, 25-17 sweep. BYU was swept only one other time this year, a much more competitive 33-35, 23-25, 22-25 to Stanford.
The result means the Cougars can finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd, but it depends on the results of other teams as BYU is done in conference play. Tiebreakers go BYU's way with UC-Irvine and USC, but against them with UCLA or Stanford. (Despite the 1-1 split with UCLA, BYU needed five sets to down the Bruins, while the Bruins won in three.)
According to Jarom Jordan, BYU would need a loss each from UCLA, USC, and Stanford in order to finish first -- an unlikely combination of results. As it looks, BYU may now be in must-win-MPSF-tournament status to make the national tournament.
The Cougars finish the regular season next Friday and Saturday, April 13-14, in two non-conference matchups against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 20-3 and are regular-season champs of the EIVA conference. Both matches start at 7:00 pm MT.