#2 BYU Volleyball dominates #1 Hawaii in sweep

#2 BYU Volleyball swept #1 Hawaii on the Islands on Thursday night (25-15, 25-17, 25-20) in a battle of the undefeated.

The Cougars were dominant as they shocked the volleyball powerhouse in what many expected to be a thrilling and tight match. With the victory, BYU broke Hawaii’s 26 game home win streak and extended their own win streak to 17 with a 17-0 record on the season.

BYU burst out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and never looked back, comfortably winning the set by ten with the 25-15 win. BYU hit a wild .706 in the set.

Set two was all BYU again, with the Cougars hitting .684. BYU had 5 aces in the first two sets. The Cougars cruised to a 25-17 win.

The third set was special from BYU, who had 5 more aces in just the set. Gabi Garcia Fernandez, who ended the night with a team high 13 kills and unbelievable 8 aces, had three straight aces to give the Cougars a 5 point gap midway through the set. BYU would go on to win 25-20.

BYU rose to the challenge in style Thursday night, not just dominating on the court but in the stat book as well. BYU hit a school record .603 while Hawaii hit .250. BYU had 11 blocks to Hawaii’s 5 and the Rainbow Warriors had 14 errors while the Cougars had just 5.

Davide Gardini and Zach Eschenberg were special, hitting .750 and .500 respectively and each adding 10 kills on the night. BYU played without starter Felipe de Brito Ferreira, but BYU hardly skipped a beat as they controlled the Rainbow Warriors.

BYU plays Hawaii again Friday night at 10 p.m. MT. BYU has the opportunity to open up 18-0, which would tie the 1999 school record 18-0 start. BYU would go on to win the national championship with a 30-1 final record.

Should BYU win Friday night, they would undoubtedly be ranked #1 when the new polls come out next week. Fans can tune in tonight on the Big West streaming network. Click here to watch.