Halfway through league play, BYU finds itself in need of a 2023-like regular-season finish

The No. 7-ranked BYU men’s volleyball team finds itself in a tight spot with six matches left in the regular season after dropping its fourth MPSF match over the weekend to Stanford.

The Cougars sit in a three-way tie with the Cardinal and USC for fourth place, a spot below where BYU was picked to finish in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

Heading into a pair of matches last weekend at Stanford, BYU’s lone league win was against reigning national champion UCLA. The Cougars remain the Bruins’ only MPSF loss on the year.

After splitting its matches with the Cardinal, BYU now holds a 2-4 record in conference play. Through their first six matches of league play a season ago, the Cougars had an identical record before winning their final six league contests en route to a second-place finish. That year, the school surpassed expectations in a massive way after the preseason poll tabbed them sixth.

Given their experience from a season ago, the Cougars have reason to be optimistic. Last year saw BYU reel off eight consecutive victories to end the year, nearly muscling its way into the NCAA tournament.

“That was the closest I’ve ever been to (making the tournament but) left out,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said.

Ultimately, it was just the kind of ending the program strives for each season and this year is no exception.

“(Our players’) biggest overriding goal is to improve and to be at the best that this group can be by the end of April,” Olmstead said. “The most important thing is to be playing really, really good volleyball by the end of April, when the conference championship (is played) and you’re fighting for a spot in the final tournament. That’s when you want to be playing your best volleyball.”

If last year is any indicator, the Cougars may be able to tap into another gear and make a final push for postseason play as the regular season nears an end. Though, there is one key difference from this season’s schedule compared to 2023.

A year ago, all eight of the Cougars’ final matches were played in the Smith Fieldhouse, where the school finished with a perfect 14-0 record. This year’s schedule does not afford BYU such a luxury; the Cougars play on the road in four of their last six contests to round out the year.

That said, things might be aligning for BYU to have another strong ending to its season. The schedule eases up a bit after the school played its first six league matches against No. 4 Grand Canyon, No. 3 UCLA and No. 6 Stanford — the three highest-ranked squads in the conference.

The Cougars’ final half of conference play may not be as difficult as the first half, but it is not going to be easy. Down the final stretch of the season, BYU matches up with No. 9 Pepperdine, No. 11 USC and unranked Concordia.

Still, Olmstead and his players welcome the challenge. “The fact (is) last year we were ranked as the top conference when the season was done,” he said. “You’d much rather play in that kind of conference than a crappy conference. … But you’ve got to be up for it. You’ve got to understand it. And fortunately for us, that’s kind of been the standard at BYU. So you come here to expect that and you want that.”

Entering the season, the Cougars again seemed to be somewhat discounted, getting picked to finish third despite an impressive end to 2023. But Olmstead gives that little regard.

“It’s way more important, what is going on in the present, instead of trying to worry about proving anything,” he said. “The reality is the present, here and now, and we take … each match for what it is and then we go from there.”

The here and now finds the Cougars again with a lot of ground to make up if they are to finish as dramatically as 2023; however, after exceeding expectations then, it won’t come as a shock if they do it now.