The BYU men's volleyball team knew going into the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinals that a loss could mean the end of the season.

Nothing has changed.

On Thursday, the third-ranked Cougars rolled over No. 4 Northridge in three games to earn a spot in the MPSF finals. If things had gone according to plan in the other semifinal, BYU would have likely earned itself an NCAA Final Four berth with the victory. But No. 5 Pepperdine upset top-seed and host Long Beach State in three straight games, setting up another win-or-go home scenario for the Cougars tonight.

"Anything can still happen," BYU senior middle blocker Russell Holmes said. "All week long all the guys have been having a strange feeling, a good feeling. We're relaxed and confident and we're still super focused. We dominated last night, but still have to play with fire. We've got more to do."

Against Northridge, senior Ivan Perez led the way with 16 kills and Holmes had nine total blocks as the Cougars came up with one of their more dominant performances of the season.

"We got the matchups we wanted," BYU head coach Shawn Patchell said. "Jonathan Charette was blocking Eric Vance and Russell Holmes was blocking Cody Loe, their best middle. That was key. But matchups or no, our guys played with a lot of poise. Every time Northridge made a run, we responded with a run of our own. We did that in all three sets."

BYU and Pepperdine met twice during the regular season in Provo, with the Cougars winning both matches (3-0, 3-1). The Waves have one of those "you-can't-stop-him, you-can-only-hope-to-contain-him" guys in 6-foot-7 Australian Paul Carroll, who had 57 kills in the two matches against BYU earlier this season. Carroll had 21 kills in the semifinal win over Long Beach State, including 10 in Game 3.

"Carroll is going to get his kills," Patchell said. "We're not gonna stop this guy. We've got to get some timely blocks and dig a few balls. Hopefully, we'll play a well-balanced match."

The playoff scenario makes BYU's mission clear.

No. 1 Penn State is almost a sure thing to win the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association post-season title and one other Final Four team will come from the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. If Pepperdine wins the MPSF final, it would earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA championships in Irvine. Then the Final Four committee would have to choose an at-large team, which traditionally comes from the MPSF. BYU, Long Beach State and Northridge would all be candidates for that bid.

It would likely come down to BYU and Long Beach State. The two teams tied for the MPSF regular-season title but the 49ers beat BYU twice in Long Beach in March. Then again, the 49ers lost in the league tournament at home to a lower seed and BYU advanced to the final.

Tough call.

To avoid that kind of 50-50 proposition, BYU simply needs to win tonight. The Cougars have been the hottest team in the MPSF over the past month, winning eight matches in a row. Five of those wins have been 3-0 sweeps.

"We have a chance to win two championships (regular season and tournament)," Patchell said. "We want to go to the Final Four. We don't want to leave it to a vote."

• Mortarboards and surfboards: Patchell drove Perez to the airport Friday morning at 4:30 a.m. The reason? Perez, an electrical engineering major, wanted to walk with his class in Provo in front of friends and family who came all the way from Puerto Rico. He had another flight back to Long Beach on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Patchell took advantage of the California beaches by going surfing (Bronco Mendenhall, eat your heart out.)

"It's kind of a ritual for me," said Patchell, who grew up in Laguna Beach. "It's therapy. I tend to coach a little better after I surf."

Patchell also took the rest of his team to the beach for a couple hours -- no surfing allowed.

But also therapeutic.

"They all looked a little healthier after we left," Patchell said.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at ddickson@heraldextra.com

No. 3 BYU (25-4) vs. No. 5 Pepperdine (15-10)

When: Tonight, 8 p.m. MT

Where: The Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. (5,000)

Radio/TV: None

Internet: A live internet broadcast of tonight's match is available at byucougars.com. Select the "launch broadband channel" on the BYU All Access video player. The cost of the game is $7.95.

The Word: Pepperdine upset top-seed Long Beach State 3-0 to earn the title game berth. ... BYU beat Pepperdine twice in Provo March 7 and 8.

Men's College Volleyball Playoffs

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament

Thursday

Semifinals at Long Beach, Calif.

No. 5 Pepperdine def. No. 1 Long Beach State 3-0 (30-27, 30-22, 43-41)

No. 2 BYU def. No. 3 Northridge 3-0 (30-22, 30-28, 30-26)

Today

MPSF finals at Long Beach, Calif.

No. 5 Pepperdine (15-10) vs. No. 2 BYU (25-4), 8 p.m. MT

Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament

Thursday

Semifinals at Columbus, Ohio

No. 10 Ball State def. No. 14 Lewis 3-1 (30-28, 30-26, 27-30, 31-29)

No. 9 Ohio State def. Loyola 3-0 (30-22, 30-26, 30-27)

Today

Championship at Columbus, Ohio

No. 10 Ball State (21-9) vs. No. 9 Ohio State (19-7), 6 p.m. MT

Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament

Thursday

Semifinals at University Park, Penn.

No. 11 George Mason def. NJIT 3-2 (30-21, 30-25, 26-30, 20-30, 15-13)

No. 1 Penn State def. NYU 3-0 (30-22, 30-21, 30-20)

Today

Finals at University Park, Penn.

No. 11 George Mason (20-7) vs. No. 1 Penn State (26-1), 5:30 p.m. MT