BYU men’s volleyball season preview: Cougars don’t mess around when it comes to scheduling
- BYU’s Tyler Herget (3) is introduced before the start of a men’s college volleyball match against Princeton at the Smith Fieldhouse on Monday, January 23, 2024.
- BYU’s Luke Benson takes a swing in a men’s college volleyball match against UC Irvine at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
- BYU’s Miks Ramanis serves the ball during an MPSF men’s volleyball match against UCLA in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.
Most men’s college volleyball programs will be playing in exhibitions or scrimmages this weekend.
Not BYU.
The Cougars are not only playing a pair of road matches against No. 11 Ohio State but will be competing on the same floor (the Covelli Center) where the 2025 NCAA Final Four will be held in May.
BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said he never intended for his team to play matches so early in the season but couldn’t pass up the opportunity when it arose.
“We get to go to Ohio State and we’re really excited about it,” Olmstead said. “In normal years, its up to about two weeks that we have training before we play.”
The Cougars are a mix of returning starters and intriguing newcomers with the usual high expectations. BYU was picked No. 6 in the first American Volleyball Coaches poll of the season and selected third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation poll behind No. 1 UCLA and No. 7 USC.
Where were we?
The Cougars finished 16-9 overall and 7-5 in MPSF play in 2024. Leading up to the league tournament, BYU was No. 4 in RPI and had a shot at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. But the Cougars lost to USC in a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals.
The loss was yet another heartbreaking finish for BYU, which has ended the season with a five-set loss nine times since 2004. Its past three losses in the MPSF Tournament have all been in cinco sets.
Luke Benson and Miks Ramanis both earned honorable mention AVCA All-American citations. BYU was hit pretty hard by graduation with opposite hitter Kupono Brown (2.54 kills per set, 38 aces), middle blocker Gavin Julien (.426 hitting percentage) and emotional leader Jon Stanley all moving on.
Running it back
Benson (3.45 kills per set, .344 hitting percentage) and Ramanis (2.88 kps) are seniors and give the Cougars two excellent pin hitters to attack opposing defenses. Junior setter Tyler Herget (9.74 assists per set, 21 aces) started 24 of 25 matches last season and senior Noah Haine also has experience at that position. Senior middle blocker Teon Taylor (1.23 kps, 490, 73 total blocks) gives BYU an experienced presence at the net after playing in 69 matches during his career. A pair of talented returning liberos/defensive specialists — juniors Jackson Fife (1.50 digs per set) and Bernardo Adam (1.10 dps) — should help keep the offense running smoothly.
“It’s always good to have experience,” Olmstead said. “I think that’s kind of the master teacher.”
Joining Taylor in the middle will be junior Ethan Gant (17 blocks in 16 sets last season), returned missionary Gavin Chambers or true freshman Nikolai Hales.
The Cougars should also benefit from a chemistry-building spring trip to Europe where they played matches in Turkey, Spain and Portugal.
New faces
Hawaii transfer Keoni Thiim, a 6-foot outside hitter, should quickly become a crowd favorite with his explosive ability.
“Fans love good serving and Keoni can really get after it,” Olmstead said. “Honestly, probably right off the bat, I can say with a lot of confidence that he’s the best server on our team. He has a really high volleyball IQ.”
Lucas Torres, a 6-4 junior outside hitter from Vancouver, British Columbia, by way of Brazil, also joins the team this season.
“It’s going to be a little adjustment for him, but he’s been playing and training at a really high level,” Olmstead said. “He can bring a pretty good serve as well. He’s a very physical player, a good jumper and attacker. He has a really strong arm.”
Another key addition for BYU is returned missionary Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga, a 6-5 sophomore who last played for the Cougars in 2021.
“That kid, watch out,” Olmstead said. “He’s going to be really, really good. I think we’ll see him playing this weekend. He’s going to do a darn good job and going to become a really special player here at BYU.”
Line ’em up
January is a gauntlet for the Cougars, with road matches at Ohio State, No. 5 Ball State and No. 3 UC Irvine. They also hosts No. 4 Hawaii for a pair of matches at the end of the month.
BYU will play four of the five teams in front of them in the AVCA poll and nine of the top 15.
“I’ve put together one of the toughest schedules in the country,” Olmstead said. “In fact, I put that up against anybody. I can bet that it is the toughest January schedule, and it’s not even a close comparison. There’s not even a close number two. So we’re going to do that. I told the guys that this was the year for us to do that, where we’ve got some depth and and so that we can battle those guys and put ourselves in a position to get get a really, really solid look at who we are and where we’re at, and then we go from there.”
Outlook
The schedule should be ample preparation for the MPSF Tournament, where Olmstead believes his team can earn its first NCAA Tournament invitation since 2021.
“Everything we’re going to do this year has got to put us in the best position to maximize the end of the year,” Olmstead said. “I think we’re a little bigger and stronger than we have been in the last few years. I think you’re going to see that right off the bat when you walk into the gym. You’re going to see it from the guys serving. You’re going to see it from the guys attacking. You’re going to see it from their movement in the back row and they’ll be a little quicker. That comes because of experience and it comes with continuing to strength train, just getting a little bit better and seeing things a little earlier.”
BYU Men’s Volleyball
Five Things to Watch in 2025
1. Serve it up
Miks Ramanis and newcomers Keoni Thiim and Lucas Torres are all power servers, which is the best way to keep opponents out of system.
2 Early tests
BYU will roll into a difficult January with what could be the toughest schedule in the country.
3. Strong at the net
The Cougars will be searching for someone to join returner Teon Taylor in the middle, with junior Ethan Gant, returned missionary Gavin Chambers and true freshman Nikolai Hales the candidates.
4. Peaking at the right time
BYU has ended the season with a five-set loss nine times since 2004. The Cougars will need to finish strong at the MPSF Tournament to get back to the NCAAs.
5 Home sweet Home
After going 14-0 in the Smith Fieldhouse, BYU was 9-5 at home in 2024. Returning to home court dominance will be huge this season.