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BYU's Miks Ramanis (23) attacks the ball in a men's college volleyball match against Harvard in the Smith Fieldhouse on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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BYU's Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga attacks the ball against the Harvard block in a men's college volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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Victories come in all flavors.

BYU’s 3-1 win (21-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-21) against Harvard on Monday was a bit on the vanilla side, but vanilla is a much better taste to finish with than the bitterness the Cougars had in their mouths after a first-set loss to the Crimson.

“I was super proud of our guys for finding a way to win,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “They didn’t let themselves get rattled after dropping the first set. Sometimes things aren’t going your way, but not getting out of it is the key. Teon (Taylor) was steady with no hitting errors. Teilon (Tufuga) was great as well. Overall, I was proud that they didn’t overdo it and remained focus in the match.”

Luke Benson led the Cougars with 17 kills and was joined in double figures by Tufuga (15) and Miks Ramanis, who had 14.

“I think we’re on an upward trend right now,” Ramanis said. “This game was a good learning moment. We didn’t play our greatest game by any means in serving, passing or attacking. It taught us the importance of being super aggressive on our attacking. When it comes to our season, I think this doesn’t show who we can really be but it shows the potential of what we can truly be.”

Taylor had six kills and hit .429 to go along with two solo blocks and three block assists. Junior setter Tyler Herget recorded nine digs and 44 assists. Freshman middle blocker Niko Hales secured two solo blocks as well, marking the third time this season he has achieved the feat.

Junior transfer Cole Hauser subbed in as libero during the match for the first time in a BYU jersey, finishing with a career-high six digs.

“I thought Cole Hauser came in and did a wonderful job for us,” Olmstead said. “Cole has done that a couple times this year. He has a good energy and a good vibe that helps us on the court. He is a very skilled volleyball player that sees the game steps ahead of everybody else.”

BYU (14-6) combined for 53 kills on the evening and hit a .252 hitting percentage, holding Harvard to a .150 clip.

After getting swept by the Cougars on Saturday, Harvard took off on an 8-2 run to grab a 21-18 lead in the first set and won 25-21.

The Cougars flipped the switch in the second set with a 4-1 run to get things started. Hales and Benson each contributed to another 4-0 run, forcing a timeout by Harvard at 8-2. Benson and Ramanis continued to be a presence as the duo combined for back-to-back kills to advance the lead 15-7. Benson scored twice to bring BYU to set point and the Cougars won it 25-21 on a Harvard service error.

The third set was much closes and the Crimson went on a 4-1 run to take the lead and head into the media timeout with a 15-14 advantage. An ace from Herget put the Cougars back in the lead. Tufuga and Hales added to the frenzy with kill and solo block that forced a Harvard timeout with a two-point lead by BYU. The Cougars went on to secure the third set 25-20.

Ramanis charted back-to-back kills in the fourth set to give BYU a 7-6 advantage. The Cougars forced a Crimson timeout with an 11-8 lead moments later, but

Harvard knotted the score at 14-all moments later. Back-to-back kills from Tufuga gave BYU some fuel into the latter end of the set. A solo block from Gavin Chambers etched a 22-20 lead for the Cougars. An ace from Benson that trickled off the net earned BYU the match point for the 3-1 victory.

BYU (14-6), ranked No. 6 in this week’s AVCA poll, will head out on the road to face conference opponent Grand Canyon (No. 14) at the Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix, Ariz, for two matches Friday and Saturday. Both matches will be broadcast live on Big 10+.

BYU adds Batista to 2025 recruiting class

Olmstead announced the addition of Corbin Batista to his 2025 signing class Tuesday evening.

Batista is a 6-foot-7 outside hitter/opposite who is playing at Alta High School in Sandy this season. His father, Victor Batista, played volleyball for BYU from 2004-06. The elder Batista was a member of the 2004 BYU national champions and was honorable mention All-MPSF as a senior.

Corbin Batista joins Layton Bluth (5-10 libero from Queen Creek, Ariz.), Tyler Johnson (6-3 setter from Weston, Fla., Evan Olmstead (6-foot libero from Highland, Utah) and Trey Thornton (6-6 outside hitter from Spanish Fork) in BYU’s 2025 class.