Everything earned: Fife among strong BYU men’s volleyball senior class
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- BYU’s Jackson Fife salutes the crowd during Senior Night ceremonies for the men’s volleyball team at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU senior Trent Moser (left) embraces teammate Tennison Lighthall during Senior Night for men’s volleyball at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU senior Jackson Fife (right) embraces men’s volleyball head coach Shawn Olmstead during Senior Night at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Taylor Herget (right) shakes hands with school president Shane Reese during Senior Night for men’s volleyball at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Jackson Fife reacts during an MPSF men’s volleyball match against USC at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU seniors Taylor Herget, Trent Moser, Cole Hauser and Jackson Fife pose with their teammates on Senior Night for men’s volleyball at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Jackson Fife (center) poses for a photo with his family during Senior Night for men’s volleyball at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Gavin Chambers takes a swing against USC in an MPSF men’s volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Connor Oldani takes a swing against USC in an MPSF men’s volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s AJ Cottle (7) and Trent Moser put up a block against USC in an MPSF men’s volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Connor Oldani takes a swing against USC in an MPSF men’s volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
After a spectacular diving save by Jackson Fife that resulted in a BYU point Saturday night against USC, a post on social media proclaimed, “JACKSON FIFE, PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME!”
OK, then.
Fife was one of four Cougar seniors honored after the match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday. The ceremony was doubly emotional for the seniors, their families and their teammates after a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the No. 4 Trojans.
Not a dry eye among those in blue and white.
Fife is a libero and former walk-on from Las Vegas. Aside from the occasional highlight-worthy save, liberos don’t accumulate much attention or flashy statistics. Instead, they are the steadying force. a consistently great first touch that allows the offense to run smoothly.
Statistically, Fife is going to finish in the top 10 all-time at BYU in digs (441) and has played in 81 matches since coming to Provo.
Cougar coach Shawn Olmstead knows Fife means more to the program than any number.
“This is a kid who gave the prayer at the devotional this week,” Olmstead said. “That just doesn’t happen. He was selected to be one of the speakers at the student athlete banquet. I don’t have the words to describe that kid. In every way, he’s on the ball. He’s an unbelievable leader, an unbelievable teammate. He’s never wavered and he’s earned that spot outright on his own.
“He became No. 10 all-time in digs and that’s massive for a little kid from Vegas that we’re weren’t even bringing here. We knew him, but the amount of times he called me over the summer after his mission … we just kind of kept putting him off but he was persistent. He was kind and gracious about it. And he’s become a darned good libero. Other coaches around the country have taken note of Jackson Fife, who has done it through nothing but just work and determination. His volleyball experience in minimal compared to every other libero in the country but his work ethic, his heart, what he does with is team, it’s pretty cool.”
Fife is a biology major who is going to attend dental school in June at Roseman University in South Jordan. He and his wife, Ellsie, plan to move to Salt Lake in a couple of weeks.
“I originally came here to BYU for academics,” Fife said. “I was a walk-on. My freshman year I got here and I was unsure if I was going to play. Shawn gave me a great opportunity. Looking back five years later, I’m so grateful for what BYU provided foe me. The volleyball, the games, those memories are unforgettable. But BYU set me up for the rest of my life. This program came through for me and I was such a blessing to be here.”
The rest of the seniors include Trent Moser, the team’s leading hitter who played two years in Provo, transferred to Grand Canyon then came back when that school eliminated its men’s volleyball program; setter Tyler Herget, who transferred into the program from Penn State and has been a starter for two seasons and Cole Hauser, a backup pin hitter and a transfer from Orange Coast College.
“Honestly, the culture with those guys, that’s probably why I’m a little more emotional today,” Olmstead said. “These guys have entirely changed our culture. I say it over and over, I’ve got the best team on campus with team culture, energy and vibe, and there’s zero doubt in my mind that that’s still the case.”
At the beginning of the season, Fife and his fellow seniors — along with other team leaders — held a meeting.
“We were like, ‘What do we want out of this year?'” Fife said. “We always talk about how great the memories are, but we said we want to be a team that’s just hard to beat, right? Hard every point. We wanted to battle. Since we’re maybe an under-recruited team, maybe we’re an under-skilled team, we’ve got have a lot of heart and we’ve got to do the little things: In the classroom, in the weight room, how we conduct ourselves out of of school and BYU, at home, every little thing matters. We told our team, ‘The way you do anything is the way you do everything.’ We’ve had to adopt that mantra and just kind of go for it.”
BYU has been a Top 10 team this season, posting a 20-9 overall record and 7-5 in MPSF play. Seven of the Cougars losses have been to teams currently ranked in the top six in the AVCA poll. On Friday, BYU finally broke through with a 3-1 victory against the No. 4 Trojans (25-23, 20-25, 30-28, 25-18) on Friday with 18 kills from Connor Oldani, 16 from Moser and 12 from freshman Trevor Herget.
On Saturday, despite a BYU career-high 26 kills from Moser, the Cougars made some critical errors in the fifth set and lost in five (25-19, 27-29, 25-18, 21-25, 12-15).
“Sometimes you’re little concerned about how you’re going to come out the next night,” Olmstead said. “I thought our guys were phenomenal. I thought the turning point was kind of in that in the second set, and then also, kind of in the fourth set. I felt like they were right there at the breaking point, and I just didn’t feel like we did a great job of breaking them. And I thought we made a few too many mistakes on our side. I’ve asked these guys to just continually get better, and I thought we did. And to be honest, I thought we got better from yesterday. So I’m super proud of the guys.”
BYU finishes the regular season with its biggest challenge yet, a pair of road matches at No. 1 UCLA on Thursday and Saturday. The Cougars are working to improve their seeding heading into the MPSF Tournament, which will be held at the Smith Fieldhouse beginning April 22. It’s an opportunity for the program to earn its first NCAA Tournament invite since 2021.
“All season, we’ve had a belief that we can play with the best teams in the country, and our practices have just gotten better and better,” Fife said. “We’ve kind of ramped up, and we just have total self belief. Our team’s unique, because you put us up against USC or UCLA and recruiting-wise, we’re way below those guys, and they’re incredible players. Credit to them, but we can come in and compete with those guys, and we have the self belief to do that. And that’s kind of what we hang our hat on, is that we can come battle with anybody, and we’ve proven that.”
2026 BYU Men’s Volleyball Seniors
Jackson Fife 6-0 Libero from Las Vegas, Nev.
His father, David, played baseball at BYU and his mother, Becky, was a Cougar cheerleader. … Grandfather Tom Fife played baseball for BYU as well. … Jackson is the oldest of seven children. … Majoring in Biology (Pre-Med). … Plans to attend dental school after graduation. … Served a church mission to Brazil Sao Paulo Interlagos and California Ventura (2019-2021). … Has played 79 matches for BYU, totaling 441 digs (1.53 per set) and 129 assists.
Cole Hauser 6-3 Outside Hitter from San Diego, Calif.
Transferred to BYU from Orange Coast College, where he totaled 235 kills, 44 blocks and 91 digs in two seasons. … Was the Orange Coast College Male Athlete of the Year (2024). … Parents are Frances and Lane. … Majoring in business. … Has played in 35 matches, totaling 20 kills, 11 assists and nine aces.
Tyler Herget 6-2 Setter from Darien, Conn.
Father Todd played linebacker at BYU. … Brother Trevor is a freshman on the Cougar roster. … Served a church mission to Argentina Mendoza and Utah Provo (2019-2021). … Transferred from Penn State to BYU in 2023. … Has played in 79 matches for BYU, totaling 2,668 assists (9.33 per set) along with 52 kills, 62 aces, 434 digs and 125 total blocks.
Trent Moser 6-8 Outside Hitter from Gilbert, Ariz.
Mother Mindi Moser played volleyball at Arizona State and siblings Tristyn (BYU) and Trace (Benedictine University) also played college volleyball. … Majoring in Exercise Science. … Is married to Austyn Moser. … Played two seasons at BYU (2022 and 2023) then transferred to Grand Canyon. … Transferred back to BYU for the 2026 season when Grand Canyon cancelled its men’s volleyball program. … This season has totaled 293 kills (3.33 per set) while hitting .336 with 11 aces, 83 digs and 63 total blocks. … Has 872 career kills, 598 at BYU.
