BYU Roundup: No. 8 Cougars pick up another sweep at No. 15 UCSB
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- The BYU men’s volleyball team swept No. 15 UC Santa Barbara twice on the road on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 and Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Behind a season-high 15 total blocks as a team, No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball picked up its second sweep in as many nights with a 29-27, 25-20, 25-20 sweep of No. 15 UC Santa Barbara, Friday night on the road.
BYU middles Max Philippe and Gavin Chambers had six blocks each, leading the Cougars. Trent Moser, Connor Oldani and Tyler Herget each had four blocks. Trevor Herget added two and Teilon-Jonathan Tafuga had one.
“It was a great first road trip for the team,” said Shawn Olmstead, BYU head coach. “Very, very proud of their toughness and consistency over the course of two matches. Trent Moser, Jackson Fife and Tyler Herget showed great leadership this weekend. Max Philippe did great filling a role as we navigate a couple injuries.”
Moser was the only player in the match to record double-digit kills, finishing with 13. Oldani added seven and Philippe four.
Philippe, a freshman making his third career start, set a new career high in kills for the third straight match. His six blocks are also a career high.
The Cougars remain on the road but will head to the opposite coast, playing three matches next weekend in Boston against Lincoln Memorial, Harvard and Merrimack.
Gymnastics team tops Arizona
With a 196.300 to 195.250 victory, the Cougars stayed undefeated at home with three straight wins at the Marriott Center and a 4-3 record overall.
Heading into the second rotation, the Wildcats led the Cougars 49.025-48.925.
BYU’s strong bars rotation earned a team score of 49.125, its highest on the event since opening week. The Cougars took the lead heading into the third rotation, 98.050-97.675.
Onto the beam, Scarlett Sonnenberg tied her career high with a 9.825. Brynlee Andersen-Broekman followed later in the rotation with a 9.875. True freshman Hazel Smith tallied a 9.775 to close out the third event of the evening.
Heading into the final rotation, BYU extended its lead to nearly a full point after scoring 48.975, making the total 147.025-146.500.
The Cougars matched their season-high team score on floor with a 49.275, finishing with a 196.300 to secure the victory.
Cutting breaks indoor mile school record
BOSTON – Carter Cutting broke the school record in the indoor mile, while Tayvon Kitchen moved to No. 2 all-time in the 5000-meter and Isaac Hedengren set the No. 3 mark in the 3000m at the John Thomas Terrier Classic on Saturday.
Cutting took 11th in the mile, crossing the line in a school-record 3:54.38. The Wilsonville, Oregon native cut two seconds off his personal best to set the record after moving up to No. 3 on BYU’s all-time list just last month. The junior took the top spot from Miles Batty, who set the previous record in 2012 with a 3:54.54, and also surpassed Lucas Bons’ 3:54.82 effort from 2024. Cuttings school record performance marks the nineth fastest time in the NCAA this season.
At the Utah State Roman Ruiz Speed and Power Invitational, Logan Hubler tied All-American Ben Barton for the No. 3 all-time BYU record in the 60-meter hurdles at the Utah State Roman Ruiz Speed and Power Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
The senior from San Tan Valley, Arizona, crossed the line in 7.82 to take first overall, setting the mark in his first appearance in the event since returning from injury. Hubler improved his personal best, previously set during the 2025 season, by 0.6 seconds.
Women’s golf rallies to fifth-place finish
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — BYU women’s golf (303-294-291-888) posted a 24-over par on its scorecard to finish in fifth place at the Collegiate Invitational at Guadalajara Country Club on Saturday.
“We are super proud of the girls for responding so well after a discouraging day,” said head coach Carrie Roberts. “We put a strong emphasis on self belief, the things we could control and the can do attitude. The three most important mental skills taught by Dr. Craig Manning.”
After finishing Friday in 11th, the Cougars responded with a 5-over-par in their final 27 holes following 19-over par in their first 27. BYU battled back from an event-worst 15-over-par first round to a 6-over-par second round, third-best score of the round, and a 3-over-par final round, fourth-best score of the round. The Cougars have finished in the top-5 in back-to-back tournaments dating back to the Rainbow Wahine Invitational last October.
Women’s, men’s tennis earns team victories
Led by junior Gracie Levelston, BYU women’s tennis earned a 5-2 road victory over Idaho State Bengals on Saturday afternoon at the Idaho State Tennis Courts in Pocatello.
“Road wins are never easy, and our team showed great resilience and belief in each other,” BYU head coach Holly Hasler said. “Different players rose to the moment when needed, our energy was contagious, and the bonding on this trip made it even more special.”
In Honolulu, the BYU men’s tennis team improved to 3-0 with a late-night win against Hawaii, defeating the Rainbow Warriors 4-1 and giving the Cougars their first undefeated start through three matches since 2019.
“A total team effort and a real character win today. With multiple rain delays, we finished just before midnight, making for an amazing college tennis atmosphere at the University of Hawaii,” head coach Zack Warren said. “We got down early after doubles, but these guys like to compete and were ready to go in singles. It’s been a great week in Hawaii, fortunate for the team to be able to create these memories and coming home with two quality wins is huge.”
