PROVO — When Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga was newly released from his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he set his sights on BYU volleyball and helping the perennial power get back to championship form.

Even he couldn’t have predicted his Cougar career would start so early.

Fa’agata-Tufuga has started five of the Cougars’ first seven matches of the season, and he could be in play against as the No. 3 BYU (6-1, 2-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) hosts No. 7 UC Irvine (6-2, 3-2 MPSF) for a pair of matches Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. MT in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“I came straight off my mission, and I didn’t think I was going to perform the same way,” the 6-foot-3 freshman said. “When coach told me to go in and play, I was a little surprised.”

Because of injuries and lineup rotations, BYU coach Shawn Olmstead has had to play the freshman, as well as freshman libero Mitchel Worthington, in every match this season.

But the talent of his young outside hitter made the decision easier to make.

“Storm jumps 50 inches, so that helps. That’s the easy answer,” Olmstead said with a laugh.

“Storm has a lot of volleyball experience. He comes from a volleyball family, and he’s played a lot. He has that experience, and now he’s just adjusting to the college level. But he’s doing a really good job, and he did a great job this weekend.”

That didn’t make the call-up any easier, Fa’agata-Tufuga admits. He started BYU’s first three home matches of the season in place of outside hitter Brenden Sander during a three-match win streak against McKendree and Concordia Irvine. Fa’agata-Tufuga then replaced the injured Jake Langlois in a pair of 3-1 wins at Cal State Northridge last week while hitting .220 on the season.

“The boys helped me out a lot, trying to make me feel comfortable on the court,” Fa’agata-Tufuga said. “They just helped me stay positive and everything.”

The freshman from Long Beach, California, credits the hitting tandem of Sander, Langlois and star opposite Ben Patch for helping him adjust to his new school so quickly after a mission.

Each of the three attackers has something Fa’agata-Tufuga is trying to model in his own game; Sander’s physical play from a smaller frame, and Langlois’ leadership, for example.

But in his first road start last week in Northridge’s Matadome, Fa’agata-Tufuga said Patch’s composure in a hostile environment impressed him most.

“He doesn’t let the negative energy around him get to him. It just washes off,” he said. “That’s something I would like to learn. Sometimes I let the crowd get into my head in away games, and he doesn’t care what other people say. He’s just focused on the team.”

Fa’agata-Tufuga immediately impressed spectators with the force of his spikes. He’s knocked down 21 kills on 50 attempts with several that echo across the Smith Fieldhouse with the force of his impact.

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It’s a force that has already become well-known from a young player who didn’t who grew up down the road from West Coast power Long Beach State but never attended a volleyball camp in the offseason.

“It’s bow-and-arrow form, and then I just hit,” Fa’agata-Tufuga said. “I try to find space in the blocks, and if there’s a hole, I hit it as hard as I can toward the area.”

Of course, the freshman’s chances have come under less-than-ideal circumstances as Sander and Langlois struggled early with minor injuries.

Olmstead was simple and blunt when asked about the team’s injury struggles through the first seven games of the season, even as they opened the season 2-0 in MPSF play. He said the Cougars continue to get healthier, and they are working double-time to make sure the team is at full speed as they prepare for the Anteaters.

With young players making the most of early playing time, the third-year head coach is excited for the future of the program.

“It’s exciting that those guys are getting opportunities,” Olmstead said. “They aren’t always under the most ideal circumstances … but these guys know they have to be ready any time to play.”

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