PROVO — Every now and then, new BYU men's volleyball coach Shawn Olmstead has to remind himself to coach.

It's not that he isn't doing his job since moving his office down the hall following the women's volleyball team's trip to the national championship match. But a year after BYU went 17-10, including an average 14-8 record in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, his new players know what they need to do get back to the top of the college volleyball world.

"They return a lot of good experience. They get back off missions great experience, and it's a good all-around group," Olmstead said after a heavy-hitting practice. "There's good senior leadership, with a nice mix of young guys that are excited to play and contribute. I think it's a good mix of a lot of different components."

The Cougars, who opened the preseason rated No. 1 in the AVCA coaches' poll, open the season Friday when they host defending national champion and No. 3-rated Loyola-Chicago. BYU opened the 2015 season against the Ramblers, falling 3-1 in Stanford, California, to the then-second-ranked squad in the nation.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST Friday in the Smith Fieldhouse. The game is part of the AVCA Showcase, which also features No. 2 UC Irvine and No. 14 George Mason.

"It'll be a good test, and we'll get a good idea of where we are, right off the bat.

"A lot of coaches want to start off slow to get things going, but it's good for us to have this nice showcase that the AVCA is putting on," Olmstead said. "The fans are going to come and pack this place, so it'll be good for us to get a good idea against a good opponent. It will allow the guys to analyze where they are at."

Olmstead may be the newest member of the team, which returns five starters from last year and also gets back former starter Ben Patch at opposite hitter. The sophomore returned from a two-year mission for the LDS Church at the end of last season, after averaging 3.60 kills and 1.09 digs per set as a freshman.

Following a summer with the U.S. national team, Patch feels better than ever, too.

"I feel like I'm a lot better," Patch said. "Through the mission and playing for USA Volleyball this past summer, I've matured a lot mentally and that's transitioned to my game. I'm calm, more precise, and the choices I'd make are a bit more mature."

Patch played during the senior season of former BYU All-American Taylor Sander — and a familiar face greeted him on his first day in the gym … or so he thought, in Sander's younger brother, Brenden.

The two look as much alike as any BYU older brother/younger brother tandem in program history. But Patch said the younger Sander is growing into his role as a sophomore, which could mean big things after Brenden Sander returns from a season when he was the squad's second-best outside hitter averaging 2.26 kills per set.

"Initially, I think Brenden tried to emulate Taylor's moves. But he's realize he has strengths of his own, and he's developed skill sets that cater to his game," Patch said. "It's been really cool to see Brenden progress and become his own player, rather than Taylor's little brother."

Bring Patch in on the opposite side of the net as Sander and leading hitter Jake Langlois will only improve the Cougars' attack, which players and coaches have already dubbed "explosive."

"He spreads the offense out so well, and makes my job as an outside hitter easier," Sander said of Patch. "Blockers have to worry about him, and he brings height.

"I think we have a really big lineup on offense. All the guys in the front row are 6-8; I'm the smallest at 6-4. We have a lot of guys who can go get the ball really high."

The Cougars will have things to work on. Former standout libero Jaylen Reyes is gone in the backline, and BYU will rotate through Evan Chang, Erik Sikes and Chandler Gibb while they try to establish the defense.

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After former setter Tyler Heap left the team a week ago, the Cougars have also been trying to establish senior Robbie Sutton and sophomore Leo Durkin into the rotation. Sutton started through much of the back half of the 2015 season, averaging 9.10 assists per set before the Cougars fell to Southern California in the quarterfinals of the MPSF tournament.

But replacing Reyes, who joined Olmstead's staff as an assistant coach, will be the biggest priority.

"It's a big deal, and at this level, the serve game is important," Olmstead said. "We've got to have a good libero who can take charge and cover a lot of ground. We've got good players, and we'll see this weekend if we can define that more."

However, there was one overarching emotion through the preseason in the Smith Fieldhouse.

"We are ridiculously excited," Sander said. "We've worked so hard this offseason, and we just want to go out there and show everyone what we've got. It's very cool."

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