'I guess I'm Jon's brother now': Stanley brothers pacing No. 2 BYU men's volleyball's big hopes

PROVO — Wil Stanley is a four-year men's volleyball standout at BYU, a two-year starting setter with 936 career assists, 147 digs and 56 blocks.

But the Honolulu native earned just one title last year, when he was walking into the Cougars’ Student-Athlete Building before an on-campus dinner.

"Hey, you play volleyball, right?" came the question as he stepped inside. "You're Jon’s brother, aren’t you?"

"I started last year, but I guess I’m Jon's brother now," said Stanley, referring to his younger brother and the Cougars’ current redshirt freshman serve specialist. "Everybody loves him, and everybody knows his name."

For a guy who almost didn’t come to BYU, Jon Stanley has found a way to endear himself to the BYU fan base quickly. The younger brother of Wil and son of former BYU All-American Jon Stanley, he was originally committed to Hawaii as a walk-on outside hitter.

When Wil Stanley encouraged his 6-foot-2 brother to come to BYU as a libero, it didn’t take long for him to jump at the chance. Play college volleyball on the mainland, at the same place that launched his father to a hall of fame career and berth in the 1968 Olympics? Plus, to play alongside his family?

It was almost too good to be true.

"It felt like the right thing, to go to BYU," said the younger Stanley, whose older brother Clay starred at Hawaii before a professional and international volleyball career. "I thought it would be cool to go to school with (Wil) for the first time since elementary school."

Even better with the possibility to chase a national title, too. The undefeated Cougars (8-0) are ranked No. 2 in the latest AVCA Coaches' poll, and host No. 3 UC Santa Barbara in a two-match set beginning Friday (7 p.m. MST, BYUtv).

After acclimating through injuries and typical freshman struggles in 2019, Jon Stanley has jumped with both feet into the Cougars' 2020 campaign. He didn't travel with the team during a season-opening Midwest trip to Loyola Chicago and Lewis, but was on the bench and revved up for No. 3 BYU's home opener against No. 15 Penn State.

Good thing, too.

The freshman with a wicked jump serve came into the match with a chance to uncork his unique hybrid floater as the Cougars tried to close out a sweep of the Nittany Lions back on Jan. 10. Penn State stepped to the line expecting a typical freshman float-serve — but the younger Stanley snapped his wrist at the last second, and a screwball-like serve with the speed of a jump-served rocket smashed inside the back corner.

"We all hate when he is serving," Wil admits of the specialty blend.

Perfect placement. Perfect speed. Ace — the first of Stanley’s career.

Big brother leaped higher than he ever has in a match at BYU.

"You see the work he's put in, and he’s gotten so much better," said Wil Stanley, who was a serve-receive sub as a freshman, as well. "He came in, did the work, did the same thing all fall — and to get an ace in his first home match is probably the greatest moment I’ve had in my time at BYU.

"I know the pressure that is, and to see him do it and step up to it, to shine in that moment — it was very special."

After the match, there was an even bigger surprise. After a team meeting in the volleyball offices, Jon Stanley re-entered the fieldhouse to a boom of screaming coeds and fans, many of whom were there by his personal invitation.

"A lot of people that were there were friends and family," he said. "It was amazing for everyone to come out and watch me play in my first-ever collegiate volleyball match.

"It was amazing. Just feeling the love on that end of the fieldhouse; I was literally crying when I came out and saw everyone’s faces."

It was so loud, so unexpected, and so zealous that it caught BYU coach Shawn Olmstead off guard during his postgame media interviews.

"The guys, we love him and I've been telling him all week that Jon is going to come in and score an ace," Olmstead said. "He was going to serve an ace, he’d get excited, and then he did just that.

"He's probably some social media star that I don’t even know about."

Jon Stanley has three aces and two digs to go along with three service errors in seven matches for the Cougars, a far cry from superstardom (or even whatever Wil will call his status on the team and in the MPSF).

But he’s on his way. He's with the team, celebrating on the bench, and shouting out to his 1,000-plus followers on Instagram with zeal, enthusiasm and a wide smile.

"On social media, he's the same person as he is in-person," Wil Stanley said. "He doesn’t change at all. It’s this genuineness about him that makes everybody so happy to be with him."

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