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PROVO — Brenden Sander totaled 18 kills and five blocks to lead the No. 4 BYU men’s volleyball by No. 2 UCLA, 17-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21 Saturday night in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship match at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Freshman standout Gabi Garcia Fernandez added 12 kills, seven digs and four blocks for the Cougars, who clinched the league’s automatic bid to next week’s NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
“It was an exciting match to be a part of,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said. “Congrats to our opponent UCLA of being here. They battled. It was a hard-fought volleyball match and more than anything, I am excited for this team. I am super happy for them. They have put in a lot of work for this moment.”
Leo Durkin dished out 37 assists with four digs in his final home match at BYU, and Zach Hendrickson supplied 11 digs for the Cougars (22-6).
Jake Arnitz led UCLA (24-7) with 11 kills and six digs, while Daenan Gyimah and Christian Hessenauer each supplied 10 kills for the Bruins.
The Cougars and Bruins, who will likely receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, will learn their selection show fate Sunday at 11 a.m. MT on NCAA.com.
