February 29, 2008

Provo, UT (UWIRE) -- After suffering its first loss of the 2008 season last Saturday, the BYU men's volleyball team, now No. 3 in the polls, will look to rebound in back-to-back home games against the Pacific Tigers this weekend.

And as with any fall from grace, quick recovery is crucial.

Fortunately for the hungry Cougars, a week of much-needed rest and re-assessment has been quite advantageous, especially coming off last weekend's erratic performances marked by unexpected injury and sickness.

"We've just got to get them healthy and competing again," BYU coach Shawn Patchell said after Saturday's loss to Stanford. "We'll take a day off Monday and we'll go hard Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I told the guys Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are more important than Friday and Saturday."

Certainly, preparation will be key to a resurgence in Cougar domination.

Even though the University of Pacific (1-14) has lost its last six matches and only has one win under its belt this season, the wise, senior-led BYU team (12-1) knows better than to underestimate an opponent whose lone win came in a sweep of the same Stanford squad that recently beat the top-ranked Cougars.

"Pacific is another tough team, just like Stanford," Patchell said. "They will be another great test before Pepperdine comes in."

BYU has won eight of its last nine meetings with Pacific and has never lost to the Tigers in Provo. To BYU's mental advantage, the Cougars have won their last four meetings with Pacific. Also, three of the five wins Pacific has over the Cougars have come in five sets and 11 of BYU's wins have been sweeps.

With Pepperdine coming to town Mar. 7, BYU will no doubt benefit from two weeks of prolonged play in front of the vibrant home crowd that has contributed to and characterized its home successes.

Both Friday and Saturday's matches will begin at 7 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse and all general and student admission will be half off until 6:45. Additional promotions will also be available. The matches will also have a free live stats feed which can be accessed by visiting the men's volleyball schedule page at www.byucougars.com. Thelive stats can be launched by clicking on the "Live Stats" link for the appropriate game. Also available for the third season in a row is a live video feed through CSTV All-Access.

(C) 2008 The Daily Universe via UWIRE