BYU slips past Lewis to give Hawaii volleyball team a stout challenge

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Punahou product Wil Stanley, above, dished out 43 assists against Lewis on Thursday.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Punahou product Wil Stanley, above, dished out 43 assists against Lewis on Thursday.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Above, BYU’s Gabi Garcia Fernandez, left, and Miki Jauhiainen tried to block a shot in the victory.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio >> The Hawaii-BYU rivalry will add another chapter on Saturday — this time with a national championship at stake.

No. 2 seed BYU joined the top-seeded Rainbow Warriors in the NCAA men’s volleyball final with a four-set victory over Lewis in Thursday’s second semifinal at the Covelli Center.

“They’re a great team, a remarkable group of guys, tough guys, and now here we are,” BYU coach Shawn Olmstead said. “Both teams have put together a great season and prepared their guys well. On both sides of the net those guys are champing at the bit to just get another opportunity to play. We’re happy to be a part of it and look forward to competing against those guys.”

BYU has won three national championships, the last in 2004, and is back in the title match for the first time since falling to Ohio State in the final in 2016 and ’17.

BYU opposite Gabi Garcia Fernandez led the Cougars (20-3) with 17 kills and Davide Gardini and Zach Eschenberg added 11 each in the 25-22, 25-15, 26-28, 25-20 win over the Flyers.

BYU, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion, hit .400 through two sets and finished at .354, with Punahou graduate Wil Stanley distributing 43 assists.

“The one thing we do as a team is trust each other and us hitters, we trust Wil to do his job,” Garcia Fernandez said.

“We love that guy, he just follows the system. He gets us together and he’s just a leader. He’s one of the best leaders I’ve had the honor to play with. … Credit to Wil, he’s an amazing setter and he doesn’t get as much credit as he should. He will go down as one of the most legendary setters in this program.”

BYU held off Lewis late in the first set and dominated the second before a third set that included 22 ties and five lead changes. Five-time All-American Ryan Coenen recorded six of his team-high 13 kills in the set as Lewis extended the match and its season.

Lewis threatened to force a fifth set until Jon Stanley, a Kaiser alum and Wil’s brother, entered as a serving substitute and went on a three-point serving run that pushed BYU to match point. The Flyers fought off the first before a service error sent the Cougars to the final.