Provo, U.T.- The FDU Knights suffered their second straight defeat at the hands of 13^th ranked BYU on Saturday night in Smith Fieldhouse. This was the second matchup between these two teams this weekend with BYU taking both legs in three sets. The loss brings the Knights record to 3-2 on the year.
 

How it Happened

The Cougars stifled the Knights attack in the first set as they forced FDU into a negative hitting percentage. In addition, BYU controlled the ball well offensively, hooking up for 11 assists to go along with a .385 hitting percentage. Artem Vetrov once again found a rhythm in Utah and led the Knights from the jump. He had six of his team leading 11 kills in the first set, which the Knights dropped 15-25.

Out of the break, the Knights were able to steady the ship and keep pace with BYU for a majority of the second set. A Jack Lydon kill brought the score to 19-22 before the Cougars wiped away FDU's hopes with a set ending 3-0 run. Rui Fernandes totaled nine assists in the set, setting up an FDU attack that hit at a .172 clip.

Eager to put the match away in three, BYU sprinted to an 8-4 lead in the third which forced Karl France into taking an early timeout. Despite drawing multiple five-point deficits down to four, FDU could not find a way back into the match. BYU polished off a victory, in which they produced 34 kills, with a 25-15 win in the third.

Grady Hoffman responded to a persistent BYU attack with a 6-dig effort. Hoffman also committed just one reception error on the night. FDU's block continued to prove themselves as a respectable unit as they rejected the Cougars' hitters nine times in the match. Rui Fernandes finished with one of those block assists and 21 dimes.

 

Looking Ahead

After returning from their west coast getaway, the Knights will have nearly three weeks off before resuming play. Then at Stratis Arena, the Knights will take on St. Francis U (PA) in what will be their first ever NEC match. The Knights will do battle against the Red Flash at 6pm on February, 10^th.