BYU stays alive in MPSF tournament with win over Stanford, sets up massive semifinal matchup
BYU players celebrate during their MPSF tournament win over Stanford on April 22, 2026. | Abby Shelton/BYU No. 5 seed BYU was the only lower seed to advance in the first round of the MPSF tournament Wednesday evening, toppling No.
4 seed Stanford in four sets at the Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars made the most of being this year’s designated host for the league’s postseason play, getting some revenge on the Cardinal from a pair of road losses last month and earning the victory on set scores of 25-18, 25-14, 23-25, 25-21. “(Tonight was) an opportunity to make up for earlier in the season,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said.
“That was just a really funky weekend. … I’m not making excuses, but I knew that when this was coming, … that’s what (my team) wanted more than anything because when we played them there, it just wasn’t us. ” The Cougars got the last laugh Wednesday, playing much better than their first two contests against the Cardinal right from the get-go.
“(Our) hot start was months incoming,” BYU freshman middle blocker AJ Cottle said following a night that saw him tally nine blocks and 10 kills while hitting . 769. “After (losing to) Stanford, that left a sour taste in our mouth.
… We were more excited to play this game, I think, than any other game this season. ” It was all BYU early on Wednesday evening. The Cougars ran away with the first set, taking a lead by as many as eight points and never trailing en route to a comfortable 7-point win.