‘Eaters will try to silence BYU

The neighboring Wasatch Mountains will serve as a majestic backdrop to UC Irvine’s pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball matches tonight and Saturday at BYU. Both matches begin at 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

But it’s a mythical mountain the No. 2-ranked Anteaters (10-1, 5-1 in the MPSF) will be trying to summit against the No. 1-ranked Cougars (8-0, 4-0).

Just as it did last year, Coach John Speraw hopes UCI can ascend to the top national ranking at the expense of the Cougars.

UCI, then ranked No. 2, defeated then-No. 1-ranked BYU twice last season in back-to-back home matches — both five-game affairs — to seize the top national ranking it took into the four-team NCAA championships.

UCI held the No. 1 label the first four weeks of this season, before its initial loss — Saturday at home to Pepperdine — knocked the ‘Eaters off the perch now occupied by the Cougars.

Speraw said winning at BYU’s Smith Fieldhouse, for which capacity is listed at 5,000, is as big a challenge as his team could find.

“BYU is the most physical team in America and it has the biggest home-court advantage in America,” Speraw said. “That’s a pretty good one-two punch. It’s the biggest, most raucous crowd in America and I’m sure they’ll have around 6,000 both nights, including standing room.

“But our guys are excited to see what they can do. They love playing in front of a big crowd with all those people wanting to bring you down. To step up to that challenge and silence that home crowd is what we’ll be trying to do.”

Speraw said altitude is another factor visiting teams have to deal with at BYU.

“The ball travels farther, so [visiting] teams tend to have tons of serving errors,” Speraw said.

UCI will also face a height disadvantage against a BYU lineup that includes 6-foot-8 junior middle blocker Russell Holmes, 6-8 sophomore outside hitter Yosleyder Cala, 6-7 freshman opposite Robby Stowell and 6-4 junior outside hitter Ivan Perez.

Holmes, a second-team All-American last year, was named national Player of the Week on Monday. He has 69 kills and is hitting .523.

Cala (57 kills, hitting .455), Perez, a second-team All-American in 2005 (90 kills and hitting .442) and Stowell, a Capistrano Valley High graduate who played for the Newport Beach-based Balboa Bay Club program (96 kills, .348) all provide a strong net presence for BYU.

The Cougars, under interim co-coaches Shawn Patchell, a former UCI assistant, and Ryan Miller, a two-time Olympian, are hitting .372 as a team, while limiting opponents to an eye-popping .150 hitting percentage.

BYU has swept all but one of its matches, including its last six.

UCI is led by seniors Jayson Jablonsky, Matt Webber and Brian Thornton.

Jablonsky, the 2006 National and MPSF Player of the Year, is a 6-5 outside hitter.

Webber is a 6-7 opposite, while Thornton is a 6-3 setter.

David Smith, a 6-7 senior, and Aaron Harrell, a 6-5 junior, are UCI’s starting middles, while Taylor Wilson, a 6-7 sophomore, starts at outside hitter.

“We’re not at a point where we’re playing our best volleyball, so, certainly, there is room to improve,” Speraw said. “I think we learned from our loss to Pepperdine and we’re anxious to face the challenges BYU presents for us.”