PROVO — It's been 17 years since BYU men's volleyball won a national championship in 2004, but never has it felt so close as when the Cougars landed in Columbus for this year's tournament with the No. 2 overall seed.
Of course, BYU has been close to its fourth title before, only to fall agonizingly short of the ultimate goal. This year could prove to be no exception, with No. 1 Hawaii still the top-rated team in the country despite a loss in the Big West Tournament semifinals more than two weeks ago.
That was the Warriors' first loss of the season. Prior to the stunning upset by UC San Diego, you had to go all the way back to last season to find another loss — in the islands, during a two-match split with the same BYU team that now sits on the opposite side of the seven-team bracket at the Covelli Center on the campus of Ohio State University.