Q&A with new BYU head coach Chris McGown

Chris McGown can’t help but have a little flashback every time he enters his BYU coaching office.

As a teenager McGown would run into the same office every week to visit his father, Carl McGown the BYU men’s volleyball head coach. Almost 25 years later it is now the son working out that office — and just like his father working to coach BYU to a NCAA championship.

The Cougars in June hired McGown, an assistant coach with the BYU women’s volleyball team, to become the new head coach of the BYU men’s volleyball team.
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BYU middle attacker Tavana wins Blocker of the Year award

A nationwide voting committee selected BYU middle attacker Futi Tavana as the inaugural winner of the Off the Block Blocker of the Year.

The Off the Block Blocker of the Year award is given to the nation’s best front-row defensive men’s volleyball player during the regular season.

Tavana leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and is second in the nation with a 1.50 blocks per game average. The junior also has a nation-best 160 total blocks this season. Tavana was a 2010 All-American after switching positions from outside attacker to middle attacker before the start of that season.
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Q&A with BYU coach Rob Neilson

For the first time this season the top two ranked teams will be across the net from each other.

No. 2 BYU (13-4, 9-3 MPSF) will travel to play No. 1 USC (13-1, 13-1 MPSF) for a two-match series Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles. Both teams are in first and second place in the MPSF and have been the top ranked teams in the coaches poll and media poll for multiple weeks.

In addition, the Cougars enter this weekend leading the nation with a 3.13 blocks per game average and have won nine of their last 10 conference matches.

Off the Block conducted an interview earlier this week with BYU interim head coach Rob Neilson to discuss his team’s success in the first half of the season and the upcoming match between No. 1 and No. 2.
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