Circumstances aside, Trent Moser happy in return to No. 8 BYU volleyball for senior season

PROVO — Trent Moser said it best with a smile and a nod.

After BYU's 6-foot-8 senior transfer from Grand Canyon opened the season with 14 kills in a 3-0 win over Saint Francis in front of 3,343 fans at the Smith Fieldhouse, Moser smirked at the simple question: Good to be home?

"It's amazing," Moser said after hitting .333 with a dig, two assists and four blocks. "Playing here and playing at GCU was totally different. It was good, but we got around 1,000 people per game; it was awesome. But when I get here to warm up, there are already 1,000 people in the stands.

"It feels so good having that much support."

Moser had seven kills on his first nine swings, hitting .667 to lead the Cougars to a 25-22 win over the Red Flash (0-1) in the opening set.

The outside hitter had the first kill of the opening set, and finished with 14 kills and four blocks as the No. 8-ranked Cougars opened the 2026 season with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 win over NEC contenders Friday night.

After which, Moser helped gather his teammates — returners, freshmen and transfers alike — and the group threw a Super Y (the kind you probably remember Chase Roberts introduced with the football team) and cheered with the crowd.

For Moser, who started his career at BYU, that moment alone was a unique one.

The Gilbert, Arizona native played two seasons in Provo, where he earned All-MPSF freshman team honors in 2023 and started nine matches in 2024.

But Moser transferred to GCU after that season, and went on to a standout career with the Lopes, leading the team in kills and earning All-America honorable mention honors by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Then early in the offseason, he got a message from the coaching staff: a mandatory team meeting in the locker room, where GCU officials told the players they were cutting the program.

Such a moment is never easy. But several close friends from Provo made it a little easier for Moser.

"GCU posted it on Instagram at the same time they told us," he recalled. "In that meeting, I was sitting down and Jackson Fife (BYU libero) called me, as well as some other friends to see what was happening.

"Jackson said, 'Dude, you should come back'. And I said, if Shawn wants me back, I'm cool with it."

Turns out, BYU coach Shawn Olmstead was "very cool with it." Moser was a standout under Olmstead before, was better after a year in the Valley of the Sun, and wanted to return to the school where his sister Tristyn also played volleyball in 2016-17.

"I think it's such a cool story," Olmstead said. "A kid like that, who has that kind of experience, goes to another school and becomes an All-American. Then circumstances fall the way they did, and credit to him — I think it's a credit to the guys and all the coaching staff."

Olmstead sent Moser a text when he found out the program was cut, but not inviting him back to BYU or trying to schedule a campus visit. He had a simple message: If you need anything, let me know if I can help you.

"I found out that day the guys were already talking to him," Olmstead added. "He was talking to Jackson, and Jackson called us while we were in a staff meeting … and said, I'm talking to Trent; what do you think?

"We said, you know the answer to that. And right when he hung up, that's when I texted Trent. From there, we immediately went back and forth."

Moser also brought along some friends, including sophomore setter Kyle Zediker and 6-foot-5 outside hitter Connor Oldani, who had six kills and 10 digs Friday night. There was also Max Philippe, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Houston who initially committed to GCU but reversed course when the program was cut and signed with BYU.

Pair them with returning players like senior setter Tyler Herget, who had 35 assists and eight digs Friday night, and BYU lived up to the billing of a top-10 team nationally on opening night.

"I had great things to say about those guys; I love those dudes," Moser said. "They were little freshmen last year at GCU, and it was fun leading them. So when Shawn asked me about them, I only had great things to say about those guys: great workers, want to win, want to compete every day."

BYU continues nonconference play Saturday against Saint Francis (7 p.m. MST, Big Ten+), before hosting UC San Diego next week as part of six-straight home matches to open the season.

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