Heather Gneiting doesn’t look like she’s skipped a beat.

The 6-foot-4 middle blocker from Pleasant Grove returned from her church mission to Seattle, Washington just six weeks ago. In the first two matches of the doTerra Classic on Friday, Gneiting combined for eight kills on 10 swings with zero errors while also contributing two block assists, a dig and a service ace.

No. 15 BYU opened the season with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-13 sweep of Southern Utah Friday afternoon and came back in the evening to rout Long Island University 25-11, 25-10, 25-9. Gneiting played in the first two sets of each match as the Cougar coaching staff works her carefully back into the lineup.

“She looks like she didn’t even leave,” BYU setter Whitney Bower said. “She’s looks amazing. She’s been working so hard at practice and she looks better than she ever has. She’s killing it.”

Gneiting was AVCA Freshman of the Year in 2018 when the Cougars advanced to the Final Four. In 2019, she was named first team All-WCC. At the conclusion of the season, she decided to serve her mission and left in February of 2020, just before the pandemic hit with full force.

“I’m so proud of Heather,” BYU coach Heather Olmstead said. “She had a goal that she wanted to go serve her mission and come back and play. She had her mind set on it and she was able to go do that and come back in a good place mentally and physically. She’s put herself in a good position to come back on the court. We’re trying to make sure we take our time getting her back into playing, but she’s doing her part and that’s pretty cool.”

Gneiting said she has appreciated the help of her teammates and coaches in returning to form.

“It’s definitely a hard transition but it’s surprised me how well it’s gone with getting back to everything,” she said. “The coaches are working with me making sure my body is right and I’m getting stronger.”

There are a number of players on this fall’s roster that Gneiting played with in 2019, including Bower, fellow middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg and outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon. But there are plenty of newcomers as well with three Division I transfers and a six-member freshmen class.

“I’ve loved getting to know everyone,” Gneiting said. “It’s great how unique everyone is to find out what they bring to the team. Seeing their authentic personalities makes you want to be more authentic. I love to see how it all transitions into our culture and how everyone has bought into the program. It motivates myself and the rest of the team to stay together.”

Gneiting said she is focused not on how she used to play but how she can improve with every opportunity.

“It’s hard to compare myself with the old me but I’m just trying to get better than the person I was yesterday,” she said. “I think just focusing on that has helped me, little by little. That and trusting my coaches and my teammates.”

Starting off strong

Ballard-Nixon led BYU with 16 kills in the sweep of Southern Utah in the opener. Eschenberg and Gneiting combined to go 11 of 13 from the middle and the Cougars outdug the visitors 43-31. BYU hit .391 and put the T-Birds on their heels with seven service aces.

In the second match against Long Island BYU hit .468 and totaled 9.0 blocks – six block assists for Eschenberg – and no trouble sweeping the Sharks. Utah transfer Kenzie Koerber was hot early and finished with nine kills (.471) and nine digs. Ballard-Nixon had eight kills (with zero errors) and hit .800. The Cougar defense held LIU to a -.080 hitting percentage and forced 22 hitting errors.

A crowd of 4,823 (the sixth largest in BYU women’s volleyball history) filled the Smith Fieldhouse for the LIU match, the first time since the 2019 for such a large attendance figure due to the pandemic.

“Everyone was just so pumped and fired up every time we had the chance to touch the ball,” Bower said. “I thought we were confident and had confident touches. It was really clean volleyball and fun to play.”

In the first match of the day, UNLV swept Long Island 25-21, 25-11, 25-11. Shelby Capllonch led the Rebels with 16 kills.

Saturday’s schedule begins with Southern Utah and UNLV facing off at 10 a.m., followed by Long Island and SUU at 4. The marque matchup is at 7 with BYU facing UNLV. The Rebels, which won the Mountain West Conference last season and was undefeated heading into the NCAA Tournament, should provide a stiffer test for the Cougars.

Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo BYU’s Heather Olmstead rises up for an attack against Southern Utah in a women’s college volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo on Friday, August 27, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

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