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(From left) BYU volleyball players Aria McComber, Kamaile Hiapo, Whitney McEwen-Llarenas and Whitney Bower were honored on Senior Night before a Big 12 match against Kansas at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU senior libero Aria McComber was honored on Senior Night before the start of a Big 12 women's volleyball match against Kansas at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Erin Livingston (10), Kennedy Eschenberg and Whitney Bower celebrate a point during a women's college volleyball match against Utah in the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

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BYU's Kamaila Hiappo celebrates a point during a women's college volleyball match against UC Davis at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, September 2, 2023.

Donovan Kelly, BYU Photo

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BYU's Whitney McEwen-Llarenas (21) celebrates a point with teammates during a Big 12 women's college volleyball match in the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Aria McComber passes the ball during a Big 12 women's volleyball match with Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The stakes were high on Friday night when the No. 13 BYU women’s volleyball team hosted No. 17 Kansas in the Smith Fieldhouse.

The emotions were even higher.

It was Senior Night.

As the Cougars and Jayhawks battled for the first time as Big 12 foes, four BYU athletes were playing their final regular season match in the Fieldhouse.

All four seniors arrived at Senior Night from very different roads but Whitney Bower, Whitney McEwan-Llarenas, Aria McComber and Kamaile Hiapo found the journey well worth the effort.

Bower came to BYU in 2019 and was the starting setter the minute she walked on campus. She’s won multiple setter of the year and player of the year awards and his the all-time leader in assists during the rally scoring era (4,414 and counting).

“It’s a real special night,” Bower said. “But in the end, it’s also about a volleyball game and you’ve just got to stay in the present and focus on executing your skills. It’s definitely an emotional night. It definitely makes this place special and makes you want to keep working hard and keep doing the same things you’re doing.”

Cougar coach Heather Olmstead knows she has been fortunate to have Bower running the offense for the past five seasons.

“Whitney has a competitive drive that has propelled her into one of the best setters in the history of BYU,” Olmstead said. “She is a fighter and has given her blood, sweat and tears for her teammates and coaches. She loves BYU and has represented this program with the upmost class and honor. I love Whitney and cherish the opportunity I’ve had to coach her.”

McEwan-Llarenas played most of her career behind two all-time middle blockers in All-Americans Kennedy Eschenberg and Heather Gneiting. McEwan-Llarenas thought hard about leaving BYU instead of coming back to play an additional COVID year, but she eventually decided to rejoin her teammates and has been terrific on both the offensive and defensive sides.

“”Whitney’s story is inspiring,” Olmstead said. “It’s one of perseverance, patience, passion and growth. She never gave up and kept working towards her goals. Not only has Whitney become one of the great middle blockers to play at BYU, but she has also developed into a leader of the this team. I admire Whitney and her story is one we will tell for years.”

Libero Aria McComber told her coaches at Washington State that she planned on earning her degree in business administration (and a minor in Chinese) in just three seasons and then would move on to her graduate studies. That’s just what she did, transferring to BYU two seasons ago and making a huge difference in the back line for the Cougars.

“”Aria’s love for learning is unmatched,” Olmstead said. “She has demonstrated, both on and off the court, a pursuit for excellence. Her passion for volleyball is apparent through the smile on her face every time she gets to play. Aria has embraced everything about BYU and has made our program better by being a part of it. I appreciate Aria and can’t wait to see what she achieves in life.”

Libero Kamaile Hiapo (her nickname is “My-My”) played four seasons at the University of Arizona, earning two honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors and has made an immediate impact transferring to Provo with her hustle and skill on the defensive end.

“Kamaile is one of the best liberos in the game and we’ve been blessed this season to have her on our team,” Olmstead said. “She is a natural leader who often leads by example. Her passion, fight and competitive spirit makes everyone around her better. I am grateful for Kamaile and that she chose to finish her career as a BYU Cougar.”

Kansas (20-5, 11-4 Big 12) was as good as advertised, getting terrific offensive games from outside hitters Reagan Cooper (25 kills, .429) and Ayah Elnady (18 kills, .371) and knocked off BYU 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22) to break the Cougars 12-match home winning streak.

Erin Livingston led BYU (22-6, 11-5 Big 12) with 21 kills and hit .254. Middles Mia Lee (11 kills, .529) and McEwan-Llarenas (11 kills, .375) were effective out of the middle but the Cougars committed too many errors, especially in the critical point of the match, to come out on top.

“I thought we were almost playing with them but I think we had a hard time stopping their outsides,” Olmstead said. “That’s where it got away from us. I thought we did a good job in some other areas slowing them down, but we didn’t have an answer for the outside.

“We’re just trying to control what we can control and play the best volleyball we can at the end of the year. We played okay, but ultimately Kansas played better than us.”

The Cougars finish the Big 12 regular season with a road trip to West Virginia (Wednesday) and TCU (Saturday).

BYU is still fighting for one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament so it can host the first two rounds.

2023 BYU Senior Volleyball Players

7 Whitney Bower 5-9 Sr. Setter from Nampa, Idaho

Bower is the all-time leader in assists in the rally scoring era with 4,414. … Has been the starter at setter since joining the Cougars in 2019. … Has been an AVCA All-American three times and was the WCC Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.

21 Whitney McEwan-Llarenas 6-3 Gr. Middle Blocker from Bountiful, Utah

She is a marriage, family and human development master’s student at BYU. … She married Mitch Llarenas in 2108. … This season she has 188 kills and his hitting .351, along with 17 service aces, 41 digs and 104 blocks.

14 Aria McComber 5-6 Gr. Libero from Kapolei, Hawaii

McComber transferred to BYU from Washington State, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in Chinese. … She is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental science and business administration. … In three seasons with the Cougars, McComber has contributed 553 digs and 157 assists.

18 Kamaile Hiapo 5-7 Sr. Libero from Gilbert, Ariz.

Hiapo transferred to BYU from the University of Arizona, where she played four seasons and was named honorable mention Pac-12 twice. … This season at BYU, Hiapo has a team-best 325 digs, 27 service aces and 138 assists. … Her brother BJ played for the BYU men’s volleyball team.

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