1 / 3

The BYU women's volleyball team celebrates a point in a match against Arizona in the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

2 / 3

BYU's Claire Little takes a swing during the 2024 women's volleyball season.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

3 / 3

BYU's Lulu Uluave (in blue), Claire Little (center) and Hannah Billeter dive for a ball during a Big 12 women's volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

❮ ❯

BYU women’s volleyball coach Heather Olmstead admitted she’s never gotten her starting lineup to fit perfectly right out of the gate.

But her brother, Sean Olmstead, did it when she was his assistant coach with the Cougars.

“We got it right in 2014,” Heather Olmstead said. “Sean nailed it. We didn’t have any injuries and what we put down to start the season, we went to the Final Four (and the NCAA Championship) with that lineup. But that was unique.”

Sophomore setter Alex Bower, junior outside hitter Claire Little Chambers and junior middle blocker Brielle Kemavor likely have starting spots nailed down heading into the 2025 season after starring for BYU last year. But Heather Olmstead has some questions to answer at other spots.

Who pairs with Kemavor in the middle? How do the Cougars integrate freshman phenom Suli Davis into the lineup? What combination does Olmstead use with her talented liberos/defensive specialists?

Where Were We?

BYU’s quick exit from the NCAA Tournament was nothing short of shocking. The No. 5 seed Cougars were swept quite convincingly by Loyola Chicago (25-20, 25-21, 25-17), the first time BYU had lost in the first round since 2005. The Cougars had advanced to at least the second round every year since 2012.

BYU finished the year 19-10 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 play, good for sixth place.

Little Chambers and Kemavor were selected to the All-Big 12 First Team and Bower and Elli Mortensen made the league’s All-Freshman team.

Middle blocker Kjersti Strong, who transferred from Saint Mary’s, ran out of eligibility, as did backup outside hitter Elyse Stowell. In the offseason, liberos Brielle Miller and Kaieva Johnson moved on and opposite hitter Kate Prior retired from collegiate play.

Welcome Back

“I like that we’re one year older,” Olmstead said. “Our experience as a whole will be beneficial this year. I like that we have seven new players and our four freshman have been here since January. The strength of our team is our team, so it’s about how good we can play together and form that team in the coming weeks.”

Bower started 28 of 29 matches as a freshman, dishing out 1,131 assists (10.01 per set) while contributing 254 digs and 60 total blocks.

“Alex did a great job with a heavy burden to carry our offense and she did it so gracefully,” Olmstead said. “She keeps making upgrades to her game with her serving and she’s always looking to be a defensive force at the net and in the back row. The most important thing she does is put up hittable balls and get our hitters in rhythm.”

Little Chambers, who married BYU men’s volleyball player Gavin Chambers this summer, led the Cougars with 427 kills (3.88 per set) last season. She was selected as the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. Kemavor made huge strides in her game and became a force, posting 227 kills and 166 blocks as a sophomore. She was picked as a member of the preseason All-Big 12 team.

I would say we’re gritty and competitive,” Kemavor said. “The four freshman that came in are really, really gritty. That ‘s a really good factor for our team. In practices we’re fighting down to the wire, fighting down point by point by point. Nothing drops and everyone is trying their hardest to get one percent better. Everything is super competitive and every side wants to win every drill.”

The Cougars are counting on junior middle Mia Lee to regain the ability she exhibited two seasons ago in a strong freshman season.

Sophomore outside hitter Elli Mortensen (2.71 kills per set) also returns  and will have to fight off several other young pin hitters to stay on the court. Sophomore Blaykli Bobik earned playing time last season and junior Sophie Callahan has returned from a church mission to get into the mix.

Senior Hannah Billeter and sophomore Lulu Uluave return as liberos/defensive specialists, with Billeter one of the team’s best servers and the acrobatic Ulauve a mainstay in the back row.

New Blood

Davis, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Euless, Texas, was the 2025 PrepVolleyball National Player of the Year and totaled a ridiculous 800 kills (6.6 per set) as a high school senior. This summer, Davis earned the Best Outside Hitter award playing for the U.S. Team at the U19 World Championships. She was tabbed as the preseason Freshman of the Year by Big 12 coaches and will have an immediate impact for the Cougars.

Newcomers Kaylee Tingey (Fr. Libero), Anna Blamires (Fr. Opposite) and Grace Fredrick (Fr. Setter) are pushing the upperclassmen in practice. Olmstead also added transfers Emma Barbero (Jr. L/DS) and Elena Wallace (Gr. MB) from Washington State and Tennessee Tech, respectively.

Ready to Go

The Cougars open by hosting a pair of tournaments in the Smith Fieldhouse then head to Los Angeles for a challenging weekend against No. 21 USC, former WCC foe Loyola Marymount and Western Michigan. Then comes three games against in-state foes (Weber State, Utah State and Utah Valley) before beginning Big 12 play at home against Colorado.

BYU was picked by the league’s coaches to win the Big 12 and is ranked No. 19 in the first AVCA poll of the season.

“There’s a quote from (former Alabama football coach) Nick Saban,” Olmstead said. “He said, ‘We’re not going to talk about what we’re going to accomplish, we’re going to talk about how we’re going to do it.’ We know our goals and we talk about how to get there, the process of becoming great. Now we have to move forward and get to work.”

BYU Women’s Volleyball

Five Things to Watch in 2025

1. Ball control

The Cougars have a very experienced and talented group of liberos/defensive specialists this season, including senior Hannah Billeter, sophomore Lulu Uluave and Washington State transfer Emma Barbero. The first pass is everything in volleyball and that skill should be a strength for BYU.

2. Young guns

Freshman pin hitter Suli Davis is a budding superstar and sophomore Elli Mortensen can also bring the heat as a hitter, not to mention sophomore setter Alex Bower, who runs the offense efficiently.

3. Experience matters

Last season the top teams in the Big 12 had multiple fifth-year seniors and grad transfers baked into their lineups from the extra year provided because of COVID. Most of those players have moved on, and BYU’s returning starters and experience give Heather Olmstead a lot of confidence heading into 2025.

4. Back to the standard

Getting swept out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament hit the program hard and the offseason workouts have been very competitive as the players attempt to make amends.

5. Home Sweet Home

The Cougars were 12-4 at the Smith Fieldhouse last season, a great record for most programs. But BYU expects more and in the past has been nearly unbeatable at home in front of consistently engaged and loud crowds.