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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) celebrates after scoring in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UConn, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Boston.

Steven Senne, AP Photo

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BYU's Alex Bower serves against UCF in a Big 12 women's volleyball match at the Smith Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

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IRVING, Texas – For a second straight week, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was named to the Big 12 Starting Five following his performances against Delaware and No. 3 UConn.

The freshman is joined on the list by Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey, Kansas’s Flory Bidunga and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin.

Dybantsa averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assist per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three and 76.9 percent from the free throw line.

In Tuesday’s win over Delaware, Dybantsa finished with 18 points as the Cougars overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to extend their non-conference home win streak to 22 games. He went 7-of-14 from the field, 1-of-4 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line as the Cougars shot 52.9 percent from the field in the second half. He also had seven rebounds, three of those coming on the offensive glass, two assists and a steal.

The 6-foot-9 forward scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as the Cougars fell to No. 3 UConn in Boston on Saturday evening. After a slow start, Dybantsa went to work in the second half, going 7-of-8 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line as BYU nearly overcame a 20-point second-half deficit for their first win over Top 5 team since 2015.

No. 9 BYU returns to the court on Friday, Nov. 21, when the Cougars face No. 23 Wisconsin in The Bad Boy Mowers Series at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT on Peacock.

Women’s volleyball prepares for home stand

No. 25 BYU women’s volleyball begins a three-match homestand this week, hosting Arizona and No. 13 Kansas at the Smith Fieldhouse in the second-to-last week of the regular season.

The Cougars (18-8, 6-8 Big 12) look to snap a three-match losing streak as they face the Wildcats on Wednesday night and the Jayhawks on Friday night.

BYU dropped two spots from No. 23 to No. 25 in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll after falling in five at Utah on Friday night last week. The Cougars have dropped three matches in a row for the second-consecutive season.

Freshman Suli Davis led BYU with a career-high 28 kills (averaging 5.6 per set) at Utah, while Claire Little Chambers posted her third-straight double-double with 18 kills (hitting .324) and 11 digs. Brielle Kemavor joined the pair in double figures with 11 kills and no errors on 20 swings for a .550 clip.

Alex Bower recorded 53 assists in the contest, surpassing 1,000 assists on the season in the match. Lulu Uluave (15 digs) and Elli Mortensen (10 digs) also contributed double-digit digs, and Kemavor had a team-high five total blocks, reaching 300 for her career in the game.

The Cougars took the opening set, 25-17, and came back from five down to earn a 25-22 second-set win. BYU nearly rallied from a nine-point deficit in the third set, but dropped it and the fourth by scores of 25-21. Playing from behind in the fifth and final frame, the Cougars dropped the set and the match, 15-12.

BYU out-hit Utah, .299 to .268, and had two more kills (68-66) and digs (56-54) than the Utes, but Utah had four more (7-3) aces and six more (14-8) blocks.

The loss was the Cougars’ first this season when holding a 2-0 lead and second when taking the first set. It is the first time that BYU has been reverse swept since Sept. 9, 2017, a neutral site match against Baylor as part of Hawaii’s Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge.

Despite the defeat, the Cougars remain in the top 25 nationally in kills per set (13.94) and assists per set (12.97), ranking No. 18 in both statistics. BYU leads the Big 12 in total aces (170) and is second in aces per set (1.73), assists per set, hitting percentage (.261), kills per set and total asissts (1,271).

On an individual scale, Bower paces the Big 12 in both assists per set (10.59) and total assists (1,038), while Kemavor’s .373 hitting percentge leads the league as well. Bower ranks 13th and 22nd in the country in assists per set and total assists. Davis is No. 21 in both total kills (438) and total points (481.5).

Looking to get back on track, BYU seeks to avenge a four-set loss at Arizona two weeks ago and pick up a second-straight win over a ranked Kansas team.

Women’s basketball travels to Montana

BYU hits the road for the first time this season as the Cougars travel to Missoula to take on the Montana Grizzlies in the first matchup since 2000 on Wednesday evening. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. MT. Fans can also tune in to BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App for live play-by-play with Jason Shepherd.

The Cougars and Lady Griz will meet for the 12th all-time meeting on Wednesday, and the first since December 9, 2000. Montana leads the all-time series 8-3 and holds a 4-1 advantage at Dahlberg Arena. The last BYU victory came in Missoula on Dec. 18, 1999, as the Cougars took down the Lady Griz 61-51.

With a win, the Cougars would move to 5-0 to start the season, a feat only accomplished seven other times in program history (1999-2000; 5-0, 2002-03; 8-0, 2005-06; 9-0, 2013-14; 9-0, 2021-22; 8-0, 2023-24; 6-0, 2024-25; 6-0).

Head coach Lee Cummard has been emphatic that his team will share the love, make the extra pass and make the right play. Through four games, Cummard’s squad has assisted on 85 assists of 120 made field goals for a 70.8 percent assist rate. The Cougars currently rank ninth nationally in assists per game at 21.3, also good for second in the Big 12.

Four Cougars are averaging multiple assists per game, with Sydney Benally leading the way with 6.3. The others: Delaney Gibb (6.0), Olivia Hamlin (3.0) and Mackey-Williams (2.0).

BYU ranks fifth nationally and leads the Big 12 in blocks per game through four games at 8.3 blocks per game. Lara Rohkohl (6th; 3.0) and Brinley Cannon (59th; 1.75) each rank in the top 60 in blocks per game with Bola Yussuf contributing 1.25 per game.

Olivia Hamlin is the second-leading scorer for the Cougars through four games at 15.3 points per game and is shooting an efficient 46.7 percent from the field. The freshman scored 13 against Coastal Carolina, 18 against San Jose State, 16 against Omaha and 14 against Fresno State. Hamlin is even more lethal from inside the arc as she has gone 15-23 for a 65.2 percent clip from two. The Santa Clara, Utah native recorded a career-high six rebounds in back-to-back games to go along with 4.0 assists per game so far this season. Her scoring average of 15.3 points per game ranks 13th in the country for a true freshman.

Garrison tabbed for Mannelly Award

LAKE BLUFF, Illinois — BYU senior Garrison Grimes was today named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2025 Patrick Mannelly Award, presented annually to the top long snapper in college football.

The 6-2, 220-pound redshirt senior from American Fork, Utah, has appeared in all 10 games for the No. 11 ranked Cougars. Grimes is the first BYU long snapper to be named a semifinalist for the Mannelly Award in the award’s seven-year existence and the only Big 12 long snapper to earn the accolade in 2025.

Grimes has played a big role in BYU’s kicking and punting success throughout the season. He has been perfect on a combined 61 field goal and PAT snaps as well as 30 punt attempts for the Cougars during the 2025 season.

The excellence of Grimes’ play has helped senior kicker Will Ferrin lead the Big 12 in scoring with 93 points through 10 games. The preseason All-American placekicker has converted 18-of-22 field goal attempts, including three over 50 yards, and was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 17. Ferrin is perfect on the year in point-after attempts, converting on 39 of 39 to extend his BYU-record streak of consecutive PATs made to 110.

BYU punter Sam Vander Haar has also been the beneficiary of Grimes’ efficient snapping. The junior punter has twice been named a Ray Guy Award Ray’s 8 honoree during the 2025 season. Grimes has set Vander Haar up for a 43.1 average with 11 punts downed inside the opponents 20-yard line and 15 fair caught while helping the Cougars rank No. 25 in net punting.

Men’s tennis signs one of top juniors in US

Head coach Zack Warren has announced the signing of Blue Chip recruit Yubel Ubri.

“What a terrific addition to our BYU family,” Warren said. “Yubel is a Blue Chip recruit, one of the best junior players in the United States and a first-class individual. The BYU community will love his energy, heart and character. He will be a fantastic teammate and we’re excited for him to join us in January.”

The Miami Beach, Florida native has been playing tennis since he was three, with his father as his first coach. He also grew up competing alongside and against current BYU freshman Brennon Chow.

At nine years old he competed in one of his first major tournaments, “Little Mo,” where he became a three-time champion in 2017 by winning events in three different states.

In singles, Ubri has won five ITF junior titles, earning tournament wins in both 2024 and 2023, and three more in 2022 with strong runs at J100, J60 and J5 events in Santo Domingo and Tegucigalpa. The most recent came in May 2024 in the Dominican Republic, where he won five straight head to head matches.

As for doubles, Ubri has won two titles, including one last April in Ontario, Canada where he captured the J200 Woodbridge tournament.

Ubri has a 22-17 overall record in U.S. junior competition, going 7-7 against bluechips, 4-3 vs. 5 stars, 2-0 vs. 4 stars and holding winning records against every rated group he faced, while going 7-7 against unrated players.

Across his junior career, Ubri has stayed consistently inside the national top 20 in recruiting, peaking at No. 15 in 2023, and his TennisRPI also remained strong, finishing each year inside the top 40 from 2022 through 2025.