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BYU's Claire Little Chambers takes a swing against Baylor in a Big 12 women's volleyball match in Waco, Texas, on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

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BYU's Izzi Stratton (24) gets ready to kick the ball in a Big 12 women's soccer match against Kansas at South Field on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

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WACO, Texas — It was another heartbreaking night for the No. 17 BYU women’s volleyball team.

No. 19 Baylor held on for a 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-8) victory against the Cougars on Thursday at the Ferrell Center on Thursday, the second straight five-set loss for BYU after a 3-2 defeat at home to No. 7 Arizona State last week. This season, the Cougars are 1-3 in five-set matches.

BYU (16-4, 4-4 Big 12) was both out-hit (.279 to .214) and out-blocked (10 to eight) by the Bears in a contest that went two hours and 21 minutes and saw 12 ties and five lead changes. Baylor also had 15 more kills (70 to 55), 14 more digs (87 to 73) and three more aces (six to three).

BYU was led by Suli Davis, who had 21 kills and was a dig shy of a double-double. Brielle Kemavor followed, tying a career high with 18 kills on a .469 clip. Claire Little Chambers added eight, and Sophia Callahan had six, hitting .375.

Alex Bower finished with 44 assists. Emma Barbero tallied 20 digs, Lulu Uluave tied her season high with 16, and Little Chambers had 15. Kemavor posted seven blocks, a match high that also tied her season high in stuffs.

Baylor was dominant in winning the first set (25-15), but the Cougars responded with strong performances to win Set 2 (25-22) and Set 3 (25-21). BYU opened with a 5-2 lead in Set 4 but the home team seized the momentum and won handily, 25-16, to force the fifth set.

Kemavor pushed the Cougars to a 3-1 lead in Set 5 with a pair of kills and a double block with Davis, but six straight points, spanning a BYU timeout, had the Bears in front, 6-3.

A 4-0 Baylor run made it 11-5. BYU fought back on kills by Kemavor and Little Chambers, but a 3-0 run gave the Bears match point, which they finished off a play later, 15-8.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Cougars, who will make the trip north to face No. 10 TCU in Fort Worth on Saturday at 1 p.m. CDT on ESPN+.

Kansas rides fast start to 3-1 win against women’s soccer

The visiting Jayhawks made themselves right at home on South Field Thursday, scoring three goals in the first 24 minutes on their way to a convincing 3-1 victory in BYU’s final home game of the regular season.

With two road games left, the Cougars are tied with Arizona State in eighth place in the Big 12 standings, with eight teams qualifying for the league tournament.

“There was a lot riding on this game,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “Kansas has had a fantastic season. We knew they were physical, we knew they were fast and aggressive and press hard. They just came ready to play and they took it to us in the first half. We came out and battled hard and I thought played pretty well in the second half. We’re still young right now and these are learning and growing pains. Hopefully it pays off somewhere down the road.”

The Cougars outshot Kansas 15-12, with six of those on target, forcing the Jayhawks goalkeeper to make five saves.

The aggressive game concluded with 25 total fouls committed, with BYU claiming responsibility for 14.

Kansas got themselves on the board first with a goal in the bottom right corner of the net by Saige Wimes just past the eight-minute mark.

The two teams battled back and forth for the next five minutes, which was capped off by another Jayhawks goal by Jillian Gregorski 13 minutes into the match, going up 2-0.

In the 24th minute, Kansas scored again off of a missed header that was rebounded and put into the back of the net by Lexi Watts, moving the Jayhawks ahead 3-0.

Led by an intense effort from Izzi Stratton, BYU began the second half aggressively, which included two corner kicks and two shots in the first four minutes. Freshman Kate Denney laid claim to the second shot, which was narrowly saved in the bottom left corner of the goal.

In the 55th minute of the game, Stratton pressed down the field and shot, which ricocheted to Afton Perry. Perry sent the ball through to Ellie Walbruch, who scored the first goal of the night for the Cougars.

Walbruch’s goal marked her fifth consecutive game with a goal, moving her total to seven in the five-game stretch.

Up next BYU faces the UCF Knights in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m., with streaming available on ESPN+.

Softball schedule set for 2026

Alongside the Big 12, BYU softball released its full 2026 schedule on Thursday afternoon.

The Cougars’ 2026 slate features 12 NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago, including four in Big 12 play.

BYU’s conference schedule will again feature a three-game series with eight of the 11 teams in the league for a total of 24 Big 12 contests.

The Cougars will welcome Kansas, Houston, Iowa State and Arizona State to Provo, with road trips at Arizona, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Utah. BYU will not face Baylor or UCF in the regular season.

League play will run from March 5 through May 2, with the Big 12 Softball Tournament Presented by Allstate set to be hosted again at OGE Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City from May 7-9.

Beginning the year in Clearwater, Florida, the Cougars will take part in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s (NFCA) Leadoff Classic. BYU will face Tennessee, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Missouri in the tournament.

Following a single game at Incarnate Word, the Cougars then head to San Marcos, Texas for Texas State’s States Up Invitational, where they will play Texas State, Clemson, Arkansas and Wichita State.

Making its annual visit to Palm Springs for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, BYU will match up with CSUN, Hawai’i, Long Beach State, Auburn and Washington in Cathedral City.

Rounding out their non-conference tournament slate, the Cougars will participate in Cal State Fullerton’s Judi Garman Classic for the first time since 2020, with games against Fullerton, Cal, Seattle, UCLA and East Texas A&M.

Throughout Big 12 play, BYU also has eight more non-conference matchups in home-and-home series’ with Utah Tech and Utah Valley, a two-game set with Omaha and single home games against Abilene Christian and Weber State.

The Cougars look to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2026 after a four-year drought. BYU returns 16 student-athletes from its 32-17 (13-11 Big 12) season last year, also welcoming four freshmen and one transfer in Kaiya Fabela, Irma Urincho, Alyssa Grajeda, Rita Tavita and Hailey Shuler.

View the Cougars’ full 2026 slate at BYU’s schedule page. Broadcast plans and ticket information will be announced at a later date.