Bower, Little and Kemavor earn All-Region awards

Alex Bower, Claire Little and Brielle Kemavor each received AVCA All-West Region honors.

Author Cameron Muh
Claire Little and Brielle Kemavor return to BYU women's volleyball hyped for Alex Bower during match against Colorado at the Smith Fieldhouse during the 2024 seasonClaire Little and Brielle Kemavor return to BYU women's volleyball hyped for Alex Bower during match against Colorado at the Smith Fieldhouse during the 2024 season
Abby Shelton/BYU Photo

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Led by region freshman of the year Alex Bower, BYU women's volleyball had three student-athletes earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-West Region honors, the organized announced on Tuesday morning.

With their young setter Bower tabbed West Region Freshman of the Year, the Cougars also had outside hitter Claire Little named to the All-West Region First Team and middle blocker Brielle Kemavor earn All-West Region Honorable Mention.

The trio helped BYU to its 13th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a sixth-place finish in the Big 12 as the Cougars posted a 19-10 (12-6 Big 12) record on the season.

Being placed in the AVCA Southwest Region last year after representing the Pacific South Region for a number of years previously, BYU will now reside in the West Region as the AVCA opted to realign its regions to display state lines as opposed to conference affiliation.

Alex Bower, Claire Little and Brielle Kemavor received 2024 AVCA All-West Region honors

Bower, also a Big 12 All-Rookie honoree and two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week, set the Cougars' rally-scoring era freshman assist record this season with 1,131 assists, surpassing her older sister and BYU alum, Whitney Bower's previous record of 1,070.

The setter from Nampa, Idaho posted 11 double-doubles across the Cougars' 29 games in 2024, also breaking Whitney's freshman rally-era record for most double-doubles in a season. Bower led BYU to the nation's 34th-best hitting percentage at .259.

Now the third Cougar to be named region freshman of the year, Bower joins Heather Gneiting (2018) and McKenna Miller (2016) as BYU freshmen to earn a region award.

An All-Big 12 First Team honoree, Little led the Cougars with 427 kills, averaging 3.88 per set. The outside hitter finished third in the Big 12 in total kills, kills per set and points per set (4.39), ranking No. 72 nationally in kills per set.

Hailing from Winchester, California, Little finished in double figures in 24 matches, recorded team-high kills in 21 matches, and posted six double-doubles. The sophomore hit .275 on the year, contributing to BYU's .259 season hitting percentage.

Also named to the All-Big 12 First Team, Kemavor is a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week who led the league in both total blocks (166) and blocks per set (1.47), statistics she ranks No. 7 and No. 11 nationally in, respectively.

The Bristow, Virginia product carded three double-doubles this season, tying BYU's rally-scoring era for most double-doubles by a middle blocker in a single season and career. Kemavor led the team in blocks in 21 matches, also finishing with double-digit kills in eight matches.

This is the first all-region award for all three Cougars. It also marks the 14th-conseuctive season that BYU has had at least one player earn an all-region honor.

View the full list of AVCA all-region honorees at the organization’s website.