PROVO, Utah — BYU women's volleyball concluded its second year in the Big 12 with a sixth-place finish in the 15-team league and a 13th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the longest streak in program history.
Going 19-10 overall and 12-6 in conference play, the Cougars finished behind No. 13 Arizona State, No. 12 Kansas, No. 23 Utah, No. 20 Baylor and No. 25 TCU in the Big 12.
During the regular season, BYU picked up a four-set win at Kansas, as well as a five-set victory over Utah and a sweep of Baylor at home, its three Top 25 wins on the season.
Ranked as high as No. 14 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, the Cougars saw themselves in the Top 25 for 14 of 16 polls in 2024, being left out of the final rankings for the first time since the 2012 season.
BYU earned a No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament and traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana for a first round match against Loyola Chicago hosted by Purdue, ultimately falling to the Ramblers in straight sets.
The Cougars ended their 2024 campaign ranking No. 27 nationally in blocks per set (2.60), No. 34 in team hitting percentage (.259) and No. 34 in total blocks (293.5), leading the Big 12 in total blocks and finshing second in blocks per set.
Middle blocker Brielle Kemavor also paced the conference in the same statistics, ranking No. 11 nationally in both total blocks and blocks per set. BYU also had outside hitter Claire Little, setter Alex Bower and middle blocker Kjersti Strong in the national statistics rankings.
| Individual National Rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Statistic | Player | Value |
| 11 | Total Blocks | Brielle Kemavor | 166 |
| 11 | Blocks/Set | Brielle Kemavor | 1.47 |
| 52 | Assists/Set | Alex Bower | 10.01 |
| 52 | Total Assists | Alex Bower | 1,131 |
| 72 | Kill/Set | Claire Little | 3.88 |
| 74 | Points/Set | Claire Little | 4.39 |
| 78 | Hitting Percentage | Brielle Kemavor | .351 |
| 84 | Hitting Percentage | Kjersti Strong | .348 |
| 84 | Total Kills | Claire Little | 427 |
| 96 | Total Points | Claire Little | 483 |
Amongst Big 12 teams, Little ranked third in kills per set and points per set, Bower was third in total assists and fourth in assists per set, and libero Hannah Billeter finished fourth in total aces (42) and sixth in aces per set (0.37).
Little and Kemavor were both recognized on the All-Big 12 First Team, while Bower and outside hitter Elli Mortensen received Big 12 All-Rookie honors. Kemavor and Bower were both two-time weekly Big 12 awardees during the regular season.
Following the season, Little was named to the AVCA All-West Region First Team with Kemavor tabbed an All-West Region Honorable Mention and Bower honored as the West Region Freshman of the Year.
Little was also named an AVCA and VolleyballMag All-America Honorable Mention, becoming the 39th different BYU women's volleyball student-athlete to earn an All-America citation, the Cougars' 115th and 116th in program history.
BYU received a number of historic performances by Bower and Kemavor during the season, led by the setter breaking the Cougars' freshman rally scoring era records for both assists (1,131) and double-doubles (11) in a season. Bower surpassed her older sister, Whitney Bower (2019-23), in both statistics.
With three double-doubles on the year, Kemavor tied BYU's rally-scoring era record for most double-doubles by a middle blocker in the same season and career. She posted 10 kill and 10 blocks against Utah Valley, 14 and 12 at Colorado, and 14 and 11 against Cincinnati.
Starting just two upperclassmen (graduate middle Strong and junior oppsite Kate Prior) for majority of the season, the Cougars often saw lineups that featured five underclassmen in sophomores Little and Kemavor and freshmen Bower, Mortensen and libero Lulu Uluave.
Returning a young core next season, BYU will look to build upon that experience as it seeks to futher its run of NCAA Tournament appearances and return to the AVCA Top 25 ranks in 2025.