PROVO, Utah — No. 18 BYU women's volleyball defeated Northern Colorado in five sets (25-16, 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-8) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday evening to begin the BYU Nike Invitational.
The Cougars' (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) fourth-straight win to start the season was their closest match of the year, their first five-set match of the 2025 campagin.
BYU out-hit the Bears, .346 to .237 in the contest. As part of the Cougars' 65 kills, Claire Little Chambers led both teams with 20 kills. Suli Davis added 17 on a .552 clip, while Brielle Kemavor had nine, hitting .467.
Alex Bower finished with a season-high 54 asissts, while Emma Barbero led the way with 15 digs. Anna Blamires tallied a career-high five kills, and Davis also posted a career high with three solo blocks.
Set One
BYU took control of the first set quickly after a service error, kill by Bower and two attacking errors that gave them a 4-0 lead.
After Northern Colorado battled back for its first points of the game, the Cougars went on another run going 10-3, highlighted by a pair of kills by Davis, Little Chambers and Sophia Callahan.
With set point on the line, an assist from Barbero to Bower sealed the first set for the Cougars, 25-16.
Set Two
Like the first set, BYU started off on a positive note after taking an 8-4 lead with Little Chambers recording four kills. Despite this, the Bears rallied back, scoring the next five points to take a 9-8 advantage.
After the Cougars regained their lead on a kill from Mia Lee and a solo block by Davis, the Bears once again took control of the set, going on a 13-5 run which also included their match-high five straight points.
With Northern Colorado leading 22-15, BYU was able to rally back to make the score 24-22, but eventually fell after a kill from the Bears concluded the second set.
Set Three
The Cougars opened the third set with a couple of three-point runs to make the score 6-1, scoring their fifth and sixth points from double blocks courtesy of Kemavor and Little Chambers followed by Kemavor and Bower.
With BYU in front 19-13, the two teams continually went back-and-forth until the Cougars pulled away to win the set 25-22 on an attacking error by Northern Colorado.
Set Four
Northern Colorado rebounded by scoring the first two points of the fourth set, but were unable to increase its lead after a kill by Bower got BYU on the board. Neither team was able to grow a significant lead as they went back-and-forth until the Cougars gained an 8-7 lead.
The Bears took control of the set by going on a 4-0 run. Despite consistent kills and a 3-0 run, BYU was unable to close out the game in a tight 25-23 set in favor of Northern Colorado. The set featured nine ties and six lead changes.
Set Five
For the first time this season, the Cougars were forced into a fifth set. Highlighted by an ace from Barbero and two kills by Bower, BYU went on a 6-1 run.
After the Bears went on a 3-1 run, the Cougars regained momentum after a kill by Little Chambers ignited a 4-2 run, making the score 11-6. Northern Colorado was able to tighten the gap with a couple of scores, but a 4-0 run by BYU, capped off by a double block from Mia Lee and Davis, secured the 15-8 win for the Cougars in the final set.
Up Next
BYU will continue the Nike Invitational against Wichita State on Friday, September 5 at 6 p.m. MDT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.