IRVING, Texas — No. 24 BYU women's volleyball was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 and had three student-athletes named to the Preseason Team, the conference announced on Tuesday morning.
Alex Bower, Claire Little Chambers and Brielle Kemavor represented the Cougars on the Big 12's Preseason Team, with Kemavor tabbed a unanimous selection.
As voted on by the league's coaches, BYU sits behind No. 12 Arizona State, No. 18 TCU, No. 15 Kansas, No. 21 Baylor, No. 23 Colorado and (RV) Iowa State, and was picked in front of Utah, UCF, Arizona, Kansas State, Cincinnti, West Virginia, Houston and Texas Tech in the 15-team conference.
| 2026 Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Points (First Place Votes) |
| 1 | #12 Arizona State | 194 (12) |
| 2 | #18 TCU | 177 (3) |
| 3 | #15 Kansas | 159 |
| 4 | #21 Baylor | 152 |
| 5 | #23 Colorado | 143 |
| 6 | RV Iowa State | 131 |
| 7 | #24 BYU | 122 |
| 8 | Utah | 118 |
| 9 | UCF | 84 |
| 10 | Arizona | 77 |
| 11 | Kansas State | 65 |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 60 |
| 13 | West Virginia | 39 |
| 14 | Houston | 35 |
| 15 | Texas Tech | 19 |
Bower, a 2025 AVCA All-West Region Honorable Mention and All-Big 12 First Team member, posted eight double-doubles last season, second most on the team. The setter led the team in digs in seven matches, and finished with 1,265 assists, second most in the Cougars' 25-point rally-scoring era.
Little Chambers was also an AVCA All-West Region Honorable Mention to go along with an All-Big 12 Second Team nod. She finished tied with Bower's eight double-doubles on the year, and posted 26 double-digit kill matches, leading BYU in kills in nine matches and aces in seven.
Kemavor, one of eight unanimous picks on the 18-player team, was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American last season, also being named to the AVCA All-West Region and All-Big 12 First Teams. The middle blocker led the Cougars in blocks in 19 of their 31 matches and recorded nine double-digit kills matches.
The trio were all named to last season's preseason team, with Little Chambers named the Preseason Player of the Year as well.
BYU will kick off head coach Rob Neilson's first season at the helm with an exhibition game against Utah Tech on Saturday, Aug. 22 at noon MT.
Little Chambers and Kemavor will join Neilson on Big 12 Opening Set, the conference's two-day virtual media day stream, on Wednesday, Aug. 12 from 1:15-1:35 p.m. MT.
View the full Big 12 release at the league's website.