PROVO, Utah — No. 24 BYU women's volleyball will kick off its 2026 campaign with an exhibition match against Utah Tech on Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars will host the Trailblazers in head coach Rob Neilson's first home match at the Smith Fieldhouse since taking over the program following the 2025 season.
| Exhibition Match: No. 24 BYU vs. Utah Tech | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Utah Tech | Saturday, Aug. 22 | Noon MT | N/A | StatBroadcast |
BYU held a Blue-White scrimmage last Saturday and saw double-digit kills by Claire Little Chambers (17), Sophia Callahan (17), Brooke Hardy (16) and Kate Prior (10) in the four-set afternoon.
Hardy, a freshman, led all hitters with a .455 clip. Setters Alex Bower and Kaylie Kofe dished out 35 assists apiece, with Grace Fredrick adding 19 of her own.
Bower, Anna Blamires, Kaylee Tingey and Rachel Jepsen each had one ace in the intrasquad event.
The Cougars return 12 student-athletes from a season ago, including 2025 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American Brielle Kemavor and AVCA All-West Region honorable mentions Bower and Little Chambers.
BYU also welcomes six newcomers in four transfers (Rachel Jepsen from nationally ranked Pitt, Southland Conference Freshman of the Year Dimitra Nanou, All-SEC Second Team honoree Kelli Jo Burgess and Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Kofe) and two freshmen (three-time Idaho Player of the Year Hardy and 2025 Utah 6A Player of the Year Kylie Buttars), as well as Kate Prior, who returns after sitting out the 2025 season.
Neilson's first match against Utah Tech in his coaching career will also mark the Trailblazers' first visit to Provo since 2021.
Utah Tech (2025: 21-6, 10-2 WAC)
- The Trailblazers have already played one exhibition game, falling to UNLV in five sets at home last weekend.
- Utah Tech makes the transition from the WAC to the Big Sky this season. Its conference slate includes Weber State, also a 2026 opponent for BYU.
- Head coach Camilla Hafoka enters her sixth season in St. George. She is 63-62 (.504) through her first five seasons at UTU.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 1-0. The only previous matchup between the two teams was on Sept. 3, 2021, a 3-0 sweep as part of the BYU Invitational when Utah Tech was known as Dixie State.
Up Next
The Cougars will officially open non-conference play in Florida next week, taking part in Florida Gulf Coast's FGCU Invitational with matches against Florida State and the host Eagles on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28-29.