PROVO, Utah — No. 24 BYU women's volleyball hosts its first two home matches of the season this week.
The Cougars will welcome Eastern Illinois and No. 2 Pittsburgh to the Smith Fieldhouse for a pair of matches Thursday and Friday.
| No. 24 BYU vs. Eastern Illinois & No. 2 Pitt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Eastern Illinois | Thursday, Sept. 3 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
| No. 2 Pittsburgh | Friday, Sept. 4 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
BYU remained at No. 24 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll after picking up a pair of wins at the FGCU Invitational in Fort Myers, Florida, last week, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to reverse sweep Florida State before beating host Florida Gulf Coast in four sets.
Following the weekend's matches, opposite hitter Sophia Callahan was named the tournament MVP, while setter Alex Bower was honored as a member of the all-tournament team.
Callahan's 19 kills came on a .325 hitting percentage, while Bower posted 44 assists and 12 digs. Callahan added seven digs and four blocks.
Bower and fellow setter Kaylie Kofe (45 assists) spread the Cougar offense around as seven different hitters recorded a kill in the tournament: Claire Little Chambers (21), Callahan (19), Kate Prior (16), Brooke Hardy (15, .393 hitting percentage), Elli Mortensen (14), Kelli Jo Burgess (13, .478 hitting percentage) and Dimitra Nanou (nine).
Burgess led the way defensively with 16 total blocks, averaging 1.78 per set, while Little Chambers contributed 11 (1.22 per set). Hardy tallied seven, while Prior posted five.
Through two matches, BYU is hitting .269 as a team while holding opponents to a .212 hitting percentage. The Cougars are averaging 12 kills per set, 11.22 assists per set, 9.22 digs per set, 2.61 blocks per set and 1.56 aces per set.
Individually, Mortensen's 0.83 aces per set rank 20th nationally and third in the Big 12. Burgess' 1.78 blocks per set rank 23rd nationally and fifth in the Big 12.
Beginning a stretch of four of the next five matches at home, the Cougars will square off with a set of Panthers, opening with the first-ever meeting against Eastern Illinois before their first Top 25 matchup of the season against No. 2 Pitt.
Eastern Illinois (1-2, 0-0 OVC)
- The Panthers went 1-2 to open the season, beating Santa Clara in five sets before falling to Wright State and Dayton in straight sets.
- EIU won both the regular-season and Ohio Valley Conference tournament titles last year but was swept by No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Head coach Ryan Millar, a four-time All-American, 1999 national player of the year and national champion with the BYU men's volleyball team, enters his second season with the Panthers. He is 25-10 (.714) in 35 matches.
- Thursday's match will mark the first meeting between BYU and Eastern Illinois in women's volleyball.
No. 2 Pitt (4-0, 0-0 ACC)
- The Panthers have gone 4-0 to begin 2026, with wins against No. 3 Kentucky, Xavier, No. 15 Kansas and No. 6 Wisconsin.
- Pitt has made the Final Four in five straight years (2021-25) but fell to eventual national champion Texas A&M last season.
- Head coach Dan Fisher is in his 14th year with the Panthers. He is 354-74 (.827) at Pitt and 429-76 (.850) in his 16-year career.
- BYU trails the all-time series, 3-2. The Cougars took the last matchup between the two teams, a 3-1 win to open the 2023 season in Missoula, Montana. The Panthers are 1-1 in Provo, taking the last meeting on Sept. 3, 2022, 3-1.
Up Next
BYU will head back out on the road for a Tuesday night match at Boise State before returning home to host UCLA later in the week.