IRVING, Texas — BYU women’s volleyball middle blocker Kelli Jo Burgess was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week, the league announced on Tuesday.
Burgess led the Cougars with 14 total blocks last week, averaging 2.33 per set. The fifth-year senior from Lehi finished with a match-high seven blocks in each of her two matches played in and added 10 kills while hitting .556.
Following the weekend’s matches, Burgess now leads the nation in blocks per set, averaging 1.87 on the season. She also leads the Big 12 in total blocks with 56.
Additionally, Burgess was named to the Big 12’s Starting Seven, which honors the four weekly award winners — offensive and defensive player of the week, setter and rookie of the week — as well as the week’s top three vote-getters.
| Week 4 Big 12 Starting Seven | |
|---|---|
| Name | School |
| Taylor Stanley (Offensive/Rookie) | Kansas |
| Kelli Jo Burgess (Defensive) | BYU |
| Isabella Haggard (Setter) | Baylor |
| Reese Messer | Kansas |
| Cadence Lundgren | Kansas State |
| Addison Massey | Kansas State |
| Evan Hendrix | TCU |
This marks both Burgess’ and the Cougars’ second weekly conference award of the 2026 season. View the full release on the Big 12’s website.