PROVO, Utah — No. 18 BYU women's volleyball heads to the Sunflower State for its first Big 12 road trip this week.
The Cougars (9-1, 1-0 Big 12) will play at Kansas State on Thursday before visiting No. 19 Kansas State on Friday.
| Week 6 Opponent Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Kansas State | Thursday, Oct. 1 | 6:30 p.m. CDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
| No. 19 Kansas | Friday, Oct. 2 | 6 p.m. CDT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
BYU picked up its first Top 25 victory of the season in a five-set win over No. 17 Baylor last week and moved up four spots from No. 22 to No. 18 in this week's AVCA poll.
The Cougars were out-hit by the Bears, .393 to .313, but had four hitters in double figures for the first time in 2026: Claire Little Chambers (21 kills, hitting .450), Elli Mortensen (17, .361), Brooke Hardy (11, .529) and Sophia Callahan (10).
Posting seven more aces than Baylor with a season-high nine, BYU also benefited from 14 service errors by the Bears.
Mortensen posted her first career double-double in the match with a career-high 14 digs. Hardy set a pair of career highs of her own with 11 kills and six service aces.
Her six from the service line set the Cougars' rally-scoring era single-game freshman record and are also third-most in a five-set match all-time.
Setters Kaylie Kofe and Alex Bower finished with 26 and 25 assists, respectively, while libero Lulu Po'uha added nine digs.
Kelli Jo Burgess finished with a match-high seven blocks. The middle blocker has led the BYU in blocks in eight of its 10 matches, including in each of the last three games.
A week into Big 12 play, the Cougars rank seventh nationally and second in conference in hitting percentage with a .305 season clip.
BYU also ranks No. 27 in the country in blocks per set (2.67), a mark that is good for fourth in the league.
Burgess continues to pace the nation in blocks per set individually, with 1.8. Her 63 total blocks this year also lead the Big 12.
Preparing for their fourth meeting in Manhattan and third in Lawrence since joining the Big 12, the Cougars also embark on their third road trip of the year.
Kansas State (9-1, 1-1 Big 12)
- The Wildcats dropped their first match of the season last week, a four-set match to Houston.
- KSU received 26 votes in this week's AVCA poll, sitting a seventh out.
- Head coach Jason Mansfield is in his fourth season in Manhattan, posting a 53-39 (.576) record since 2023.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 5-3, including the last two matchups. The Cougars swept the Wildcats on Halloween in Provo last year.
No. 19 Kansas (9-3, 2-0 Big 12)
- The Jayhawks host Utah on Thursday night before welcoming BYU to town on Friday.
- KU's three losses this season are to then-No. 4 Pittsburgh, then-No. 5 Stanford and Florida State.
- Now in year two with Kansas, head coach Matt Ulmer is 33-14 (.702) in Lawrence and 199-91 (.686) in his 10-year career.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 5-2, and has taken the last two meetings. The Cougars swept the Jayhawks in Provo last season.
Up Next
BYU will split its Big 12 slate next week, visiting Houston on Thursday before hosting West Virginia on Saturday.