No. 22 BYU got exactly the kind of night it needed to open Big 12 play: a five-set grinder, a loud Smith Fieldhouse, and a win over No.
17 Baylor that had every bit of the edge you’d expect from a matchup like that. The Cougars survived 25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 15-10 on Friday night to move to 9-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
What stood out most was how many BYU hitters were involved. For the first time this season, four Cougars reached double figures in kills: Claire Little Chambers, Elli Mortensen, Brooke Hardy and Sophia Callahan. Little Chambers paced the group with 21 kills, followed by Mortensen with 17, Hardy with 11 and Callahan with 10.
Mortensen turned in her first career double-double in the fourth set, pairing those 17 kills with a career-high 14 digs. Little Chambers and Lulu Po’uha each added nine digs as BYU finished with 46 on the night.
Hardy’s performance was especially eye-catching. The freshman not only set a career high with 11 kills, but also delivered a career-best six aces, the most by a freshman in the rally-scoring era at BYU. Little Chambers and Mortensen helped push the Cougars to a season-high nine aces overall.
BYU also got a steady night at the net from Kelli Jo Burgess, who led the team with seven blocks. Little Chambers and Kate Prior added three blocks apiece, while Kaylie Kofe and Alex Bower handled the setting load with 26 and 25 assists, respectively.
The Cougars now head to Manhattan, Kansas, where they’ll face Kansas State in another Big 12 match on Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. MDT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
BYU’s women’s cross country team also had a strong weekend, winning the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and doing it in convincing fashion. The No. 3 Cougars finished with 32 points Saturday morning, good for their second straight victory at the meet and their second undefeated result of the season.
That 32-point total was two points better than last year’s mark, and it came with a win over No. 2 New Mexico.
No. 15 Oklahoma State was second with 64 points, followed by New Mexico, SMU and Oklahoma.
Head coach Diljeet Taylor praised the group afterward, saying, “I am very proud of the team effort,” head coach Diljeet Taylor said. “This was a good September race for us to build off of. We had some things go really well and we got good data as we go back to a big block of training in October.”
Sophomore Jane Hedengren led the way again, placing third in 19:32 and finishing just eight seconds behind Oklahoma State’s Billah Jepkirui. Hedengren spent the first 5,000 meters battling New Mexico’s Mercy Kirarei for the lead, and she has now finished in the top three in all six of her collegiate cross country races.
Senior Jenna Hutchins stayed right in the mix, taking fifth in 19:56.9 and nearly clipping her personal 6k best of 19:54.5. Another senior, Lexi Goff-Thompson, improved on last year’s ninth-place finish and came in seventh at 20:07.3.
“I have good memories from running in Oklahoma last year, so I was excited to come back,” said Goff-Thompson. “I’m proud of the team and the grittiness that was displayed.
Oklahoma is a notoriously tough course but it gave us the chance to practice being tough. This is just the beginning of the season so it’s exciting to look forward to the fitness that we can gain in the month before we race here again.”
Nelah Roberts and Taylor Lovell finished almost side by side in eighth and ninth, posting times of 20:15.2 and 20:15.9. Transfer Karrie Baloga made a strong move through the field, climbing from 22nd after the first split to 10th at the finish in 20:17.5.
Freshman Lily Alder made her collegiate cross country debut and completed BYU’s top seven with a 12th-place finish in 20:29.0. Junior Tessa Buswell also had a notable run, setting a personal 6k best of 20:48.8 and beating her previous mark by 10 seconds.
In Other News...
BYU Just Added Another Twist Before A Huge Trip To TCU
BYU is keeping its weekly uniform reveal rolling, and the Cougars will bring another new look into a major Big 12 road game at TCU. The team announced it will wear all white with royal trim and royal helmets, continuing a season-long pattern of changing things up every week. It is the fourth different combination BYU has used in as many games, another small wrinkle as the Cougars head into one of the more important trips on the schedule.
The setting at TCU adds to the intrigue, with weather expected to factor into the matchup and both teams carrying recent results that give the game a little extra weight. BYU has already shown it is willing to mix style with substance, but the real test will be whether the new uniform comes with the same edge on the field. For a team still settling into the rhythm of conference play, every detail matters, including what the Cougars are wearing when they walk into Fort Worth. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Made An Early Move That Could Shake Up Safety Competition
During BYUs bye week, safeties coach Demario Warren made an early move in the recruiting market by extending a scholarship offer to JUCO safety Jadyn Hudson of the College of San Mateo. Hudson brings some real intrigue to the position room as a former UCLA freshman and four-star recruit, and he has already drawn an offer from Western Michigan as well.
For BYU, the timing matters because the Cougars are still sorting out depth and competition at safety, and Hudson fits the profile of a player who could help immediately while still offering room to develop. He has three years of eligibility remaining and comes with a reputation for strong ball skills and tackling, two traits that tend to travel well if the Cougars can get him on campus. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Heads To TCU With A Major Offensive Line Concern
BYU heads into its trip to TCU with a key question on the offensive line, as starting right tackle Andrew Gentry is listed as questionable because of injury. The Cougars have had to manage their front five carefully all season, and this latest uncertainty comes at a time when continuity up front matters even more against a conference opponent on the road.
If Gentry cannot go, freshmen Bott Mulitalo and Siosiua Latu-Finau are in line to battle for the spot at right tackle. There is some good news on the injury front, though, with coach Kalani Sitake saying offensive lineman Kyle Sfarcioc, tight end Roger Saleapaga and receiver Tiger Bachmeier are expected back after missing the previous game, giving BYU at least a few more options as it tries to sort out its lineup. [Read more 🡒]