A year and a half after playing in their last postseason, BYU women’s volleyball is getting back in the hunt for a national title.
On Sunday, the Cougars earned a No. 16 seed and a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament. Unlike past tourneys that start fairly quickly after seedings, BYU is waiting more than a week until they get back into action.
The Cougars will face the winner of the Rider and UCLA matchup on Thursday.
But what might help BYU (16-1) continue their momentum is the recent barrage of conference honors.
In total, seven Cougars and head coach Heather Olmstead earned West Coast Conference honors. Olmstead and setter Whitney Bower led the way; the longtime BYU coach was named the conference Coach of the Year, while Bower earned Player of the Year and Setter of the Year.
Bower was also named to the All-WCC First Team, alongside fellow teammates Taylen Ballard-Nixon, Kennedy Eschenberg and Kate Grimmer.
Freshmen Madi Allen and Erin Livingston earned All-WCC second team and honorable mention honors, respectively, while Allen, Livingston and Leilani Dodson were named to the All-Freshman Team.
“I am very happy for our team to be recognized the way that we did,” Olmstead said. “Every single person on our team should be recognized, rewarded for what they contributed to our team. But I know awards are special for individual players because they get recognized for their great work and so happy to get quite a few freshman on the all-freshman team.”
What was even more special what that Bower was not only able to nab Setter of the Year, but also Player of the Year. The top award is usually given to the defensive player with the most kills.
However, Olmstead wasn’t too surprised because she considers her sophomore setter “the heart and soul” of the team. Bower is able to distribute the ball, and does a good job managing the offense and being a leader on the court.
The sophomore can mix it up with the hitters, or score on her own. But she also plays a big role on defense, getting digs and getting all over the court, and continues to improve on her blocking.
“I think people overlook her for her size,” Olmstead said. “I think, really, until you play or you watch her, you realize what she does to own her skill sets and to get better and be a master at her craft is pretty impressive. So, she’s a complete player. And I think that award is great recognition for her, and it also is recognition for our team.”
Bower believes she wouldn’t have received that recognition had it not been for the work her hitters have been able to accomplish this season.
The prime example of how Bower’s skill set has helped the Cougars improve is shown in Eschenberg.
The 6-foot-5 senior middle blocker finished the regular season with a 46% kill rate, recording 10 or more kills in a match seven times this season.
Olmstead said Eschenberg has been a rock of the Cougars’ foundation this year. Eschenberg also closed out the regular season with three consecutive WCC Player of the Week awards.
“Kennedy is the most humble player I’ve ever coached, the hardest worker,” Olmstead said. “She’s eager to get better. She’s eager for feedback from coaches. She connects to all her teammates and coaches.”
While the honors won’t necessarily win the Cougars any matches, the team is going to take the boost in morale to motivate themselves heading into the postseason.
“I think everyone’s stoked, everyone’s excited for each other,” Bower said. “We’re just focusing on the next game ahead of us, and just focusing on playing to the best of our ability. The honors are really cool, and they’re fun to see everyone get recognized for working so hard and playing so hard. It’s cool. It’s a really fun honor to have as a team and our coach, she’s awesome. Her coach of the year — she really deserves it.”
