Olmstead named Pacific South Region Coach of the Year, five Cougars claim All-Region honors

PROVO, Utah – The AVCA named BYU women’s volleyball head coach Heather Olmstead the Pacific South Region Coach of the Year and five student-athletes earned AVCA Pacific South All-Region honors on Tuesday.

Senior opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber, sophomore setter Whitney Bower, senior middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg and junior middle blocker Heather Gneiting were named to the All-Region team. Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon received All-Region Honorable Mention.

At the completion of the regular season, Olmstead led BYU to a 28-1 overall record and an 18-0 undefeated record in West Coast Conference play to secure the Cougars’ sixth league title in her seventh season at the helm of the BYU women’s volleyball program. This marks the third time Olmstead has been named Pacific South Region Coach of the Year. The head coach first received the recognition in 2018, before going on to be named the 2018 AVCA National Coach of the Year.

The 2021 WCC Coach of the Year and the Cougars secured the No. 11 seed and hosted the first and second rounds in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s 10th consecutive tournament berth. Under Olmstead, BYU has advanced to five Sweet 16s and the 2018 Final Four. 

Recently crowned the WCC Player of the Year, Koerber led the Cougars with 3.53 kills per set and 4.16 points per set during the regular season, while securing a spot on this year’s All-WCC First Team. She totaled 335 kills, 231 digs, 83 blocks and 17 aces in 95 sets.

WCC Setter of the Year, Bower led one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Her 990 assists contributed to the Cougars ranking No. 1 in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage (.120), No. 3 in hitting percentage (.338) and No. 9 in kills per set (14.23). The three-time All-WCC First Team honoree averaged 10.42 assists per set to rank No. 46 nationally while collecting 93 kills on a .400 clip, 37 blocks and 26 aces.

Collecting her fourth consecutive All-Region accolade, Eschenberg anchored BYU offensively and defensively while ranking No. 9 in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.428) and No. 26 in blocks per set (1.27). The senior also received her third All-WCC First Team honor.

Gneiting collected her third ACVA Pacific South All-Region honor. She led the team with her .464 clip for the season, racking up 212 kills. The four-time All-WCC First Team member recorded the second-most points, finishing the regular season with 282. She also added 90 blocks and 62 digs to her season stat line.

Ballard-Nixon ranked No. 2 among the Cougars in kills per set (2.63) and points per set (3.21) during conference play. In her final season at BYU, she's accumulated 221 kills, 58 digs, 33 blocks and 30 aces in 84 sets.

All-Region awardees are now eligible for All-America consideration. All-Americans will be announced next week.