2021 season highlighted with Top-10 finish, Sweet 16 run, undefeated WCC record

PROVO, Utah – In the 2021 season, BYU women’s volleyball once again finished among the top teams in the nation, claiming the West Coast Conference Championship and making yet another run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Culminating in another 30-win season, the Cougars finished No. 9 in the final AVCA ranking. It's BYU’s 15th time in program history finishing the season in the top 10 in the nation. 

The Cougars went undefeated in the WCC, with an 18-0 record. It was the first time since 1993 that BYU won all of its regular season conference matches. The league championship marked Heather Olmstead’s sixth in seven years as the Cougars’ head coach.

BYU finished the season with a 30-2 overall record. This record allowed the team to reach the postseason for the 10th straight year. 

As an 11 seed, The Cougars opened the 2021 NCAA Tournament with the first two rounds at home in the Smith Fieldhouse. The first-round match was a dominant a sweep over Boise State. In the second round, a hard-fought 3-1 win over Utah advanced BYU to the Sweet 16.

The Cougars' season came to an end at the third round in Pittsburgh after a back-and-forth, heartbreaking 3-2 loss to No. 6 seed Purdue. 

Leading the team offensively, graduate Kenzie Koerber was named to the AVCA All-America Third Team following an outstanding season as an opposite hitter. Additionally, the NCAA chose Koerber as the Academic Team Member of the Year and Academic All-America First Team. In her first season in the WCC, she was named WCC Player of the Year.

WCC’s Setter of the Year, junior Whitney Bower, earned her second AVCA All-America honorable mention. She led the team with 1,094 assists and contributed to the team’s average hitting percentage of .410. She had 297 digs and earned 12 double-doubles this season. Along with Koerber, she was named to the All-WCC First Team and received AVCA Pacific South All-Region honors.

Graduate middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg dominated offensively and defensively for the Cougars this season. She led the team with 136 blocks and added 208 kills and 30 digs to her stat line. In her final collegiate season, she was AVCA All-American honorable mention, 2021 NCAA Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American, All-WCC First Team and received AVCA Pacific South All-Region honors.

Head coach Heather Olmstead was named the WCC Coach of the Year and the AVCA Pacific South Region Coach of the Year.