No. 22 BYU defeated No. 17 Baylor in a five-set thriller on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars secured the victory with scores of 25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, and 15-10 to improve to 9-1 and 1-0 in Big 12 play.
Four Cougars recorded 10 or more kills during the match, the first time that many players reached that mark this season. Claire Little Chambers led the team with 21 kills, while Elli Mortensen, Brooke Hardy, and Sophia Callahan recorded 17, 11, and 10 kills, respectively. Mortensen achieved her first career double-double in the fourth set, finishing with 17 kills and a career-high 14 digs. Little Chambers and Lulu Po’uha each contributed nine digs toward the team's total of 46.
Freshman Brooke Hardy tallied a career-high 11 kills and six aces, the most by a freshman in the rally-scoring era at BYU. Little Chambers and Mortensen also contributed to the team's season-high nine aces. Kelli Jo Burgess led the team in blocks with seven, followed by Little Chambers and Kate Prior with three each. Kaylie Kofe and Alex Bower provided 26 and 25 assists, respectively.
The match was decided in the fifth set after Baylor rallied to win the third and fourth sets. In the deciding frame, Mortensen, Little Chambers, Burgess, and Hardy kept the score close until BYU took a 14-8 lead. Little Chambers secured the match with a final kill to end the set 15-10.
BYU will travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to face Kansas State in another Big 12 matchup on Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. MDT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
