No. 11 BYU secured their 13th straight victory in a 3-1 Big 12 match against No. 25 Colorado on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The Cougars rallied from a first-set loss to overcome the Buffaloes at the Smith Fieldhouse.
KJ Burgess, who entered the match leading the country in blocks, added nine block assists to her total during the victory. Burgess and freshman middle Brooke Hardy combined for 18 kills and 14 block assists. Hardy recorded 11 kills on 14 swings, according to BYU head coach Rob Nielson.
After losing the first set 25-23 to Colorado, BYU took control in the second set with a 25-22 win, led by kills from Claire Little Chambers and Brooke Hardy. The Cougars then secured a 25-16 win in the third set, fueled by an 8-0 run sparked by Anna Blamires. BYU closed the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth set after Blamires fired the match-point kill.
Other notable performances for the Cougars included Elli Mortensen, who finished with 13 kills and 10 digs, and Claire Little Chambers, who added 12 kills. Colorado's Ines Losada and Ana Burilovic contributed 12 combined kills during the first set.
Coach Nielson stated that the team aims to be battle tested and noted the ability to maintain pressure on opponents over multiple sets.
The Cougars (16-1 overall, 8-0 Big 12) are coming off a stretch where their only set loss since Sept. 3 was against No. 2 Pitt. Colorado's victory in the first set on Thursday, October 22, 2026, was the only set the Buffaloes won during the match.
BYU is scheduled to host No. 8 Arizona State on Saturday night in the Fieldhouse. The match will feature a matchup between KJ Burgess and Arizona State middle Zoey Burgess.
The Burgess family will be in attendance for the upcoming match against Arizona State, which includes Chris Burgess, a BYU men's basketball assistant coach, and Lesa Burgess.
