2019 Season Review

The 2019 BYU women’s volleyball season culminated in yet another 25-win season and NCAA Tournament berth as the Cougars once again finished among the top teams in the nation.

Finishing with a record of 26-5, BYU notched wins on the road against eventual national champion Stanford and Utah with the Cougars only losses coming to nationally ranked, NCAA Tournament teams. BYU reached the postseason for the eighth-straight year as the No. 14 seed, advancing to the second round.

The Cougars were ranked every week of the season, ending at No. 17 in the final AVCA poll. In addition to a strong non-conference, BYU swept every West Coast Conference opponent except league winner San Diego to place second in the conference at 16-2.

Libero Mary Lake closed out her outstanding career with VolleyballMag.com Third Team and AVCA honorable mention All-America citations while being named the WCC's best defender for the third year in a row. Lake broke the BYU all-time career digs record on Nov. 7 against Santa Clara and finished her career first in digs per set and seventh in sets played all-time at BYU and first in digs, third in sets played and seventh in aces in the BYU career rally scoring records. A fan favorite, Lake also excelled as an accounting student on her way to being named Academic All-District and a Senior CLASS Award finalist.

Outside hitter McKenna Miller also wrapped up her four years as one of the most dynamic offensive players in Cougar history, earning VolleyballMag.com Third Team and AVCA honorable mention All-America citations after being named the WCC Player of the Year. Miller finished 11th in kills and 10th in attempts in the BYU all-time career records and fifth in matches with double-digit kills; sixth in kills, kills per set, attempts, points, and points per set; and eighth in sets played and attempts per set in the BYU rally scoring era career records.

Lake and Miller were joined by junior Kennedy Eschenberg, sophomore Heather Gneiting and freshman Whitney Bower on the All-WCC First Team. 

Bower, a freshman setter, started every set for the Cougars on her way to being named VolleyballMag.com All-America honorable mention. Bower finished second in aces and aces per set, fourth in assists and sets played, sixth in assists per set, seventh in digs per set and eighth in digs in the BYU freshman record book. 

Following the season at the end-of-year team banquet, Lake was given the Coaches Award, Riley Lyman the Strength and Conditioning Award, Taylen Ballard-Nixon the Most Improved Award and Eschenberg the Academic Award for highest GPA.