BYU women's volleyball: Cougars crack top-25

PROVO — For the first time since 2007, the BYU women's volleyball team received a top-25 ranking in the AVCA Coaches' Poll, checking in at No. 21.

"I'm excited for the girls and our program," said coach Shawn Olmstead. "They have definitely put in the work and the results have shown that. Most importantly, we understand this is only Week 2 and there is a lot of work ahead of us, so it's crucial that we stay focused on what we have been doing."

The team received 375 votes in the poll after victories last week over Colorado State (No. 24) and Tennessee (No. 14). The Cougars won both matches in four sets to take the Shocker Volleyball Classic title, bumping CSU out of the rankings.

The West Coast Conference now has three schools in the top-25 poll, with Pepperdine ranked No. 12 and San Diego ranked No. 17.

Junior opposite hitter Jennifer Hamson led the team to the tournament victory. She tallied a career-high 25 kills against the host, Wichita State, and also had 20 kills against CSU for 54 total during the weekend.

Now 6-0 on the season, the Cougars are enjoying their best start since 2006, when the team went 6-0 before losing to Kansas in the Jayhawk Invitational.

BYU hosts its invitational Friday and Saturday. BYU faces Utah on Friday at 7 p.m., which will also be broadcast on BYUtv. Saturday, the Cougars face Bowling Green at noon and Portland State at 7 p.m.