BYU Cougars women's volleyball
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| BYU Cougars women's volleyball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1969 |
| University | Brigham Young University |
| Athletic director | Brian Santiago |
| Head coach | Rob Neilson (1st season) |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Location | Provo, Utah, US |
| Home arena | George Albert Smith Fieldhouse (capacity: 5,000) |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Colors | Blue and white[1] |
| AIAW/NCAA tournament runner-up | |
| 1972, 2014 | |
| AIAW/NCAA tournament semifinal | |
| 1972, 1977, 1993, 2014, 2018 | |
| AIAW/NCAA Regional Final | |
| 1972, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2014, 2018 | |
| AIAW/NCAA regional semifinal | |
| 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 | |
| AIAW/NCAA tournament appearance | |
| 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
| Conference tournament champion | |
| Western Athletic Conference 1996, 1997 Mountain West Conference 2000 | |
| Conference regular season champion | |
| Intermountain Conference of College Women Physical Education 1969, 1970, 1971 Intermountain Athletic Conference 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981 High Country Athletic Conference 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987 Western Athletic Conference 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 Mountain West Conference 1999, 2000, 2005 West Coast Conference 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 | |
The BYU Cougars women's volleyball team is the women's college volleyball program representing Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars began female collegiate volleyball competition in 1969 and have won 32 conference championships and have been national runners up twice (1972 and 2014).
BYU's women's volleyball team first took the court in 1956, but official records began to be kept in 1969, with the team playfully known as the "Spikettes."[2] From 1961 to 2001, the team was coached by Elaine Michaelis, during which time she simultaneously coached women's basketball, field hockey, and softball at one point. She was the first female coach in the nation to take a team to the NCAA Final Four (1981), and she led the team to 28 consecutive 20-win seasons. The court at the Smith Fieldhouse was named in her honor in 2005.[3] In 1993, the team became the first BYU team to qualify for the NCAA Final Four. In 2014, it finished as the NCAA tournament runner-up, and in 2018 the program attained its highest season win percentage of .939.[2]
As of 2024, the Cougars have been ranked in the AVCA Division I WVB Coaches Poll 490 times (.761) since it was started in 1984, including 198 Top 10 rankings and 15 rankings at #1. The team has finished their season ranked 33 times, including 15 times in the Top 10 and 5 times in the Top 5. The Cougars also finished ranked #1 for the 1986 season despite being eliminated during the Elite Eight round of that year's NCAA tournament.[4]
Venue
The Cougars play at the Smith Fieldhouse, which is the seventh largest venue for college volleyball in the United States.[5] The team's largest home game attendance on record was 5,528 in 2023 against rival Utah.[6]
Coaches
| Name | Career | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elaine Michaelis | 1969–2001 | 705–178–5 | .798 |
| Karen Lamb | 2002–2004 | 57–39 | .594 |
| Jason Watson | 2005–2007 | 74–18 | .804 |
| Shay Goulding | 2008–2010 | 43–42 | .506 |
| Shawn Olmstead | 2011–2014 | 103–25 | .805 |
| Heather Olmstead | 2015–2025 | 279–55 | .835 |
| Rob Neilson | 2026– | 0–0 | – |
Two coaches have been named the AVCA National Coach of the Year: Shawn Olmstead (2014) and Heather Olmstead (2018).[7]
Players
BYU has had 40 All-Americans in women's volleyball, which ranks 10th all-time among Division I programs.[8] Mariliisa Salmi was the AVCA National Player of the Year for 1986.[9]
After college, many players have gone on to play on national and professional club teams, including Charlene Johnson-Tagaloa who was setter for the United States national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics that placed fourth.[10]
