NCAA volleyball notes: BYU's Heather Olmstead named national coach of the year

MINNEAPOLIS — BYU women’s volleyball heads back to the NCAA national semifinals for the third time in school history and the first time since 2014.

Much like the run four years ago, the Cougars have been led there by a championship-caliber coach.

Heather Olmstead was named national coach of the year by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association, the organization announced Thursday prior to the Cougars’ semifinal tip against No. 1 Stanford.

“It’s an honor to be named coach of the year because the coaches voted on it, colleagues and friends,” Olmstead said after BYU’s 3-0 loss to No. 1 Stanford in the national semifinals. “It means that our kids played really well, well enough for us to get recognized as a staff. It’s always a staff award when someone gets coach of the year. It doesn’t happen on your own.”

It’s the first such honor for Olmstead, who boasts a 118-12 record in three seasons as a head coach, and the first for BYU since her brother Shawn received the same award in 2014 after leading BYU to the NCAA title match.

Back then, Heather Olmstead was an assistant to her brother, who now leads the BYU men’s volleyball team.

“This is no surprise she’s doing what she’s doing,” said Stanford coach Kevin Hambly, who played at BYU from 1992-95. “I’m a huge fan of Heather. I think she’s going to have a brilliant career. Obviously, it’s four years and it’s already a brilliant career. I’m looking forward to what she does with that program for a long, long time.”

Olmstead helped BYU to its first No. 1 national ranking in the modern era, a 31-1 overall record and the program’s third-ever trip to the national semifinals. The Cougars won their first 27-straight games, finished No. 1 for 11-consecutive weeks, and overcame key losses, like an ACL injury to outside hitter McKenna Miller, to advance past the Provo-hosted NCAA regional that included wins over Stony Brook, Utah, Florida and Texas.

Along the way, Olmstead led a squad that six AVCA All-Americans, six all-region players and five all-West Coast Conference honorees — including the league’s player of the year (Roni Jones-Perry) and defender of the year (Mary Lake). Former Pleasant Grove star Heather Gneiting was also named AVCA national freshman of the year.

“I saw BYU, what it was at its peak,” Hambly said. “To see that program back, being competitive every year, it’s good for the soul, good for my heart. I still love that place.”

Back in contention

Thursday was BYU’s third-ever trip to the NCAA tournament semifinals, after previous stops in 1993 and 2004. The Cougars’ opponent, Stanford, was making its third-straight appearance in that stage of the tournament and 22nd all-time.

Only 10 teams have won NCAA women’s volleyball titles, though BYU nearly became the 11th before losing 3-0 to Penn State in 2014.

“I could not be more proud of this group (and) what they accomplished,” Olmstead said. “Looking forward, I think the future is bright.”

Looking to the future

The loss of Jones-Perry (eight kills Thursday) and setter Lyndie Haddock-Eppich (23 assists, 10 digs), among others, ends the stellar career of a half-dozen BYU seniors that brought the program to new heights — and set attendance records in the no-longer-secret volleyball hotspot of the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo.

There’s plenty of talent returning like Gneiting, whose six kills in Thursday’s loss were the 22nd time she has recorded at least as much in a match in her freshman season, and defensive menace Lake.

“I’m just grateful to be a part of BYU,” Haddock-Eppich said. “I would have chosen no other school. I invite no one else to choose any other school.

“The coaching staff is one in a million. They believe in us, put together a season with us to finish out my career and Roni’s career. It’s just been such a fun ride this whole year.”

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