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PROVO — The first test of youth for a BYU women's volleyball team in transition was passed with flying colors Friday in the first two matches of the doTERRA Classic.
Claire Little had 12 kills and five digs, and Ellie Mortensen added 10 kills as No. 16 BYU swept Southeastern Louisiana 25-15, 25-13, 25-15 in the Cougars' season opener at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Alex Bower, the two-time high school All-American setter from Nampa, Idaho, dished out 30 assists with four digs and a block in her collegiate debut; and Kjersti Strong and Brielle Kemavor each had seven kills.
Bower, whose parents, Caroline and Danny, played volleyball and basketball, respectively, at the same university where older sisters Morgan, Whitney and Eden also played volleyball, even laid down one of the trademark "Bower Dump" kills that Whitney Bower made famous in the fieldhouse — this one, though, with her dominant left hand.
BYU (2-0) added a 25-18, 25-17, 25-11 win over Fairfield in the second match of the season Friday night, earning a win over the defending MAAC champion Stags in front of an announced crowd of 5,125 fans — the eighth largest in the history of the Smith Fieldhouse.
Little added 16 kills on 21 swings without an error in the nightcap, when Bower notched her first double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs. Mortensen supplied 12 kills in the youth showcase.
"I'm not surprised at all by Alex," said Little, who hit .550 with just one error on 20 swings in the season opener. "The confidence that she comes on the course with is incredible. It's so fun to play with her. The younger players, in general, are already coming on the court with an awareness of who they are and what they can do. They're already contributing to this team."
The Cougars had six new starters in the season opener, including freshmen Bower and Mortensen; and a pair of sophomores in Little and Kemavor.
The most experience came from junior opposite Kate Prior, who played in 32 games a year ago but came off the bench in all but three of them, and senior Strong, a graduate transfer from Saint Mary's who also played two seasons at Snow College.
Yet the newcomers and veterans looked like they belonged right away.
"I think they're ready for their moment and their opportunity," BYU coach Heather Olmstead said. "Our team and our coaches did a great job in the preseason and the offseason all winter of working on our system and training up our players the best we can. I think our team is going to have a battle all year; everyone wants to get on the court.
"This is one match and it's a long season, so we won't get too caught up in who was out there today. But I thought who was out there did a great job, and everyone is going to have an opportunity to get on the court at some point."
BYU used a 7-0 run early in the first set to take a commanding 9-2 lead and never looked back.
Little had six kills on a six swings, and the Cougars hit .565 in the opening set with 16 kills and just three errors, holding the Lions to .080 hitting en route to a 25-15 win.
Southeastern Louisiana hit negative-.200 in the second set, laying down just seven kills on 35 swings with 14 hitting errors en route to BYU's 25-13 second-set win.
Little and Mortensen finished out the match with double-digit kills before Prior finished off the sweep with her fourth kill in a 25-15 third-set win.
BYU will wrap up the four-team invitational Saturday against defending Big South champion High Point. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT on ESPN+.
