I am kind of freaking out right now because I just realized my friend Ali White is on the women's BYU volleyball team!
   I knew Ali because we played high school together! She played setter during high school, and according to the BYU roster she is still playing setter but for them now! I am so happy for her! 
   I remember her being a hard worker and outstanding setter! BYU is very lucky to have her!
   Go to this website to see her stats, and to view her backround. You won't be wasting your time if you do! Read all about her!  http://byucougars.com/athlete/w-volleyball/ali-white

• Shawn Olmstead has been the head coach since 2011.
• Named 2012 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year and 2012 Pacific Region Coach of the Year.
• Coached players to three all-conference honors, three academic all-conference honors, one all-region accolade and one AVCA All-America citation in 2011.
• Led the Cougars to their first 20-plus win season since 2007 in the 2011 season.

 http://byucougars.com/staff/w-volleyball/shawn-olmstead

   Kathryn LeCheminant, BYU's middle blocker, along with the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball A2 Team won the gold medal in July 2013. 
   The team desired to go into the tournament working hard and finish by achieving success. They can honestly say the achieved great success for they won the gold medal. 
   Kathryn is a senior for BYU and is a very talented player for the team being 6'2". She has had the privilege to be on the A2 team and has loved it. She has described the experience herself when she said, "To have such high quality of volleyball competition against top players in the country was a neat experience. I learned a lot about who I was as a player and the kind of player I wanted to be. It was interesting to see different teams and different ways volleyball is played. Each girl brought different things to the table."
    Kathryn plays on the White team for the US, and they actually defeated the Gold team in the championship. 
    The White team with Kathryn's help won the gold medal by working hard together as a team. They beat out the competition and the reward to that was they received a Gold medal. 
 http://byucougars.com/w-volleyball/lecheminant-dahl-compete-national-a2-team

    On Saturday Oct 12 BYU played San Francisco and beat them wearing the color pink for their traditional support for breast cancer during the month of Oct.
   Every October the team wears pink to raise awareness and to show outwardly support for breast cancer. The team cares and supports all those who have had it, will have it, have died from it, and have been affected by it in any way. They raise awareness especially on the DigsPink night, where the game, gym, fans, team, and atmosphere is specifically in support of breast cancer.
    The team jerseys have the breast cancer awareness symbol on it. The girls are very proud to wear the pink jerseys. The team has a tender spot for breast cancer for Hannah Hannerman, the setter,  said, "The pink jerseys are to show support for breast cancer and in honor of Gaye Merrill, a former BYU athletic trainer back in 2012" (http://universe.byu.edu/2012/10/17/byu-womens-volleyball-digs-pink-2/).
    The team will continue on this tradition like they have done in the past to support breast cancer with wearing pink and DigsPink night. 
    The team is grateful to have the opportunity to support their former trainer and those who have suffered due to breast cancer. Its a way for them to give back to those who have lost so much.
 http://byucougars.com/w-volleyball/cougars-sweep-visiting-dons-san-francisco

   Alexa Gray is on a roll because she was awarded her very first  Player
of the Week Award for the West Coast Conference.
   Her great playing means a lot to her team, coach, and BYU women's volleyball fans for with
her impressive playing, with team effort also, the cougars are undefeated in the
WCC. They are actually the only team that is in the WCC that are undefeated
which proves their hard work and outstanding players are making all the
difference.
   Alexa, against their rivals Saint Mary's and Pacific, played remarkable for in the games where BYU
won she, "recorded 33 kills, while hitting an impressive .441 clip,
and added three digs and seven total blocks in the two victories." She fully
deserved her award of being the player of the week in the
WCC.
   Being a volleyball player, hitting positive is always a goal for a hitter; hitting .441 is above average and is
incredible. Blocking that well also helps the team immensely for it shuts down
the other team's momentum and adds to your team. She is a great player and seems
to be making BYU very proud. 
   Alexa Gray, only a sophomore, is playing outstanding. She is on fire and is a
great volleyball player. BYU is very lucky to have her and her
skills.  
    http://byucougars.com/w-volleyball/alexa-gray-wins-wcc-player-week-award

   BYU, back in 2012, decided to go and compete in Brazil and Argentina for not only to gain more reps, but also for some good old team bonding.
   The team was very excited to go down to Brazil and Argentina because their coach decided not to only play volleyball while down there, but to allow the team to bond by doing service. The girls were very excited for the opportunity to serve, play volleyball, and visit unique countries.
   The team's coach, Shawn Olmstead, stated about the trip, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us as a team and a chance to build on team bonding and core values and also to compete with some outstanding volleyball teams. We’re equally excited to interact with members of the Church in Argentina and Brazil through service and church worship." The team proves to have their priorities straight while being coached by Shawn Olmstead. He may be coaching a volleyball team, but he is also developing a group of young women's characters. 
   BYU is well known for serving others due to dealing with the LDS church. The fact the team is serving others is not a new concept and will continue for years. When any team does service, church related or not, proves that group of selfless individuals are truly something great.
   Shawn Olmstead is a great coach for wanting to take the team for some team bonding by serving others. Even though this story occurred over a year ago, it was important to share today to what defines a great team. A great team is one that not only can play well together, but one that can also better the world together. 

http://universe.byu.edu/2012/05/03/byu-womens-volleyball-changes-hemispheres/

   On Sept 17, at BYU, the women's BYU volleyball team played Utah's and added another win to the rivalry for BYU.
   The rivalry between these two schools has gone on for years. It has gone on for all kinds of sports and not just volleyball. Each team desires tremendously to beat the other. The rivalry is such a big deal that BYU is very stoked they beat Utah.
   The players and coaches of both teams wanted to win terribly bad. The BYU coach, Shawn Olmstead, after beating Utah said, "Hats off to Utah for a great match. We knew to keep working on our serve and pass. I felt that broke down too much at times. This was a team win and showed a lot of heart from all of our members. Hats off to our staff, they prepped us well." Both teams played great, but BYU just ended up taking the win.
   BYU actually beat Utah last year in Volleyball too. Now they have won two years in a row. This match ended up going to five games with the scores being  25-23 the first game, 17-25 the second, the third was 25-14, fourth was 20-25, and the last game was 15-12.
   The rivalry is still going to go on for many more years to come. This game was just another to be played between the teams. BYU is very proud of their win against Utah, and hope to continue to always beat them.
http://byucougars.com/w-volleyball/womens-volleyball-wins-deseret-first-duel

   BYU and Utah go head to head on Sept 17 at the home gym of the Cougar's.
   BYU won last year and so they want to continue the winning streak against the Utes. The Utes of course want to beat the Cougars and begin a winning streak of their own. The rivals want to defeat one another, but can't until Tuesday. 
   This rivalry is a rivalary that has gone on for years between the Utes and Cougars. According to BYU'S Volleyball home page, "This will be the 96th matchup between the two in-state rivals." BYU hopes to come out on the floor and beat Utah.
   Last years game was one to remember for BYU for they beat Utah 3-0. Utah will show up for the game with their same six starters from last years team. BYU has improved their season and now desire to improve it even more by beating the Utes.
   The game will be held in the Huntsman Center at BYU and starts at 7pm. The game will be one that adds to the rivalry either way, but BYU wants the win to be for their team.
http://byucougars.com/w-volleyball/cougars-face-utes-and-begin-conference-play

   Nicole Warner, who used to play on the BYU women's volleyball team, is going to France for eight months to play at the national level. 
   The team which is called, Quimper Elite 29 squad, has their first game on September 27. The squad is made up of girls from all over the world. The coaches are even from across the world, which in new to Nicole Warner because she is American. 
   On her blog she posted about her team and coaches saying, "My teammates are Spanish, Croatian, Slovenian, French, French-speaking African ( from Senegal), and I still have yet to meet the Czeck's. My coach is from Spain and his assistant is Brazilian ( http://nicknack-pattywack.blogspot.fr/ ).
   Nicole and the team started practice in August and are conditioning and working hard to prepare for their upcoming game. 
   Hopefully they can click and unite as a team, and earn many victories to their names.  
http://byucougars.com/blog/w-volleyball