No. 7 BYU women's volleyball lost 3-1 at No. 23 Baylor on Thursday night, Nov. 12, 2026, at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. The loss was the Cougars' first in Big 12 play this season and ended a 17-match winning streak, according to BYU Athletics. Claire Little Chambers had 20 kills for BYU, but Baylor won three close sets, including a 30-28 second set and a 26-24 fourth. BYU, now 20-2 and 12-1 in the conference, comes home to face Texas Tech on Saturday.
BYU Athletics' subhead summed up the night: BYU led in all four sets but dropped the road match. For Baylor, the Baylor Lariat called it the program's highest-ranked home win since it beat No. 1 Texas in 2021.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Final | Baylor 3, BYU 1 |
| Set scores | 25-18, 30-28, 21-25, 26-24 (Baylor first) |
| Date and place | Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas |
| BYU record | 20-2, 12-1 Big 12 |
| Baylor record | 15-8, 7-6 Big 12 (Baylor Lariat) |
| Hitting | Baylor .323, BYU .247 (BYU Athletics) |
| BYU leader | Claire Little Chambers, 20 kills, .347 |
| Next match | Sat., Nov. 14, vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m. MST, Smith Fieldhouse |
How the sets went
Set 1, Baylor 25-18. BYU led 14-12, then Baylor closed the set on a 13-4 run, the Baylor Lariat reported. The Bears hit .469 in the set, with five players recording at least three kills.
Set 2, Baylor 30-28. BYU had set point at 24-22 and could not finish it. The Lariat reported that Baylor committed 10 attack errors and hit just .180 in the set but rallied anyway. Setter Isabela Haggard served an ace, and three different Baylor outside hitters had kills in a closing 4-1 run.
Set 3, BYU 25-21. The Cougars took the third set behind Little Chambers, who had nine kills without an error in that set, according to the Lariat.
Set 4, Baylor 26-24. Baylor had match point at 24-22. BYU fought back to tie it at 24, the Lariat reported, before Grace Carroll's kill put Baylor ahead again and Victoria Davis ended the match with a tip over the net.
BYU's numbers
These lines come from BYU Athletics' match recap.
| BYU player | Line |
|---|---|
| Claire Little Chambers | 20 kills, .347 hitting (second straight 20-kill match) |
| Elli Mortensen | 13 kills, 14 digs (seventh double-double, ties career high) |
| Sophia Callahan | 7 kills, .333 hitting (first action after missing three matches) |
| Brooke Hardy | 6 kills, .455 hitting |
| Alex Bower | 25 assists, 3 service aces (match high) |
| Kaylie Kofe | 21 assists |
| Lulu Po'uha (libero) | 19 digs |
| Kelli Jo Burgess | 5 blocks (tied for match high) |
As a team, BYU hit .247 to Baylor's .323, according to BYU Athletics. BYU had five service aces and five service errors, and Baylor had four aces and nine service errors. The Cougars out-blocked Baylor 9-8, a reminder that BYU entered the match second in the Big 12 at 2.82 blocks per set, per the Lariat.
Callahan's return is worth watching for the rest of the season. BYU said she had missed the previous three matches, and she hit .333 in her first action back.
Baylor's numbers
The Baylor Lariat reported 27 kills and 13 digs from Ksenia Rakhmanchik, her third straight double-double, and 15 kills from Victoria Davis. Haggard had 55 assists, eight digs, six kills and three blocks. Middle blocker Lacy Tinnell had nine kills on .750 hitting with two blocks, and the Lariat said Baylor's middles combined for 24 kills with only two errors, their best game of the season.
Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre said Rakhmanchik "for sure is a National Player of the Year candidate," according to the Lariat. Haggard said she was "not surprised" by the result and that Baylor was "due one" after several close losses to ranked teams. Entering the match, Baylor was 1-6 against top-25 opponents, the Lariat reported. Baylor's athletics site described it as a "four-set thriller."
How it compared with the September meeting
The same core group carried BYU in both matches against Baylor. In the five-set home win in September, BYU Athletics credited Little Chambers with a team-high 21 kills, nine digs and three blocks, Mortensen with 17 kills and a career-high 14 digs for her first career double-double, and Hardy with 11 kills and six aces, which BYU called the most by a freshman in the rally-scoring era at BYU. Callahan added 10 kills, and Burgess led the team with seven blocks.
That night four Cougars reached double-digit kills for the first time this season. On Thursday in Waco, only Little Chambers and Mortensen did. Baylor's serving also looked different: BYU's September recap said Baylor committed nine service errors in a single set in Provo, and Thursday's recap counts nine Baylor service errors across the whole match.
What the loss means
BYU still has a one-loss Big 12 record and is 20-2 overall. Thursday's match was the second meeting of the year between these teams. BYU beat then-No. 17 Baylor 3-2 at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Sept. 25, winning the fifth set 15-10 to open Big 12 play, according to BYU Athletics; that win left the Cougars 9-1, so their only other loss came before the conference season. Our BYU women's volleyball 2026 season guide has the full season story.
Four of BYU's five remaining regular-season matches are at the Smith Fieldhouse, so the Cougars have a chance to recover at home. Big 12 standings and tiebreakers can change quickly over the final two weeks, so check the conference site for the current table.
Remaining schedule
BYU's official schedule, checked Nov. 13, lists these matches:
| Date | Opponent and place | Time (MST) |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Texas Tech, Smith Fieldhouse | 6 p.m., ESPN+ |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Arizona, Smith Fieldhouse | 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Cincinnati, Smith Fieldhouse | 1 p.m., ESPN+ |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | at UCF, The Venue, Orlando | 11:30 a.m., ESPN+ |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | No. 17 TCU, Smith Fieldhouse | 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
Times and broadcasts can change. Confirm on byucougars.com before you go.
Going to a match at the Smith Fieldhouse
Saturday's Texas Tech match is at 6 p.m., the same day BYU football hosts Baylor at LaVell Edwards Stadium and BYU women's soccer plays Baylor for the Big 12 Tournament title in Texas. Our season guide explains how tickets work at the Smith Fieldhouse and how students claim seats with a ROC Pass. Check BYU's ticket site for current prices, since they can vary by match.
If you are planning a full Saturday on campus, our BYU-Baylor football game week guide covers the football side, and our story on BYU women's soccer reaching the Big 12 final has the soccer details. For the men's basketball team's win on the same night as this match, see our BYU-Montana State recap.
Sources: BYU Athletics match recap and women's volleyball schedule, the Baylor Lariat, and Baylor Athletics, all checked Nov. 13, 2026.
Related Guides
- BYU women's volleyball 2026 season guide
- BYU beats Montana State 86-71
- BYU women's soccer plays Baylor for the Big 12 title
- BYU-Baylor football game week
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Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- No. 7 Cougars fall to No. 23 Bears, 3-1, BYU Athletics. Checked November 13, 2026.
- BYU women's volleyball schedule, BYU Athletics. Checked November 13, 2026.
- No. 22 Cougars down No. 17 Bears behind career nights from Mortensen and Hardy, BYU Athletics. Checked November 13, 2026.
- No. 23 VB Takes Down No. 7 BYU in Four-Set Thriller, Baylor Athletics. Checked November 13, 2026.
- No. 23 Baylor volleyball stuns No. 7 BYU for largest home upset since 2021, The Baylor Lariat. Checked November 13, 2026.