Back in May, the BYU men's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Final Four and won its first national championship. Seven months later, the Cougar women would love to match that feat.
"It's definitely our turn," said BYU outside hitter Caroline Bower. "We need a banner hanging for the women in the Smith Fieldhouse."Not that this is a new concept. When Bower arrived in Provo in 1995, one of her goals was to help the Cougars reach the Final Four and, eventually, win a national title.
During her career, BYU has come close to those aspirations, but the Final Four has proved to be elusive. As No. 12-ranked BYU (28-4) challenges No. 4 Florida (32-2) at 6 tonight in the East Regional Semifinals in Stockton, Calif., the 5-foot-11 senior is thrilled that BYU is once again on the doorstep of those dreams.
"Earlier this season, I told our younger players to think of this as your one and only chance," said Bower, who is married to former BYU basketball player Danny Bower. "As a freshman, you think you will have plenty of chances to go to the Final Four. We've had a lot of opportunities. This year, everything's clicking. We're very confident. We've always known that the Final Four is where we want to be."
Should the Cougars knock off the Gators, they'll face the winner of the Pacific (which hosts the regionals) vs. Northern Iowa match on Saturday night with a berth to the national semifinals -- to be played at the University of Hawaii -- at stake.
If BYU is to be Honolulu-bound, it will have to lean on Bower and her experience -- as she and setter Anna-Lena Smith are the only two seniors on the team. Over the years as a Cougar, Bower has played next to All-Everything performers like Amy Steele Gant, Korie Rogers and current Cougar Nina Puikkonen. She has never been the star but rather an integral part of the supporting cast. To coach Elaine Michaelis, Bower is indispensable.
"She's the heart and soul of our team," Michaelis said. "She handles 70-80 percent of our passes and is one of our best blockers. She's not the flashy player Nina is, but she's the most important player on our team because of the leadership she brings to us."
Bower has been voted by her teammates as a team captain three straight years, since she was a sophomore.
"She's a people person," Michaelis said. "Everyone likes her and enjoys her. She makes everyone feel better about themselves. Leadership comes naturally to her. People just flock to her. There's always chatter from her all the time. She's always communicating on the court, and it's the same at practice."
Bower is considered BYU's most consistent all-around player, and her efforts have not gone unnoticed as the Weber High School product was named to the All-Mountain West Conference first team. She averages a team-high 3.15 digs per match and equalled a career-high 27 digs against Arizona earlier this season. She also averages 2.95 kills along with a .250 hitting percentage. Michaelis says Bower is one of the best passers and defensive players to wear a Cougar uniform.
Bower has been around the program long enough to remember the last time BYU played Florida -- in the 1997 Florida Invitational in Gainesville. In that match, she recorded a team-high 18 kills in a four-game loss to the Gators.
This year's showdown with Florida marks BYU's 11th appearance in the regional semifinals in the 18-year history of the NCAA women's volleyball tournament. The Cougars are 8-3 in Sweet Sixteen matches, including wins the last three seasons. As fate would have it, Pacific was the victim in two of those three matches. Last year, BYU downed the Tigers in four games in the regional semifinals at Penn State.
Thus, Pacific, which returns all of its players from a year ago, shouldn't have a tough time getting up for the Cougars, especially on its home court.
"They will have a good crowd," Michaelis said. "They will not overlook us."
Including NCAA victories last week in Provo over Princeton and Wisconsin, BYU has won 14 of its last 15 matches and 22 of its last 24. Like Bower says, everything seems to be clicking for the Cougars. Could a Final Four appearance be in their future?
"With the draw we have, we're capable of going to the Final Four," Michaelis said. "Right now, I'm thinking about the Final 8."