I know I play at my best when I'm pumped up for myself, but even more so for my teammates. – BYU senior Cosy Burnett
PROVO — When watching BYU senior volleyball player Cosy Burnett operate at the middle blocker position, it appears she's been playing the position for years. She shows poise, enthusiasm and most importantly, great technical skill and athleticism in helping lead the No. 9-ranked Cougars to an 11-1 start on the year as they now turn to West Coast Conference play.
Burnett's stats speak for themselves. The 6-foot-2 San Diego native leads the team in blocks (59) and averages 1.42 blocks per set. She's also been effective swinging away on the net and has tallied 89 kills on a .305 hitting percentage, which places here third and second on the team, respectively.
"Cosy playing the middle has been huge for us," said BYU coach Heather Olmstead. "She's stepped into that role and helped fill a void with her energy. She's able to touch balls effectively on the block, but is also someone our setters are comfortable giving some offensive sets. So she's been doing a great job."

Although Burnett appears to be a fish in water with her abilities playing middle blocker, it certainly didn't start that way.
Due to a huge void left by graduating middle blockers Amy Boswell and Whitney Young Howard after the 2016 season, Olmstead approached Burnett about switching from the outside to middle blocker this past February.
The reaction upon hearing the request from her coach? She cried.
"I really did," Burnett said. "Heather pulled me aside and asked me if I'd be willing to do it, and yeah, I cried. It wasn't because I was mad or anything, it was just because it had been a really long year for me last year to fight through everything and get back."
Burnett's 2016 season was spent mostly on the bench. After placing third on the team in kills as a sophomore, she appeared poised for big things as a junior before tearing her abdominal muscle early in the season. The injury forced her to watch as the Cougars made yet another run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Burnett was determined to come back stronger than ever for her final season.
That all changed with Olmstead's request shortly after the 2016 season.
"I was back. I was feeling good, focused and then it all changes. Just like that. It was just shocking, at the time," Burnett said. "It was just so much emotion for me, but then after my initial reaction, I was like, 'OK, let's do this. If this is what the team needs then this will be a great opportunity for me to meet an even bigger challenge.'"
The reason for the switch was perhaps an influx of talent at the outside and opposite hitting positions from the likes of McKenna Miller, Veronica Jones-Perry and Lacy Haddock, among others. Meanwhile, the cupboard was relatively bare at middle blocker with the team looking at a lot of inexperienced players to fill the critical position.
There was also an emotional component the team perhaps needed to fill with the graduation of Boswell, who was the team's spirited leader throughout 2016. Filling that void was perhaps the easiest part of Burnett's position switch.
"I've always loved the passion and energy of the game of volleyball," Burnett said. "I think I was really obnoxious when I was a younger player because I had too much energy and emotion out there, so I've actually had to sort of tone that down as I've matured. I know I play at my best when I'm pumped up for myself, but even more so for my teammates."
Turning down the emotion too much can be detrimental to a sport and a team that thrives on emotional energy, but Burnett seems to have struck the right balance, and her teammates have followed her lead.
"Everyone is just who they are and Cosy brings that energy. It's infectious. She's always celebrating other players' successes," Olmstead said.
Burnett now celebrates the unique opportunity of switching positions for her final season.
"I'm loving the challenge and it's really helped fire me up for every practice," Burnett said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to really improve and I don't know if that's the opportunity that most fifth-year seniors get. So that's how I'm looking at it. I'm happy with the strides I've made, but I also know there's so much further I can go with those improvements, and that's exciting."
Also exciting is what Burnett and her team have accomplished so far this season, and what's ahead of them. After a successful non-conference season, which included a thrilling five-set win over then-No. 16 Utah, the Cougars now turn to West Coast Conference play with confidence.
"We're definitely confident and we're really just having a lot of fun," Burnett said. "There's a lot of love on this team. We all respect one another, but we honestly have genuine love for one another and I think it shows when we're out there and it helps us. I'm just so excited to be back and to have the opportunity to finish my career here playing with teammates I genuinely love."