Newly aggressive Elli Mortensen has No. 24 BYU volleyball off to 3-0 start

PROVO — New BYU women’s volleyball coach Rob Neilson gave Elli Mortensen one job ahead of the junior’s senior season with the Cougars: Be aggressive.

Message, received.

Mortensen had a match-high 12 kills, five digs and four aces as No. 24 BYU volleyball improved to 3-0 with a 25-14, 25-18, 25-22 win over Eastern Illinois in the home opener Thursday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.

“We’ve got to go dictate what’s happening,” he added. “There were times where she would take her foot off the gas because she didn’t want to make errors.  We just need her to be in attack mode — and she’s learnign what those situations are, and I think she’s playing really good volleyball.”

Kaylie Kofe had 16 assists, and fellow junior setter Alex Bower added 14 for the Cougars, who continued to roll out their 6-2 system with a balanced offense that included eight kills, six digs and a block from Claire Little Chambers.

In his first year at his alma mater since leading Utah State to its first NCAA Tournament win since 2001, Neilson has the Cougars buying into a new game plan, new roles — and each other.

“Rob has put so much trust in us, and we’ve been working as a team this offense to really come together, play together, and I think our offense is clicking a little bit. We’re playing a little bit faster; Rob’s implemented that for us, and we have so many weapons. It opens up the court for me, and it’s all my teammates.”

The biggest beneficiary through the first three matches, which includes wins over Florida State and Florida Gulf Coast, is Mortensen.

The former Corner Canyon High standout burst on the scene as a freshman two years ago, averaging 2.709 kills per set for 298 kills on a 29.8% hitting percentage. She played more on the back row last year, totaling just 23 kills in 93 sets while serving effectively with 21 aces.

“She’s worked so hard, and has earned the right to be really confident as she plays out there,” Neilson said of Mortensen. “We’re just helping her get comfortable in her own skin, and learn where shots are, what’s available to her, and what she can do in different situations.

“She’s got a really high upside.”

And she’s starting to reach it, too.

Mortensen had a season-high of five kills just once a year ago, but put up back-to-back 10-kill matches with Thursday’s final tally for the first time since her freshman year.

ELLI GETS B2B MATCHES WITH 10+ KILLS 😤

Elli Mortensen gets back-to-back matches with double-digit kills for the first time since 2024, the 20th match in her career in double figures. 👏 pic.twitter.com/4vLJuXzeM1

— BYU Women’s Volleyball (@BYUwvolleyball) September 4, 2026

A seasoned, veteran roster including Bower and Little Chambers, newcomers like former Mountain West player of the year Kofe, and the return of former BYU opposite Kate Prior have helped Mortensen unlock some of that upside.

“Trust is huge, with my teammates and also in our training,” she said. “We’ve been putting in the work, and we know that we’re good enough. We know we’re a great group, so it’s all about coming out and having confidence in what we can do.”

The Cougars face No. 2 Pitt in their biggest challenge of the season Friday night (6:30 p.m. MT, ESPN+), a .280-hitting team that averages 3.1 blocks per set in a 4-0 start to the season.

“They’re physical and they’re disciplined; really well coached,” Neilson said of the Panthers. “Their opposite has been phenomenal for three years, and she’s the best player in the first four matches they’ve played.

“They’re not going to be thrown by the environment,” he added. “They’re going to play clean volleyball, and we’re going to have less space to operate. We’re going to have to be really aggressive. It’s a great challenge, and I’m excited to see how our girls respond and step up to it.”