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BAYLOR
at
KANSAS

7 p.m.
Oct. 20, 2001
Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Lawrence, Kan.

Baylor will spend its third consecutive weekend on the road, traveling to Lawrence, Kan., for a 7 p.m. match Saturday at Kansas. The Bears enter the match with an 11-6 overall record and a 3-6 mark in the Big 12, eighth in the league standings. Baylor is coming off a heartbreaking 34-32, 31-29, 29-31, 28-30, 19-17 loss at home Wednesday to Texas Tech. The two-hour, 41-minute match was the first in school history to go five games with every game being decided by two points. Baylor is currently among those also receiving votes in the Volleyball Magazine Top 20, and the Bears are ranked 25th nationally in the Ballicora computer rankings. Kansas enters the match at 12-8 overall, ninth in the Big 12 with a 2-7 record. The Jayhawks are coming off a 30-27, 26-30, 30-25, 30-21 loss at home Wednesday to No. 17 Texas A&M. This will be the final match of the first round of Big 12 play for both teams. Live score updates will be provided at www.GoBaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics.

Head coach Brian Hosfeld
Baylor is in its sixth season under the direction of head coach Brian Hosfeld. During his tenure, the Bears have compiled a 101-83 (.551) overall record and a 43-66 (.395) mark in the rugged Big 12 Conference. In 1999, Hosfeld led the Bears to the greatest season in the program's 24-year history. Baylor posted a 26-9 record and finished fifth in the conference at 13-7. The 1999 Bears matched the school record for wins in a season and shattered the standard for conference wins. The season culminated with the Green and Gold making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. There, Baylor knocked off Temple in the first round before falling to eventual national champion Penn State. Hosfeld holds the highest winning percentage in school history. He is tied for first all-time at Baylor in total wins and has amassed the most conference wins of any coach in school history.

Hosfeld ties school record for career victories
With the Bears' three-game win Wednesday at home against Oklahoma, head coach Brian Hosfeld claimed his 101st-career victory as a head coach, all coming at Baylor. Now in his sixth season at the helm of the Baylor program, Hosfeld has tied the school record for coaching victories, also held by Tom Sonnichsen (1989-1995). Hosfeld currently holds the highest career winning percentage of any coach in school history at .555 (101-81).

Hosfeld vs. Kansas
Head coach Brian Hosfeld has a career record of 8-2 against Kansas with a 2-2 mark over the past two seasons. Hosfeld-coached Baylor squads are 3-2 against the Jayhawks in Lawrence, 5-0 in Waco.

The Kansas series
Baylor is 10-3 all-time against Kansas, holding an 8-2 advantage in the series since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996. The Bears are 5-0 all-time against the Jayhawks in Waco with all five meetings coming as Big 12 foes. The teams first met in El Paso, Texas during the 1995 season, Kansas won that match in three games. Baylor and KU did not meet again until a 1993 five-game BU triumph in Lawrence. In 1995, the Bears defeated the Jayhawks in four games at the Arby's Classic in Lincoln, Neb. Of note, all three Kansas victories in the series have been of the three-game variety.

Last time against Kansas
Baylor found itself out-attacked .313 to .227 as the Jayhawks posted a 16-14, 15-6, 15-12 victory Nov. 4, 2000 in Lawrence. Stevie Nicholas led the Bears with 16 kills, and Sunny Nicholas had 10, however, the sister duo hit just .242 and .276, respectively. Tisha Schwartz was the lone bright spot for Baylor that day as she hit .667 with nine kills and only one error in 12 attempts.

Selman shatters personal marks against Texas Tech
Senior MB Carol Selman was not about to pass up her opportunity to get some playing time. Sidelined for most of the year due to back injuries, Selman posted a career-high 11 kills without an error in 15 attempts (.733) Wednesday against Texas Tech. Her previous best was seven kills at Tech during her freshman season of 1998. She also had four blocks, a season high that matched her season total entering the contest.

Schwartz continues solid offensive stretch
Sophomore OH Tisha Schwartz has carried the hot hand for the Bears offensively over the past five matches, averaging 2.40 kills per game and hitting at a .357 clip. Last week against Oklahoma, she tallied eight kills with only one error in 11 attempts (.636) to go along with a pair of blocks. Saturday at Kansas State, the Amarillo, Texas, native collected a career-high 15 kills and hit .393. Wednesday against Texas Tech, Schwartz had 10 kills and hit .381 with three blocks.

Baylor falls while hitting .250 for just the third time since 1999
Baylor's five-game loss to Texas Tech marked just the third time since the beginning of the 1999 season that the Bears hit .250 or better and failed to win. The Bears are now 40-3 in such matches during that time, the loss snapped a 14-match winning streak in such matches. The only other losses during that stretch were a 3-2 loss at home against Texas last season (.257) and a 3-2 loss at Missouri in 1999 (.302). On the flip side, the Bears are just 3-5 this season and 13-37 since 1999 when attacking at a lower rate.

Bears finally forced to go five
Baylor's match at Kansas State was its first five-game match of the season, coming in the 16th match of the season. That is the deepest into a season the Bears had gone without going the distance since 1991. That year, Baylor played its first five-game match in the 17th match of the season. Other than those two season's, Baylor has played a five-game match by match No. 11 every year since college volleyball moved from a best-of-three format to a best-of-five format in 1984. Even in 1982 and 1983, when teams experimented with the best-of-five format for selected matches, the Bears went five games in match eight and in match one, repsectively. Last season, the Bears did not play a five-game match until the 11th match of the season, ending the year having played five such matches. The school record for most five-gamers in a season is eight, set in 1993 and again in 1999. Three times (1982, 1987 and 1997) Baylor played just two five-game matches.

Bears rank high in NCAA statistical rankings
Baylor ranks in the top 30 nationally in three of the six statistical categories charted by the NCAA Statistics Bureau, according to the latest rankings released Oct. 8. The Bears are fifth in kills per game (17.57) and in assists per game (15.91), BU is tied with St. John's for 24th in service aces per gam (2.50). Individually, two Bears are ranked nationally. Sophomore OH Stevie Nicholas is 24th with 5.00 kills per game, while senior S Dana Chuha is eighth with 13.37 assists per game.

Baylor in Big 12 rankings
The Bears lead the Big 12 Conference in four statistical categories and rank in the top five of four others in the latest rankings released Oct. 15. Baylor's 2.43 service aces is atop the conference leaderboard, well ahead of second-place Texas A&M (1.96). Baylor is also tops in the conference in fewest kills allowed (12.63) and fewest assists allowed (11.37). Meanwhile, the Bears rank fifth in team attacking percentage (.244), second in kills per game (17.28), fourth in assists per game (15.56) and fourth in fewest digs allowed (14.54). In conference matches, the Bears rank first in service aces per game (2.18).

Five of six starters listed among conference statistical leaders
Baylor has the distinction of having five of six starters listed among the leaders in at least one of the six statistical categories the conference charts, according to the latest rankings released Oct. 15. Sophomore OH Stevie Nicholas leads the conference in kills per game (5.06), well ahead of Liz Wegner of Kansas State (4.69). Sophomore OH Laura Daniela Lloreda leads the Big 12 in service aces per game at 0.59, Stevie Nicholas ranks third (0.57) and senior RS Tatiana Kenon is fifth (0.46). Senior S Dana Chuha is second in the Big 12 with 13.10 assists per game, and Senior MB Sunny Nicholas is fifth in attacking percentage at .359. In conference matches, Stevie Nicholas ranks second in kills per game (4.64). She is tied with Kenon for fifth in service aces per game (0.50), while Lloreda is second in the conference, averaging 0.57 per game. Chuha ranks ninth in such matches with 11.32 assists per game.

Losses nothing to hang head over
Five of Baylor's six losses this season have come to teams that have been ranked nationally at one point or another this season, the sixth loss was to Texas Tech, which has been receiving votes for both polls all season. Three of those opponents were ranked nationally at the time of the match. The first loss was to Texas, which was ranked 25th nationally in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll that week. The second loss was to Colorado, unranked at the time, the Buffaloes have won five of six matches since defeating Baylor and are now ranked 23rd nationally in the coaches poll. The third loss was to Texas A&M, which has been ranked nationally in both the coaches poll and in the Volleyball Magazine Top 20 all season, the Aggies are currently 17th in the coaches poll and 15th according to Volleyball Magazine. The fourth loss was to Nebraska, currently ranked second in both polls. At the time of the match, the Huskers were No. 1 in the coaches poll and No. 2 in VM. The last of the five losses was at Kansas State, which has been ranked in both polls for the majority of the season and was among those receiving votes in both polls at the time of the match. Those five teams have a combined record of 72-27 on the 2001 season, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Colorado, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Texas are currently the top six teams in the Big 12 standings in descending order.

Bears looking strong at the service line
After averaging just 1.25 service aces per game a year ago, the Bears have been dominant at the line in 2001. Through the first 14 matches, Baylor is averaging a Big 12-best 2.34 per contest. Last year's average was the lowest in the program's history. OH Stevie Nicholas and DS Kimmy Scott led the Bears last season with 20 each. Thus far this season, Stevie Nicholas has 36, OH Laura Daniela Lloreda has 32 each, and RS Tatiana Kenon has 25. As a team, Baylor has amassed 138 aces this season.

Big 12 Conference showing its strength
Easily one of the top volleyball conferences in the nation, the Big 12 is proving itself this season. Along with having three teams (Nebraska, Texas A&M and Colorado) currently ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll, nine of the conference's 11 teams are playing .600-or-better ball. In all, seven Big 12 teams have been ranked at some point this season (add in Baylor, Kansas State, Missouri and Texas), while two others (Kansas and Texas Tech) have been listed among those also receiving votes at some point this season. Last year, the conference sent six teams (Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Colorado) to the NCAA Tournament with conference champion Nebraska winning the national championship. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, 10 of the 11 schools have made at least one appearance in the NCAA Touranment.

Baylor reschedules four matches
Baylor has rescheduled four matches for the 2001 season, the changes include the rescheduling of the two matches postponed due to the national tragedy Sept. 11. The Sept. 12 match at Iowa State has been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m., the night before the Bears' match at Missouri. Baylor's Sept. 15 contest against Kansas has been moved to Sunday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m., the day following the Bears' match at home against Texas. Two other matches have been affected. Baylor was originally scheduled to host Southwest Texas State at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2. That match has been moved to Monday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. to accommodate the Bobcats' rescheduling efforts. Also, the Bears' final match of the regular season, Nov. 24 at home against Missouri, has been moved from a 7 p.m. start to 7:30 p.m. That match will be the final event in a triple-header of Baylor athletic events, including football and men's basketball.

Bears match best start in program's history
With its four-game victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Baylor moved to 8-0 on the season and matched the best start in the 24-year history of the BU volleyball program. The Bears started the 1999 season 8-0 before dropping a five-game decision at Southern Methodist. That team finished 26-9, tying the school record for best winning percentage and tying the school mark for most victories in a season. This marks the fifth time in school history the Bears have started the season with at least five wins, three of those have come in the past three seasons. Baylor opened the 1993 season 7-0, the Bears finished 26-15 that season and advanced to the championship match of the NIVC Tournament.

Bears claim fifth Baylor Classic title
Baylor's four-game triumph over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo gave the Bears the team title at the Baylor Classic, marking the fifth time in 11 Classics that BU has claimed first place. The Bears also won their own event in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1999. Baylor is now 30-10 (.750) all-time in the Baylor Classic after winning 13 of its last 14 such contests dating back to the 1996 tournament. The lone loss in that time was at the hands of then-No. 11 UCLA in the championship match of the 2000 Baylor Classic.

Stevie Nicholas again leads all-tournament squad
Sophomore OH Stevie Nicholas claimed her third-career tournament MVP award at the Baylor Classic, earning such honors for the second time this season. She was so honored in her first weekend of collegiate volleyball last season at the Crowne Plaza Invitational hosted by Rice and again in this season's opening weekend at the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Classic hosted by Tulane. Joining Stevie Nicholas on the all-tournament squad at the Baylor Classic were fellow Bears S Dana Chuha and MB Sunny Nicholas. Cal Poly SLO was represented on the team by S Carly O'Halloran and MB Worthy Lien, other all-tournament selections were North Texas S Kristin Sheppard, and Rhode Island MB Yolanda Bogacz.

Baylor dominates NOKIA field
With wins over Nevada-Las Vegas, Louisiana State and host Tulane, Baylor claimed the team title at the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Classic last weekend as the only undefeated team. It marked the 14th regular-season tournament title in the program's history, the eighth during head coach Brian Hosfeld's tenure. The Bears enjoyed two impressive attacking games during the weekend. In game two against LSU, Baylor went 20-2-36 (.500). The Bears came out on fire against Tulane, going 19-1-32 (.562) in the first game. The lone error was a back-row attack call on an attempted set by S Dana Chuha. In that game, OH Stevie Nicholas was 10-0-13 (.769).

Four Bears selected NOKIA all-tournament, Stevie Nicholas named MVP
Just as the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Classic was dominated Baylor, the all-tournament team was also dominated by the Bears. Of the seven athletes chosen to the team, four donned the Green and Gold. OH Stevie Nicholas led the way as a unanimous MVP selection. She tallied 57 kill sin the three matches, averaging 5.40 per game and hitting at a .319 clip. Stevie Nicholas also averaged 3.40 digs and 0.80 service aced per game. Joining her on the all-tournament team were S Dana Chuha, RS Tatiana Kenon and MB Tisha Schwartz. It was the third all-tournament selection of Kenon's career, while Chuha and Schwartz were so honored for the first time in their careers.

Smith out for season with ACL tear
Less than two weeks before the beginning of the 2001 season, Baylor volleyball learned Wednesday that junior OH Lisa Smith will be forced to miss the entire season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Smith is in her first season with the Baylor program after transferring to the school from Blinn County College in January. A second-team junior college all-America selection last season at Blinn, Smith sustained the injury Aug. 16 during the Bears' final practice of their two-week training session in Japan. It is expected that she will receive a medical redshirt for the 2001 season.

Baylor conducts two-a-days in Japan
Baylor got a taste of international volleyball during the preseason two-a-days session, spending Aug. 6-17 in Japan. The Bears held daily practices and scrimmaged against various teams during their two-week stay in the Land of the Rising Sun. During the first week, Baylor was stationed at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan. There, the Bears competed against the host team, which has won four national collegiate titles and has reached the national tournament in each of the past 23 seasons. Baylor also held scrimmages against Shokei Women's Junior College, the top-ranked junior college team in Japan, and various area high school teams. The Bears spent the second week in Tendo/Yamagata, Japan, training with and competing against the Pioneer Red Wings. Coached by legendary international coach Arie Selinger, the Red Wings are Japan's top professional team. Selinger also coached the U.S. women's national team from 1978 to 1984, under Selinger's leadership, Team USA won gold medals at the 1980 World Championships and at the Games of the 23rd Olympiad in Los Angeles, Calif.

Big 12 coaches tab Baylor to finish seventh
Perhaps following status quo from the 2000 season, the 11 head coaches in the Big 12 Conference picked Baylor to finish seventh in their annual preseason poll. The Bears tied Texas for seventh last year, both with 8-12 records in conference play, UT was picked to finish eighth this season. Nebraska was an overwhelming selection to win its fourth consecutive Big 12 title and fifth in the league's six-year history. Texas A&M was picked to finish second, and Colorado was slotted for third. Kansas State and Missouri tied for fourth, followed by Texas Tech. Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State rounded out the coaches' preseason rankings.

Stevie Nicholas, Lloreda earn preseason Big 12 honors
Stevie Nicholas, the 2000 Big 12 and AVCA South Central Region freshman of the year, joined seven other athletes on the preseason all-conference team. Meanwhile, Laura Daniela Lloreda was chosen preseason newcomer of the year. Nicholas, a first-team all-Big 12 pick last season, joins Greichaly Cepero (S, Nebraska), Nancy Metcalf (OH, Nebraska), Laura Pilakowski (OH/MB, Nebraska), Jenna Moscovic (S, Texas A&M) and Elizabeth Gower (S, Colorado) on the team. Lloreda joins Baylor this season from Universidad de las Americas in Mexico, she also played for the Mexican National Team last year. Cepero was chosen preseason player of the year, while fellow Cornhusker Allyne Rebholz was tabbed preseason freshman of the year.

Baylor on the web
Baylor volleyball information can be accessed 24 hours a day at the school's athletic website www.GoBaylorBears.com. Fans and media alike can find the latest news and notes on the site along with match recaps, box scores, player features, player and coach bios and various other informational resources. Baylor volleyball matches will also be webcast, beginning with the first home conference match.