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BAYLOR
at
NEBRASKA
7 p.m.
Nov. 17, 2001
Nebraska Coliseum
Lincoln, Neb.
Baylor will return to action Saturday, traveling to Lincoln, Neb., for a 7 p.m. match against No. 2 Nebraska. The Bears enter the match with a 17-9 record on the season and 8-9 in Big 12 Conference play. Baylor is currently tied with Texas for sixth in the league standings, just one loss behind fifth-place Missouri. The Bears are coming off a 30-25, 34-32, 30-27 loss at home Wednesday night to No. 22 Kansas State. This will mark the third time this season Baylor has played nationally ranked opponents in back-to-back matches. Nebraska enters the match at 23-1 overall and 16-0 in conference play. The Huskers, who own a three-match lead in the conference standings, can clinch a third-consecutive Big 12 title with a win Saturday. Nebraska has won 21 consecutive matches, dating back to a four-game loss Sept. 1 at Long Beach State, currently the nation's top-ranked team. The Huskers are coming off a 30-17, 30-21, 30-15 triumph Wednesday night at Oklahoma. Live stats for the Baylor-Nebraska will be available at www.Huskers.com, the official website of Nebraska Athletics. Live audio will also be available with legendary radio personality John Baylor providing all the exciting play-by-play.
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 107-86 (.554) overall record and a 48-69 (.410) 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 has amassed the most wins, both overall and in conference play, of any coach in school history.
Hosfeld Baylor's winningest coach
With the Bears' five-game victory Oct. 20 at Kansas, head coach Brian Hosfeld claimed his 102nd-career victory at Baylor, breaking the Baylor record for career coaching victories. The mark was previously held by Tom Sonnichsen (1989-1995). Hosfeld reached 101 wins in 182 matches, Sonnichsen took 247 matches to amass his win total. Hosfeld currently holds the highest career winning percentage of any coach in school history at .557 (107-85).
Hosfeld against Nebraska
Like most coaches in the Big 12 Conference, Baylor head coach Brian Hosfeld has not had much luck against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are 11-0 against Hosfeld-coached squads, winning all 11 meetings in three games. In fact, Nebraska is 102-9 all-time in Big 12 play, having suffered losses to only Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. Colorado's Pi'i Aiu, Texas A&M's Laurie Corbelli and former UT head coach Jim Moore are the only Big 12 coaches to ever beat NU more than once.
The Nebraska series
The history between Baylor and Nebraska is a short one -- the Cornhuskers have won all 12 matches in the series and have never dropped a game to the Bears. Earlier this season, Nebraska won a 31-29, 30-21, 30-18 decision in Waco. The two-point loss in the first game was the closest game in the 12-match history of the series. The teams first met Sept. 22, 1995 in Lincoln as a part of the Arby's Classic.
Last time against Nebraska
Stevie Nicholas put away a match-high 14 kills, but it was not enough as Baylor fell to No. 1 Nebraska 31-29, 30-21, 30-18 in Waco. Laura Daniela Lloreda added 10 kills for the Bears, who have now lost four consecutive matches for the first time since late in the 1998 season. Tisha Schwartz had seven kills, while Sunny Nicholas and Tatiana Kenon had five and four, respectively. Lloreda and Dana Chuha each had two service aces, Chuha led all players with nine digs. Baylor gave the top-ranked Huskers all they wanted in the first game, attacking at a .317 clip as a team. The Bears put away 21 kills in the first game, led by Stevie Nicholas with eight kills and a .375 attacking percentage. However, as hot as Baylor was in the opener, Nebraska was even more torrid. The Huskers hit an eye-popping .647 in the first game with 22 errorless kills in 34 attempts. Baylor was only able to stay in the game thanks to five service aces and four Nebraska service errors. Neither team led by more than two points in game one until Baylor used Sunny Nicholas' serve to build a 22-19 advantage. After the teams traded points twice, Nebraska scored four straight points to take a 25-24 lead. From there, Baylor and Nebraska traded points for 10 consecutive serves before a Laura Pilakowski kill gave the Huskers the 31-29 victory. In the second game, Nebraska cooled off a little bit, but the Huskers still hit .400 as a team (18-6-30). Meanwhile, NU increased its block and held the Bears to a .114 attacking percentage. Baylor put away just 12 kills in the second game with eight errors in 35 swings. Game three saw Nebraska cool off even more, hitting just .205 (14-6-39), however, a strong NU block again contained the Bears' offense. Baylor tallied nine kills and committed 13 errors for a negative-.091 team attacking percentage in the third game. Nebraska finished the evening with a .408 attacking percentage compared to Baylor's .108. The Huskers also out-dug the Bears 42-36 and out-blocked the Bears 16-2. Nebraska as a team committed just 12 attacking errors, the same totaled committed by Stevie Nicholas. Baylor was forced into 28 attacking errors as a team.
Sunny Nicholas named first-team Verizon Academic all-District VI
Senior MB Sunny Nicholas became the third Baylor volleyball player to ever earn academic all-district honors this week, being selected first-team Verizon Academic all-District VI. She joins Kia Young (first team, 1999) and Elisha Polk (second team, 1999) as Baylor's three all-time honorees. Nicholas currently ranks sixth all-time at Baylor with 1,065 career kills. Her career attacking percentage of .294 is the second-highest mark in the program's 24-year history. This season, Nicholas is tops on the team with a .311 attacking percentage, she is averaging 2.54 kills, 2.15 digs and 0.63 blocks per game.
Schwartz swinging strong over past three weeks
Sophomore MB Tisha Schwartz has stepped into her own over the past three weeks. In the Bears last six matches, she is hitting .346 (80-24-162) with 3.33 kills and 1.12 blocks per game. Included in that stretch was a career-high 18 kill performance against Kansas, in which she attacked at a rate of .368 with seven blocks. Schwartz put down 16 kills, four blocks and hit .323 against Texas A&M, followed by a 12-0-25 (.480) performance with two blocks at Oklahoma. The Amarillo, Texas, native has now gone nine consecutive matches with at least one block, she has also posted six straight matches with at least 10 kills. Schwartz started each of the Bears' first 16 matches before head coach Brian Hosfeld readjusted his starting line up for defensive reasons. Since that point, Schwartz is averaging 3.00 kills and 1.08 blocks per game while attacking at a .339 clip.
Stevie Nicholas riding strong six-match stretch
Sophomore OH Stevie Nicholas saw her streak of four consecutive matches with at least 20 kills come to an end last Wednesday at Oklahoma, however, that was probably only due to the fact that the Bears disposed of the Sooners in three games. Still, the all-America candidate tallied 16 kills with only one error in 28 swings for an attacking percentage of .536. She also had five service aces, seven digs and a pair of solo blocks against OU. Over the past six matches, she owns an attacking percentage of .323, she is also averaging 5.88 kills, 2.79 digs and 0.75 blocks per game during that time. That run began with 32 kills against Texas, followed by 21 against Kansas, 28 against Colorado and 26 against Texas A&M. Her performance against the Aggies was a school record for a three-game match. Most recently, she had 18 kills, nine digs and three blocks in three games against No. 22 Kansas State.
Weekend warriors
Baylor is 12-4 this season in matches played during the weekend, 4-0 on Fridays, 7-4 on Saturdays and 1-0 on Sundays. On the other hand, the Bears are just 5-5 in midweek games, going 1-0 on Mondays, 1-0 on Tuesdays and 3-5 on Wednesdays.
Bears getting familiar with five-game matches
After not playing a five-game match in their first 16 matches this season, the Bears played six in their next eight matches. That is a school record for an eight-match stretch. Since the beginning of the 1999 season, Baylor has played 19 five-game matches, a school record for a three-year span.
Bears looking strong at the service line
After averaging an all-time program-low 1.25 service aces per game a year ago, the Bears have been dominant at the line in 2001. Through 26 matches, Baylor is averaging a Big 12-best 2.03 per contest. OH Stevie Nicholas and DS Kimmy Scott led the Bears last season with 20 each. Thus far this season, Stevie Nicholas leads the team with 51, OH Laura Daniela Lloreda has 50 and RS Tatiana Kenon has 32. Stevie Nicholas and Lloreda are the first Baylor teammates to have 50 or more service aces in the same season, ranking second and third, respectively, all-time at Baylor. In all, seven Bears have tallied at least 10 service aces this season. As a team, Baylor has amassed 191 service aces on the season, the most since the 1997 squad had 197.
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 four teams (Nebraska, Texas A&M, Colorado and Kansas State) currently ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll, six of the conference's 11 teams are playing .600-or-better ball, and nine teams are above .500. 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.
Lloreda, Bears ace Southwest Texas State
Sophomore OH Laura Daniela Lloreda tied the Baylor school record with nine service aces in a match Oct. 20 to lead the Bears past Southwest Texas State. Lloreda matched the total amassed by Jana Ranly in a five-game match Oct. 3, 1985 against Rice. A native of Veracruz, Mexico, Lloreda's mark will stand alone as the school record for aces in a three-game match. Her total is also a Big 12 record for a match of any length. In all, Baylor had 14 service aces against SWT, one shy of the school record for aces in a three-game match.
Stevie Nicholas etches name in Baylor records book yet again
Sophomore OH Stevie Nicholas tied Elisha Polk's school record for kills in a match Oct. 20 when she pounded 36 in Baylor's five-game win at Kansas. She now has five matches with at least 30 kills in her career, one shy of Polk's school and Big 12 mark. Along with the fact that Stevie Nicholas posted her 36 kills under the new rally scoring format, what made the performance most amazing was that she hit .405 for the match. Entering the fourth game, she had already amassed 25 kills with only one error in 53 swings (.453). The percentages finally caught up with the Fullerton, Calif., native in the fourth game as she hit just .118 (5-3-17). However, an eye-popping 9-0-13 (.692) performance in the fifth game not only allowed Stevie Nicholas to tie Polk's record, it also led Baylor to victory.
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.
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.
