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Baylor
at
Texas A&M

7 p.m.
Sept. 26
G. Rollie White Coliseum
College Station, Texas

Baylor will return to action Wednesday, traveling 90 miles south on Texas Highway 6 for a 7 p.m. match at Texas A&M. The Bears will be trying to put the skids on a two-match losing streak, they stand 8-2 overall on the 2001 season and 0-2 in Big 12 Conference action. Baylor, coming off a 30-25, 27-30, 30-26, 31-29 loss Saturday at home to Colorado, is currently receiving votes in the Volleyball Magazine Top 20. Texas A&M enters the match at 8-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play. The Aggies posted a big five-game road victory Saturday, winning at Missouri 30-28, 27-30, 23-30, 30-23, 15-13. A&M is currently ranked 16th in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll and 15th in the Volleyball Magazine rankings. Wednesday's match will be webcast at www.sports.tamu.edu.

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 98-79 (.554) overall record and a 40-62 (.392) 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 stands second all-time at Baylor in total wins and has amassed the most conference wins of any coach in school history.

Hosfeld closing in on milestone victories
Now in his sixth season at the helm of the Baylor volleyball program, Brian Hosfeld is just two wins shy of reaching the 100-victory plateau. He is also four triumphs shy of breaking the school record for coaching victories of 101 (Tom Sonnichsen, 1989-1995). Hosfeld currently holds the highest career winning percentage of any coach in school history at .554 (98-79).

The Texas A&M series
This will be the 42nd meeting between the two schools with Texas A&M leading the all-time series 34-7. The Aggies have won the last three meetings, sweeping the season series last year and winning a five-game two years ago in College Station. However, things have not always been that close when Baylor plays at A&M. The two games the Bears won in 1999 at G. Rollie White Coliseum were their first there since a 3-1 loss in 1994. In fact, it has been nine years since Baylor won in College Station. A 3-1 triumph in 1992 is the only time the Bears have ever been victorious at A&M. The Aggies do have the distinction of being the first nationally ranked team to lose to Baylor. The Bears posted a 15-12, 15-10, 13-15, 15-13 victory at home Nov. 9, 1996 over then-No. 10 Texas A&M. Since the beginning of Big 12 volleyball, the Aggies lead the series 7-3.

Last time against Texas A&M
Baylor was held to a .088 team attacking percentage in a 15-3, 15-2, 15-4 loss at then-No. 23 Texas A&M. The nine points scored by the Bears was the lowest point total in a match by a Baylor team since Nov. 23, 1996, head coach Brian Hosfeld's first season at Baylor. In that match, the Bears were held to eight points (5-15, 1-15, 2-15) at then-No. 5 Nebraska. Baylor's attacking percentage, which was the result of 26 errors with only 37 kills on the night, is its second-worst attacking night of the season. Only Nebraska held BU lower at .052 Oct. 11. Stevie Nicholas led the Bears with 14 kills. The Aggies forced Nicholas into nine errors, though, and she hit just .128. Sunny Nicholas was the top hitter for Baylor percentage wise with seven kills and two errors for a .227 outing.

Baylor 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 10 matches, Baylor is averaging a Big 12-best 2.79 per contest, which would rank as the best season average in school history. However, the focus is the vast improvement from the 2000 season - 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 already has 27, OH Laura Daniela Lloreda has 23, and RS Tatiana Kenon has 15. As a team, Baylor has amassed 92 aces this season while allowing just 55.

Baylor in Big 12 rankings
The Bears lead the Big 12 Conference in three statistical categories and rank in the top five of four others in the latest rankings released Sept. 24. Baylor's 16.91 assists, 18.52 kills and 2.79 service aces all rank atop the conference leaderboard. Meanwhile, the Bears rank third in team attacking percentage (.263), fifth in digs per game (17.06), second in fewest kills per game allowed (12.09) and third in fewest assists per game allowed (11.12). Baylor also leads the conference in another category not charted by the conference - kills per game margin, the Bears are averaging 6.41 kills per game more than their opponents. Texas A&M ranks a distant second in this area, out-killing its opponents by an average of 5.00 kills per game. In conference matches, the Bears rank first in service aces per game (3.14), second in kills (16.57) and second in assists per game (14.71).

All six starters listed among conference statistical leaders
As teams begin the Big 12 Conference portion of their schedules, Baylor has the distinction of having all six starters listed among the leaders in at least one of the six statistical categories the conference charts. Sophomore OH Stevie Nicholas leads the conference in kills per game (5.36) over Liz Wegner of Kansas State (5.30), and she ranks first with 0.82 service aces per game. Stevie Nicholas also ranks eighth in digs per game at 3.48. Senior S Dana Chuha is not surprisingly leading the Big 12 with 14.37 assists per game. Chuha also ranks 10th in the league with a .341 attacking percentage. Sophomore MB Tisha Schwartz is listed 10th in the blocks department with 1.06 per game, while senior MB Sunny Nicholas is second in attacking percentage at .393. Along with Stevie Nicholas, two other Bears are ranked in the top 10 in service aces per game, sophomore OH Laura Daniela Lloreda is second at 0.70, while senior RS Tatiana Kenon is ninth at 0.45. In conference matches, Stevie Nicholas ranks second in kills per game (4.86). She is tied with Lloreda for the conference lead in service aces per game, both averaging 1.14. Chuha ranks eighth in such matches with 11.50 assists per game.

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.