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BAYLOR
vs.
MISSOURI

7:00 p.m. CDT
Oct. 16, 2002
Ferrell Center
Waco, Texas

Baylor continues the toughest four-match stretch of its 2002 schedule Wednesday, hosting No. 22 Missouri for a 7 p.m. CDT contest at the Ferrell Center. The Bears (8-9, 2-5) dropped a 30-26, 30-26, 30-28 decision at Kansas last Saturday, snapping a two-match winning streak. Missouri (15-3, 5-2) stopped a two-match losing streak last Saturday with a 30-26, 30-27, 30-23 victory at home against Oklahoma. The Tigers are ranked 22nd in this week's AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and are among teams receiving votes for the Volleyball Magazine Top 20. Live stats for the match will be available at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network.

QUICK NOTES
* Baylor and Missouri meet for the 13th time Wednesday with the Bears holding an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series. All 12 meetings have come as Big 12 foes.
* Junior RS Laura Daniela Lloreda ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 0.41 service aces per game. Lloreda, who has played four matches at the libero position, averages 0.76 aces per game when she is eligible to serve.
* Since moving to the outside hitter position Sept. 26, junior Tisha Schwartz has averaged 5.67 kills, 2.90 kills and 0.67 blocks per game.
* Freshman MB Alison Heffner, a former club player who joined the roster Sept. 26, led the Bears with six blocks last Wednesday against Texas Tech. That was a career best for Heffner, who now leads Baylor with 0.82 blocks per game.
* Baylor has tallied at least one service ace in 50 consecutive matches and at least two service aces in 19 straight matches.

HEAD COACH BRIAN HOSFELD
Baylor is in its seventh season under the direction of head coach Brian Hosfeld. During his tenure, the Bears have compiled a 116-98 (.542) overall record and a 51-76 (.402) mark in the rugged Big 12 Conference. Hosfeld is credited with putting Baylor volleyball on the map. After losing seasons in 14 of 18 seasons prior to Hosfeld's arrival, Baylor has finished above .500 in four of the last six seasons. Baylor has made two NCAA Tournament appearances in that time, advancing to the second round before losing to eventual national champion Penn State in 1999. Owner of the highest winning percentage of the program's seven head coaches, Hosfeld has amassed the most wins, both overall and in conference play, of any coach in school history.

HOSFELD vs. MISSOURI
Head coach Brian Hosfeld has a career record of 8-4 against Missouri. He has coached the Bears in all of the schools' meetings. Hosfeld led the Bears to victories against the Tigers in each of their first four meetings.

LAST TIME OUT - KANSAS 3, BAYLOR 0
LAWRENCE, Kan. - A strong Kansas attack and lack of a strong service game proved fatal for Baylor here Saturday night as the Bears dropped a 30-26, 30-26, 30-28. Tisha Schwartz led Baylor with 14 kills and Stella Odion added 10. However, the Bears were held to a .198 team attacking percentage as no Bear with at least 10 swings hit better than Odion's .286 (10-4-21). Laura Daniela Lloreda's 10 digs led Baylor, which out-dug the Jayhawks 46-38. It marks the first time this season the Bears have out-dug an opponent and lost. With Baylor leading 24-22, Kansas scored three straight points to take a 25-24 lead. The Bears tied the score on the next point thanks to a Molly Scavuzzo service error, but Baylor could never recapture the lead.Molly Scavuzzo service error, but Baylor could never recapture the lead. Kansas scored five of the game's final six points for the 30-26 victory. In game two, the Jayhawks broke out of a 3-2 deficit with three straight points and never relinquished the lead. The Bears tied the score on three different occasions but could never take the lead. Kansas led by as much as five points at 26-21 before Baylor scored four of the next five points to make it 27-25. However, the Jayhawks maintained that two-point lead and closed the game thanks to an Ashley Michaels kill and an Emily Huston ball handling error. Kansas, which hit .333 in game one and .290 in game two, cooled to a .160 clip in the third game, but Baylor's attack also dipped to .146 with eight attacking errors. Kansas broke a 5-5 tie with a Scavuzzo kill, and the Jayhawks led the rest of the way. Baylor served with a chance to tie the score 12 times after that but could not capitalize on any of the opportunities, including a Tisha Schwartz serve with KU leading 29-28 that resulted in a Sarah Rome kill to end the match.

THE MISSOURI SERIES
This is the 13th meeting between Baylor and Missouri with the Bears holding an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series. All 12 meetings have come since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996. Baylor and Missouri first met Sept. 28, 1996 in Waco, Texas; that was the second-ever Big 12 match for the Bears, and they were victorious 15-4, 15-9, 15-12. Baylor went on to win each of the first four meetings in the series, also taking the second meeting in three games. However, Baylor's success against Missouri came to an end in 1998 when the Bears dropped a four-game decision in Columbia, Mo. Since then, BU holds a slim 5-4 advantage in the series, including sweeping last season's meetings. Baylor is 5-1 all-time against Missouri in Waco.

THE MISSOURI TIGERS
Missouri (15-3, 5-2) is in its third season under the direction of head coach Susan Kreklow. She is 568-141 in 13 years as a collegiate head coach, most coming at the Division II level. Kreklow is 59-21 in her two-plus seasons at Missouri.

MU Notes: The Tigers are ranked 22nd nationally in this week's AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, up two spots from last week. Mizzou is also among teams receiving votes for the Volleyball Magazine Top 20. ... Missouri opened the season 2-0 before losing at Oregon State. From there, the Tigers won 12 consecutive matches, dropping just six games during that stretch. Victories over then-No. 24 Texas and then-No. 20 Texas A&M were included in that streak. ... Missouri hits .280 as a team, second in the Big 12 behind only Nebraska, while holding opponents to a .194 clip. The Tigers lead the conference in kills (16.90 per game) and assists (15.44), and rank fourth in blocks (2.53), fifth in service aces (1.88) and sixth in digs (14.98). ... Senior MB Christi Myers leads the Tiger attack with a .378 attacking percentage (fourth in the Big 12), 3.76 kills (ninth) and 1.19 blocks per game (fourth). Missouri has three players ranked in the conference's top 10 for kills per game. Along with Myers, freshman OH Shen Danru ranks sixth (3.95) and junior OH Mary Lauren Smith ranks eighth (3.80). Freshman S Lindsey Hunter leads the conference with 14.13 assists per game. Danru is fourth in service aces (0.53 per game) and ninth in digs (3.18).

LAST MEETING - BAYLOR 3, MISSOURI 2 (NOV. 30, 2001)
WACO, Texas - Stevie Nicholas pounded 32 kills and Dana Chuha contributed 71 assists as Baylor closed out its 2001 regular season with a 30-23, 30-23, 29-31, 22-30, 15-11 triumph over Missouri. Baylor enjoyed arguably its best offensive night of the season with a team attacking percentage of .319. That mark ranks second all-time at Baylor for a five-game match and was the highest in Big 12 play this season for the Bears. Tatiana Kenon, who pounded a career-high 23 kills against Missouri when the Bears took a four-game victory in Columbia earlier this season, tallied 22 kills with only three errors in 40 swings for a .475 percentage. Nicholas hit .343, and Tisha Schwartz hit .394 with 15 kills and only two errors in 33 attempts. Baylor had 88 kills as a team, a season high and 11th in the program's 24-year history. Laura Daniela Lloreda led the Bears defensively with 22 digs, her fourth match this season with 20 or more digs. As a team, the Bears tallied 83 assists, 10th in school history.

SCHWARTZ WARMING TO THE OUTSIDE
Since moving to the outside hitter position Sept. 26, junior Tisha Schwartz has become one of the top scoring threats in the Big 12 Conference. In that time, she has averaged 5.67 kills per game, even better than Stevie Nicholas' 5.45 per-game average. Schwartz has also averaged 2.90 digs and 0.57 blocks per game in six matches on the outside wtih 130.5 points.

BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Baylor finds itself in unusual territory statistically this season - not among the league leaders in kills and digs per game. The Bears have finished third or better in kills per game and fifth or better in digs per game in the Big 12 Conference in each of the past three seasons. According to the Oct. 14 statistical rankings, Baylor is seventh in kills per game (15.21) and eighth in digs per game (14.25). The Bears lead the conference with 2.03 service aces per game. However, Baylor ranks seventh in attacking percentage (.223), eighth in assists (13.67), 10th in blocks (2.12) and 11th in opponents' attacking percentage (.243). ... In conference matches, Baylor is fourth in digs per game (15.62).

SCHWARTZ RISING IN BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Junior OH Tisha Schwartz is steadily climbing the Big 12 Conference statistical rankings in both kills and points per game now that she is carrying the majority of the load for the Bears. According to the Oct. 14 rankings, Schwartz is third in kills per game (4.36) and fourth in points per game (5.11). ... Schwartz leads all players with 4.96 kills and 5.38 points per game in Big 12 matches.

OTHER BEARS IN BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Junior RS Laura Daniela Lloreda ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 0.41 service aces per game, according to the Oct. 14 statistical rankings. Considering that she has played four matches at the libero position, Lloreda is averaging 0.76 aces per game when she is eligible to serve. ... Sophomore S Jillian Mazzarella ranks sixth with 3.17 digs per game in conference matches.

NICHOLAS OUT FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON
Junior all-America candidate OH Stevie Nicholas has taken the final swing of her junior season after surgical procedures Wednesday afternoon. Nicholas, who tore her medial-meniscus Sept. 18 in a match against Colorado, has missed the last five Baylor matches and is now diagnosed as "out for the remainder of the season," according to head coach Brian Hosfeld and assistant trainer Alison Krajewski. Arguably the most explosive player in the Big 12 Conference and one of the nation's elite attackers, Nicholas ends her junior season with 218 kills, 38 service aces, 113 digs, 29 blocks and 272.5 points. She started all 11 matches in which she appeared and averaged 5.45 kills, 0.95 service aces, 2.83 digs and 0.73 blocks per game. Nicholas still leads the Big 12 in kills, aces and points; she also ranks sixth nationally in aces.

NICHOLAS STILL LEADS BIG 12 IN THREE CATEGORIES
Despite being sidelined with a torn meniscus, junior OH Stevie Nicholas retains her leader position in the Big 12 Conference statistical rankings in three categories, according to the Oct. 14 rankings. Nicholas leads the conference in kills per game (5.45), service aces per game (0.95) and points per game (6.81). She has now been the conference kills leader in 36 of 37 weeks during her career. The gap in points per game between Nicholas and second-place Mira Topic of Texas more than one point per game as Topic is averaging 5.21. She and Tisha Schwartz are the only players in the conference to reach the 30-kill plateau this season.

MAZZARELLA NOTCHES FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE
With 10 kills, 37 assists and 15 digs Sept. 26 against Houston, sophomore S Jillian Mazzarella posted the first triple-double of her career. It was also the first triple-double by a Bear since Tatiana Kenon had 18 kills, 11 digs and 10 blocks Oct. 27 against Colorado. Mazzarella's 10 kills were a career-high, doubling the five she had against Arkansas-Little Rock earlier this season.

BAYLOR WINS 17TH IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT
With team titles at the Baylor Classic and at the Rhode Island Classic, Baylor has claimed the program's 16th and 17th in-season tournament titles. Eleven of those titles have come during head coach Brian Hosfeld's tenure (since 1996). The Bears have won at least one in-season tournament in six of Hosfeld's seven seasons, claiming two such titles five times.

THREE BEARS EARN URI CLASSIC HONORS
Baylor juniors OH Stevie Nicholas, MB Tisha Schwartz and OH Lisa Smith were named to the all-tournament team at the Rhode Island Classic. Nicholas was selected as MVP, marking the fifth time in her career she has been named MVP at an in-season tournament. On the weekend, Nicholas hit .316 with 5.25 kills and 2.58 service aces per game and 12 service aces. Schwartz, meanwhile, averaged 4.50 kills per game on the weekend; she also hit at a .406 clip with 11 blocks and five service aces. Smith averaged 2.50 kills and 2.36 digs per game with two double-doubles on the weekend.

FOUR BEARS EARN BAYLOR CLASSIC HONORS
Junior OH Stevie Nicholas, junior MB Tisha Schwartz, sophomore S/DS Jillian Mazzarella and freshman S Emily Huston all earned all-tournament honors at the 2002 Baylor Classic. Nicholas and Schwartz were named co-MVPs. Nicholas averaged 5.10 kills, 1.10 srvice aces, 3.70 digs and 0.90 blocks per game on the weekend, totaling 67.5 points. Schwartz finished the weekend with 52.0 points and per-game averages of 4.00 kills, 1.60 digs and 1.50 blocks. Huston and Mazzarella paced the Bear offense to a .249 attacking percentage and 16.60 kills per game. Huston hit .600 for the weekend (20-2-30) with 2.00 kills, 5.90 assists, 1.70 digs and 0.60 blocks per game. Mazzarella hit .345 on the weekend (12-2-29) with 1.20 kills, 7.30 assists, 3.90 digs and 0.50 blocks per game.

BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official Colles Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.

UP NEXT...
Baylor faces its second consecutive nationally ranked opponent Saturday. The Bears travel to Lincoln, Neb., for a 7 p.m. CDT match at No. 4 Nebraska. Baylor is 0-13 all-time against the Huskers, including an 0-7 tally in matches played at Lincoln. However, the Bears are the only team to have won a regular-season game at Nebraska since the first match of the 2000 season. Baylor won the first game of its match at NU last season.