BAYLOR
vs.
IOWA STATE

7:00 p.m. CDT
Oct. 26, 2002
Ferrell Center
Waco, Texas

Baylor returns home tonight for a 6 p.m. CDT match against Iowa State. The Bears (8-12, 2-8) lost 30-24, 30-20, 30-22 Wednesday night at Texas A&M, concluding a four-match stretch against teams at least receiving votes in the national polls. The Cyclones (9-13, 0-10) lost 28-30, 30-21, 31-29, 30-20 Wednesday night at Colorado. Baylor defeated Iowa State in four games at Ames, Iowa, earlier this season. Live stats for the match will be available online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network.

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 116-101 (.535) overall record and a 51-79 (.392) 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. IOWA STATE
Head coach Brian Hosfeld is 12-1 during his career against Iowa State. He has led the Bears to nine consecutive wins over the Cyclones.

LAST TIME OUT - TEXAS A&M 3, BAYLOR 0
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - A balanced offensive attack and solid floor defense propelled Texas A&M to a 3-24, 30-20, 30-22 victory over Baylor. Already riddled with injuries, things got worse for Baylor midway through game three. Laura Daniela Lloreda, who earlier this season missed four weeks due to a grade-three ankle sprain, rolled the same ankle and was forced to miss the rest of the match. Lloreda was Baylor's top threat on the night before the injury. She finished with nine kills and eight digs. Lloreda sustained the injury just as Texas A&M took an 11-10 lead in game three. Texas A&M scored eight of the next 10 points, building an insurmountable 19-12 lead. Trailing 28-17, though, the Bears scored five straight points to pull within six. However, a Lindsey Long service error and a Tara Pulaski kill closed out the match for the Aggies. Tisha Schwartz led the Bears with 12 kills, but she was forced into seven errors for a .098 attacking percentage. Jillian Mazzarella collected 13 digs to lead Baylor defensively. Five Aggies had at least 10 digs, led by Melissa Munsch with 20. Texas A&M out-dug Baylor 76-48 and out-killed the Bears 58-35. Neither team led in game one by more than three points until the Aggies reeled off five straight, extending a 17-15 lead to 22-15. Baylor was able to cut the lead to four points at 28-24 with a four-point run, but the Bears could get no closer. A&M hit .255 in the opener, holding Baylor to a .125 clip. Lloreda led the Bears with six errorless kills in 11 swings (.545) in the first game. Schwartz had five kills but hit just .095 with three attacking errors. Game two was tight until another A&M run midway through put the Aggies ahead for good. Baylor led 15-14, but Texas A&M out-scored the Bears 16-5 the rest of the way for the 30-20 victory. The Aggies' offense improved in game two, hitting .325 (21-8-40) as a team. Meanwhile, Baylor remained the same, hitting .122 (10-5-41).

THE IOWA STATE SERIES
This is the 16th meeting between Baylor and Iowa State with the Bears holding a commanding 12-3 advantage in the all-time series. Baylor has won nine straight against Iowa State, dating back to a four-game loss at home Nov. 15, 1997. That is the only time the Cyclones have defeated the Bears since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996. In the current nine-match Baylor winning streak, Iowa State has won just two games. The Bears defeated the Cyclones in four game earlier this season at Ames, Iowa. Baylor is 5-2 all-time against Iowa State in Waco.

THE IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Iowa State (9-13, 0-10) is in its fourth season under the direction of head coach Linda Crum, who is 18-86 during her time at Ames. Crum holds a career record of 125-175 in 10 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

ISU Notes: The Cyclones have lost 11 straight after starting the season 9-2. Iowa State won just three games in its first 10 Big 12 matches, taking single games off Baylor, Kansas and Colorado. ... Iowa State hits .159 as a team, holding opponents to a .185 clip. The Cyclones average 12.77 kills, 1.34 service aces, 17.23 digs and 2.94 blocks per game. ... Senior MB Mandi Harms leads the Cyclone attack with a .208 attacking percentage and 3.08 kills and 1.39 blocks per game. Sophomore OH Brittany Dalager averages 2.91 kills and 4.09 digs per game, best on the team. Along with Harms, freshman MB Ashlie McWee (1.08), junior OH Renae Pruess (1.03) and freshman MB Katie Kruenegel (1.00) give Iowa State four players with at least 1.00 blocks per game. ... Freshman OH Katy Amundson prepped at Bellaire (Texas) High School.

25TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM RECOGNITION
Members of Baylor's 25th Anniversary Volleyball Team will be recognized between games two and three of Saturday's match against Iowa State. The 13-member team is comprised of the following: OH/DS Dana Atkinson (1997-2000), S Dana Chuha (1998-2001), OH Jenny DeLue-Carroll (1990-1993), RS Tatiana Kenon (1998-2001), MB Erin McElwain-Hellmuth (1992-1995), OH Stevie Nicholas (2000-Present), MB Sunny Nicholas (1998-2001), OH Elisha Polk (1996-1999), MB Jana Ranly (1985-1988), MB Tisha Schwartz (2000-Present), S Cory Sivertson-Williams (1991-1994), OH Heather Williams-Sternenberg (1989-1992) and Kia Young (1996-1999).

LLOREDA DOUBTFUL FOR IOWA STATE MATCH
Junior RS Laura Daniela Lloreda is questionable for tonight's match against Iowa State. Lloreda missed eight matches due to a grade-three ankle sprain earlier this season. She re-injured that ankle Wednesday night in the Bears' match at Texas A&M.

LAST MEETING - BAYLOR 3, IOWA STATE 1 (OCT. 5, 2002)
AMES, Iowa - Tisha Schwartz became the sixth player in school history to record 30 or more kills in a match,, leading Baylor to a 34-32, 30-26, 27-30, 30-22 victory over Iowa State. Schwartz finished the night with 32 kills, joining Stevie Nicholas and Elisha Polk as the only Baylor players to ever reach the 30-kill plateau in a four-game match. Kia Young, Jana Ranly and Heather Williams are the only other Bears to record 30 or more kills. Schwartz's total ties for seventh in Baylor history and is tied for the second-highest total in a four-game match. However, Schwartz did more than just put the ball away. She also tallied a career-high 15 digs, part of Baylor's first 100-plus dig night since a five-game match Oct. 21, 2000 at Texas Tech. The Bears finished with 107 digs as a team, 12th in school history. Jillian Mazzarella and Laura Daniela Lloreda led all players with 24 digs, a career high for Mazzarella and two shy of Lloreda's career best. Stella Odion added 11 digs, while Kara Kennedy had a career-high 15 digs. The Bears staged one of the greatest comebacks in school history in game one. Trailing 29-23, Baylor scored seven consecutive points, the last six of which came off Mazzarella's serve, to take a 30-29 lead. had another game point at 32-31, but an Emily Huston kill and two Cyclone attack errors gave Baylor the 34-32 win. Baylor scored the first two points of game two and never trailed en route to the 30-26 victory. The Bears nearly pulled off another amazing comeback victory in game three. With Iowa State leading 29-22, Baylor scored five straight but could get not closer. The Bears dominated game four, hitting .333 as a team and leading all the way after a 3-3 tie.

BEARS' SERVICE GAME SLUMPS MINUS NICHOLAS
In nine matches without OH Stevie Nicholas, Baylor has averaged 1.26 service aces per game. Prior to Nicholas' injury, the Bears were averaging 2.38 service aces per game. Nicholas is still listed as the conference leader in aces with 0.95 per game, nearly twice as many as second-place Shen Danru of Missouri (0.53). Junior OH/MB Tisha Schwartz and Emily Huston lead the Bears with seven service aces each over the last nine matches.

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 5.53 kills per game, even better than Stevie Nicholas' 5.56 per-game average. Schwartz has also averaged 2.67 digs and 0.56 blocks per game in eight matches on the outside wtih 166.0 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. 17 statistical rankings, Baylor is eighth in kills per game (15.00) and in digs per game (14.10). The Bears are third in the conference with 1.93 service aces per game. However, Baylor ranks seventh in attacking percentage (.218), eighth in assists (13.52), ninth in blocks (2.08) and 11th in opponents' attacking percentage (.255).

SCHWARTZ NOW TOP BIG 12 OFFENSIVE THREAT
Junior OH Tisha Schwartz has essentially become the top scoring threat in the Big 12 Conference as she trails on teammate Stevie Nicholas, who is out for the season with a torn medial-meniscus, in both kills per game. According to the Oct. 21 rankings, Schwartz is second in kills (4.43 per game). She is also tied with Texas' Mira Topic for second in the league in points per game at 5.19, trailing only Nicholas (6.81). ... Schwartz leads all players with 5.00 kills and 5.48 points per game in Big 12 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 37 of 38 weeks during her career. Nicholas 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 service 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 travels to Austin, Texas, next Wednesday for a 7 p.m. CST match against Texas. The Longhorns won the first meeting this season, a 30-24, 30-27, 30-16 decision Oct. 2 in Waco. Baylor is 0-22 all-time at Austin.