Volleyball Hosts Texas A&M
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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BAYLOR
vs.
TEXAS A&M
7:00 p.m. CST
Nov. 6, 2002
Ferrell Center
Waco, Texas
Baylor returns to action Wednesday, hosting Texas A&M for a 7 p.m. CST match at the Ferrell Center. The Bears (9-14, 2-10) defeated Texas-San Antonio 26-30, 30-19, 30-17, 30-12 last Friday night in non-Big 12 Conference play, snapping a six-match losing streak. The Aggies (15-7, 7-6) have won two straight, including a 30-24, 28-30, 30-25, 19-30, 15-5 decision at home last Saturday against Colorado. Texas A&M won the first meeting this season in three games at College Station. 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 Texas meet for the 50th time Wednesday with the Longhorns holding a commanding 47-2 advantage in the all-time series. Baylor is 0-22 all-time at Texas.
* In 12 matches without OH Stevie Nicholas, Baylor has averaged 1.28 service aces per game. Prior to Nicholas' injury, the Bears were averaging 2.38 service aces per game.
* Since moving to the outside hitter position Sept. 26, junior Tisha Schwartz has averaged 5.78 kills, 2.55 digs and 0.55 blocks per game.
* Junior OH Tisha Schwartz has established herself as one of top scoring threats in the Big 12. Schwartz averages 4.72 kills and 5.44 points per game, both tops in the conference.
* Baylor has tallied at least one service ace in 56 consecutive matches and at least two service aces in 25 straight matches.
* Baylor has played just three matches this season without at least one starter out due to injury. Last Saturday against Iowa State, the Bears were minus five opening-day starters.
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 117-103 (.532) overall record and a 51-81 (.386) 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. TEXAS A&M
Head coach Brian Hosfeld is 3-10 against Texas A&M; he is the only Baylor coach to ever defeat the Aggies more than twice. All three Baylor wins against A&M under Hosfeld have come in Waco, including a four-game victory in his first season, 1996, that was the program's first-ever triumph over a top 10 team (the Aggies were ranked 10th at that time). Despite A&M holding a seven-match edge during Hosfeld's tenure, nearly all the matches have been close; the games tally stands at 35-13 in favor of the Aggies with 16 games being decided by three points or less.
LAST TIME OUT - BAYLOR 3, TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO 0
WACO, Texas - Tisha Schwartz led three Bears to double figures in kills here Friday night as Baylor volleyball snapped a six-match losing streak with a 26-30, 30-19, 30-17, 30-12 victory over Texas-San Antonio. After UTSA hit .341 with 17 kills in the first game, Baylor turned things around for their first victory since an Oct. 9 three-gamer over Texas Tech. The Roadrunners managed just 24 kills the rest of the way, hitting .010 (24-23-99) over the final three games. Meanwhile, the Bears' offense came alive after hitting .178 in the opener. Baylor hit .351, .333 and .458 over the next three games and were rarely out of control. The Bears finished with 63 kills to UTSA's 41 and hit .310 as a team, the fifth-highest four-game match attacking percentage in school history. Schwartz led all players with 27 kills and hit .417 on the night. She joins Elisha Polk, Kia Young and Stevie Nicholas as the only players in Baylor history to reach the 20-kill plateau in three consecutive matches. Schwartz also had 10 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. She added three aces and three blocks for 32.0 total points. Stella Odion added 13 kills and eight digs. Laura Daniela Lloreda posted her first double-double of the season with 10 kills, 17 digs, two service aces. Jillian Mazzarella barely missed a triple-double with eight errorless kills in 11 swings (.727), 21 assists and 14 digs. Emily Huston had 32 assists, a career high, and nine digs.
THE TEXAS A&M SERIES
This is the 46th meeting between the two schools with Texas A&M leading the all-time series 38-7. The Aggies have won the last six meetings, including a three-game victory two weeks ago at College Station. Texas A&M has the distinction of being the first top 10 team defeated by 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 10-3.
THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Texas A&M (15-7, 7-6) is in its 10th season under the direction of head coach Laurie Corbelli. She is 330-188 in 17 years as a collegiate head coach with a 230-82 mark at A&M.
A&M Notes: The Aggies are among teams also receiving votes for the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Volleyball Magazine Top 20. ... Texas A&M started the season 9-1 with only a 3-1 loss at then-No. 16 Wisconsin. Since then, the Aggies are 6-6, all coming in Big 12 play. A&M has struggled on the road this season, going 2-6 overall away from G. Rollie White Coliseum and 1-5 away from home in conference action. ... Texas A&M hits .242 as a team, fifth in the league, while holding opponents to a .183 mark, also fifth. The Aggies are fourth in kills (16.04 per game), seventh in blocks (2.30), sixth in service aces (1.73) and third in digs (16.23). ... Junior MB Tara Pulaski leads the Aggies with a .338 attacking percentage, ninth in the conference rankings. She averages 2.55 kills and 1.01 blocks per game. Freshman OH Laura Jones and sophomore OH/MB Melissa Munsch lead the Aggies in kills with 3.71 and 3.64 per game, respectively. Munsch and Jones are also two of the top servers in the Big 12. Munsch is sixth in the conference standings with 0.43 service aces per game, while Jones is fourth at 0.46. Munsch also ranks third in the Big 12 with 3.37 digs per game. ... Junior OH Beth Skypala was a high school teammate of Baylor's Tisha Schwartz while at Amarillo [Texas] HS.
LAST MEETING - TEXAS 3, BAYLOR 0 (OCT. 2, 2002)
WACO, 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).
SCHWARTZ JOINS ELITE CLUB
Junior OH/MB Tisha Schwartz enjoyed her most productive and successful week on the outside last week against 19th-ranked Texas and Texas-San Antonio. Schwartz hit .327 in the two matches with 6.71 kills, 2.43 digs and 0.57 blocks. She also joined Elisha Polk, Kia Young and Stevie Nicholas as the only players in school history to reach the 20-kill plateau in three consecutive games. Nicholas holds the record for consecutive 20-kill games - six, established in 2000. Since moving to the outside Sept. 26, Schwartz has averaged 5.78 kills, 2.55 digs and 0.55 blocks per game.
BEARS' SERVICE GAME SLUMPS MINUS NICHOLAS
In 12 matches without OH Stevie Nicholas, Baylor has averaged 1.28 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). Freshman S Emily Huston leads the Bears with 12 service aces each over the last 12 matches.
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 Nov. 4 statistical rankings, Baylor is ninth in kills per game (14.73) and ninth in digs per game (14.34). The Bears are fourth in the conference with 1.85 service aces per game. However, Baylor ranks seventh in attacking percentage (.214), ninth in assists (13.35), 10th in blocks (1.98) and 11th in opponents' attacking percentage (.253).
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 and points per game. According to the Oct. 28 rankings, Schwartz is second in kills (4.72 per game) and second in points (5.44 per game). ... Schwartz leads all players with 5.23 kills in Big 12 matches. She is second in points (5.65 per game) in league play.
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 Nov. 4 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 38 of 39 weeks during her career. Nicholas and Tisha Schwartz are the only players in the conference to reach the 30-kill plateau 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 Manhattan, Kan., this weekend for a Big 12 showdown at No. 25 Kansas State. The Bears and the Wildcats play at noon CST at Ahearn Fieldhouse. Kansas State defeated Baylor in three games earlier this season in Waco.
