April 12, 2002

WACO, Texas - Baylor's women's volleyball team hosts its second spring tournament Saturday at the McLane Student Life Center. The Bears welcome Houston, Louisiana State and Texas Tech for the round-robin event.

Last weekend, Baylor posted a 2-1-1 record at the University of Texas Spring Invitational. The Bears defeated Tulsa 30-21, 30-21 and Southwest Texas 30-22, 30-23. Baylor split with Rice 24-30, 30-21, and lost to Alabama 28-30, 28-30.

Baylor, coming off an 18-12 season last fall that included the program's second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three years, is playing with only seven players during the spring developmental season. Head coach Brian Hosfeld said the smaller squad has given players an opportunity to see action at multiple positions.

"With the number of players we have playing, a lot of players are playing several different positions," Hosfeld said. "This will help develop our overall game. It's going to help our confidence that we are able to compete with these teams and win some matches against some deeper teams. There have been some interesting situations on the court, given that we only have one middle blocker right now and a lot of players playing out of position."

That lone middle blocker, rising junior Tisha Schwartz, has developed nicely during the spring, according to Hosfeld. The 6-3 Schwartz has added a jump serve to her arsenal.

Baylor has also utilized the services of outside hitter Lisa Smith, who missed the entire 2001 season after tearing her ACL less than two weeks prior to the beginning of the season.

"Lisa looks great out there," Hosfeld said. "We probably over-did it with her in the first tournament of the spring, but she's making her way back into the flow of things. When she has been on the court, she has been very impressive."

Rising sophomore Jillian Mazzarella is running the Baylor offense at the setter position as she looks to fill the void left by two-time NCAA assists champion and 2001 all-Big 12 selection Dana Chuha, who exhausted her eligibility last fall.

"There's still a lot to be learned," Hosfeld said of Mazzarella, who played mostly at defensive specialist as a freshman last season. "We're still working on techniques and tactics, but she's getting the reps that she needs. Her confidence will help her play at a higher level, once she begins to rely on the fact that she has been successful in the past."

Baylor faces Texas Tech at 9 a.m. CDT in its first match Saturday, followed by a 10:15 a.m. match against Houston. The Lady Bears play Louisiana State at noon.