Aug. 13, 2002

WACO, Texas - For the second straight season and the fourth time in the past five years, the Big 12 Conference volleyball coaches picked Baylor to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll. Last season, the Bears finished in a three-way, sixth-place tie with Texas and Texas Tech last season with an 18-12 overall record and a 9-11 mark in Big 12 play.

Four-time defending Big 12 Champion Nebraska was picked to finish first; the Huskers received every first-place vote. Texas A&M followed in second, Missouri and Colorado tied for third, and Kansas State was slotted in the fifth position. Texas was picked sixth, followed by Baylor, Texas Tech and Kansas with Iowa State and Oklahoma tying for the final spot.

Nebraska also dominated the preseason all-conference squad with three seniors being named to the team - setter Greichaly Cepero, middle blocker Amber Holmquist and outside hitter Laura Pilakowski. Baylor's junior outside hitter Stevie Nicholas was named to the preseason team for the second straight season. Nicholas joined sophomore right-side hitter Mira Topic of Texas as the only non-seniors on the team. Colorado senior setter Elizabeth Gower rounded out the six-player squad.

Cepero, the 2000 AVCA National Player of the Year, was the pick as preseason player of the year. Redshirt freshman Shen Danru of Missouri was selected as preseason newcomer of the year, and Texas A&M outside hitter Laura Jones was the pick as preseason freshman of the year.

Baylor opens its 2002 season Aug. 30-31 at the Mizuno Invitational in Long Beach, Calif. The Bears face Loyola-Chicago at 4 p.m. CDT Aug. 30, Dayton at 4 p.m. CDT Aug. 31 and defending NCAA runner-up and fifth-ranked Long Beach State at 9:30 that evening.

2002 BIG 12 VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
    Team (No. 1 votes)	       Points
 1. Nebraska (10)		100
 2. Texas A&M			 86
 3. Colorado			 72
    Missouri			 72
 5. Kansas State		 67
 6. Texas			 64
 7. Baylor			 45
 8. Texas Tech			 40
 9. Kansas			 31
10. Iowa State			 14
    Oklahoma			 14

2002 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Player, School			Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown
Greichaly Cepero, Nebraska	S	6-2	Sr.	Dorado, Puerto Rico (McDonogh HS)
Stevie Nicholas, Baylor 	OH	5-10	Jr.	Fullerton, Calif. (Sunny Hills HS)
Amber Holmquist, Nebraska	MB	6-4	Sr.	Houston, Texas (Alief Hastings HS)
Mira Topic, Texas	        RS/OH	6-3	So.	Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia (Vladimir Nazor HS)
Elizabeth Gower, Colorado	S 	6-0 	Sr.	Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central HS)
Laura Pilakowski, Nebraska	OH	6-1	Sr.	Columbus, Neb. (Columbus HS)