Sept. 14, 2002

Box Score

KINGSTON, R.I. - Baylor posted two of best attacking percentages in school history here Saturday en route to victories over Northeastern and Utah State at the Rhode Island Classic. The Bears defeated Northeastern 25-30, 30-21, 30-21, 30-25 and Utah State 24-30, 31-29, 24-30, 30-28, 15-7.

With the wins, the Bears move to 6-3 on the season and have now won six straight. Baylor also claimed the team title of the URI Classic, winning its second in-season tournament of the year.

Baylor blistered Northeastern for a .315 attacking percentage, the highest a Baylor team has hit in a four-game match since hitting .323 against Wright State in 1994. It also marked Baylor's first four-game match with an attacking percentage above .300 since hitting .306 against Colorado in 1999.

The Bears did even better against Utah State, hitting at a .346 clip. That is the second-highest attacking percentage in a five-game match ever at Baylor, second only to the .353 showing the Bears put up against Stephen F. Austin in 1992. Baylor has now hit .300 or better in three of its last four five-game matches, dating back to last season.

Stevie Nicholas, Tisha Schwartz and Lisa Smith all reached double figures in kills against Northeastern. Nicholas hit .372 on the match and finished with 22 kills, nine digs, four service aces and three blocks. Schwartz hit .429 with 17 kills, nine digs and four blocks. Smith posted her first career double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. Stella Odion had six errorless kill sin 15 swings (.400) with nine digs and a career-high five blocks. Emily Huston added four blocks and 23 assists, while Jillian Mazzarella had nine digs, three blocks and 23 assists.

Northeastern took the first game 30-25; the Huskies held Baylor to a .105 team attacking percentage in the opener. Baylor fell behind 7-2 early and never recovered. The Bears pulled to within two points on several occasions and to within one point at 24-23. However, the Huskies never trailed en route to the victory.

Baylor improved its attacking percentage to .360 in the second game en route to a 30-21 triumph. With the score tied 7-7, the Bears put together a 14-4 run to take a commanding 21-11 lead. Side-out ball followed with 15 consecutive side outs before a Jillian Mazzarella service ace made it 29-18. Four points later, the Bears closed out the game.

The Bears continued their torrid offensive pace in game three, attacking at a .471 clip for another 30-21 victory. Baylor again made its move from a 7-7 tie, going on a five-point run to take control of the game at 12-7. The Bears later put together a six-point run, opening a 26-17 lead, and never looked back. Schwartz led the Bears' game-three attack with eight errorless kills in nine swings (.889), while Nicholas had seven kills and only one error in 14 tries (.429).

Game four saw Baylor hit .367 as a team while Northeastern hit just .179. Baylor trailed 9-8 before putting together 9-2 run. The Huskies pulled within three points at 26-23, but the Bears closed out the game on a 4-2 run for the 30-25 victory.

Nicholas led all players with 24 kills against Utah State to go along with 12 digs and six service aces, but it was Schwartz's career-high 24 kills and .500 attacking percentage that proved to be the difference. With the Aggies keying on Nicholas, Schwartz posted the first 20-kill, .500 attacking percentage performance at Baylor since Elisha Polk in 1999. Schwartz also had four blocks, seven digs and a pair of service aces.

Smith added 14 kills and 15 digs, while Odion posted another five-block match.

Both teams came out firing in game one; Baylor hit .361 as a team, while Utah State swung at a .368 clip. However, the Bears committed five service errors to the Aggies' one, and that proved to difference-maker as Utah State took the opener 30-24. Schwartz had eight errorless kills in 14 swings (.571) in the first game.

Baylor's hot offensive hand continued in game two, hitting .351 as a team. Utah State dropped to .227, but it still took late heroics for Baylor to pull out the game 33-31. The Bears withstood a pair of Aggie game points and closed the game on a 3-0 run.

The Bears and the Aggies both turned up the heat in game three, hitting .462 and .526 respectively. However, Baylor fell behind early and could never recover. The Bears trailed by as many as six on three occasions, including 30-24 at the game's end.

Game four was a classic with the Bears jumping out to an early lead and then having to come from behind to win. Trailing 23-18, Utah State scored seven straight points for a 25-23 lead. However, the Bears answered with five straight points of their own and never trailed again, winning 30-28.

Baylor jumped out to a 6-2 lead in game five and never looked back. Utah State pulled to within three at 7-4, but the Bears closed out the match on an 8-4 run.

The Bears return home Wednesday with their Big 12 Conference opener against Colorado at 7 p.m. CDT. The Buffaloes swept last season's series, winning in four games at Waco and in five games at Boulder.