Sept. 2, 2003
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Baylor Volleyball at Aston Imua Wahine Challenge
Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 4-6, 2003 * Stan Sheriff Center * Honolulu, Hawai'i
Thursday: Baylor (3-1) vs. Pacific (1-0), 5 p.m. (Hawaii time)
Friday: Baylor at No. 2 Hawaii, 7 p.m. (Hawaii time)
Saturday: Baylor vs. Wichita State, 5 p.m. (Hawaii time)
What's Next for Baylor Volleyball
Fresh off a 3-1 start to the season at home, the Baylor volleyball team heads to the tropical island of Hawai'i for the Aston Imua Wahine Challenge, hosted by the University of Hawai'i.
Baylor will face stiff competition in the tournament, with no opponent more formidable than host school Hawaii, ranked No. 2 in the nation in the AVCA/USA Today preseason poll. The Rainbow Wahine return six of seven starters and 10 letterwinners from a year ago, when they finished the year 34-2 and lost to eventual national champ Stanford in the NCAA Semifinals.
The Bears kick things off Thursday at 5 p.m. (Hawaii time) against Pacific. The Tigers are the top "receiving votes" team in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and in the Volleyball Magazine ranking. Pacific finished fourth in the Big West last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
After facing Hawaii at 7 p.m. (Hawaii time) Friday, Baylor concludes play at the tournament Satuday at 5 p.m. (Hawaii time) against Wichita State. The Bears are 2-1 all-time against the Shockers, though the two teams have not met since 1991.
Baylor is 0-3 all-time against Hawaii, and has never faced Pacific.
Last Time Out - Baylor Classic Recap
The Bears opened the season 3-1 at the annual Baylor Classic, claiming the tournament title for the third straight year and seventh time in 13 years.
Senior Tisha Schwartz took home Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for the second year in a row, after having earned co-MOP honors with teammate Stevie Nicholas last season. Schwartz was joined by teammates Emily Huston and Nicole LeBlanc on the all-tournament squad.
In game one of the 2003 season, sophomore Stella Odion recorded her fifth career double-double as the Bears rolled over UTSA , 30-24, 30-16, 30-24. Odion notched 10 digs to go along with 10 kills, as she was one of three Bears to record a double-digit kill total. LeBlanc tied for the team lead with 11 kills and hit .529 in her collegiate debut, making just two errors in 17 attempts. After missing most of 2002 with a knee injury, Nicholas added a team-high 15 digs in her first game at the libero position.
In the second game of the day, Baylor beat a tough Houston team 30-28, 30-23, 27-30, 30-18 to cap the 2-0 day. Schwartz recorded her first career 20-20 night, totalling a team-high 23 kills to go along with a career-best 20 digs.
Baylor lost in five games to Wyoming Saturday afternoon, trading games before the Cowgirls claimed game five in a nailbiter, winning 30-20, 22-30, 30-24, 19-30, 15-12. Schwartz led all players with 21 kills and hit at a .372 clip, and LeBlanc added 13 kills in 24 attempts for a .375 attack percentage.
Early in game two, it looked like more of the same, as Ole Miss snuck past the Bears for a 30-28 game-one win. Baylor responded better this time, winning the next three games 30-22, 30-18, 30-24 to close out the match.
Schwartz again led all players with 26 kills, her highest total of the weekend, and made just seven errors for a .333 attack percentage. Redshirt freshman Desiree Guilliard-Young hit .500, with 12 kills in 20 attempts, while true freshman Andrea Vakulya led all players with 23 digs.
Baylor in Season Openers
The Bears improved to 7-1 in season openers under head coach Brian Hosfeld. Baylor's only loss came in 2002, when the Bears lost 3-1 to Oral Roberts at the LBSU Mizuno Invitational in Long Beach, Calif.
Baylor was not victorious in a season-opening match until the 1985 season. Since then, the Bears are 12-7 in season openers, including a six-match win streak that was snapped last year.
The Bears are 6-2 in home openers under Hosfeld and will carry a five-match win streak in home-opening matches into 2004, but the team is just 10-9 overall in program history.
Big 12 Coaches Tab Bears to Finish Eighth
The Big 12 Conference volleyball coaches picked Baylor to finish eighth in the league's 2003 preseason poll. Defending Big 12 Champion Nebraska was picked to finish first, receiving six of the 11 first-place votes. Texas came in second, with Kansas State just one point back in third. Texas A&M and Missouri tied for fourth, followed by Kansas in sixth and Colorado in seventh place. Baylor slotted in the eighth spot, with Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Iowa State rounding out the 11-team field.
Nebraska and Texas A&M also dominated the preseason all-conference squads, with each team receiving two places on the six-person team. Nebraska's Anna Schrad and Kansas State's Lauren Goehring were named co-preseason players of the year. Colorado's Ashley Nu'u was tabbed preseason freshman of the year, and Texas' Darium Acevedo, a sophomore transfer from Oregon, was named preseason newcomer of the year.
Influx of Talent Quick to Contribute
Seven new players dot the Bears' 2003 roster. Four transfers and three freshmen are joining the six returning players from a year ago. Among the four transfers, two hail from Hungary (Eszter Kovacs and Andrea Vakulya), one comes from Brazil (Adeline Meira) and one is returning home to Texas after spending a year at Southeastern Louisiana (Maggie Chlebana).
True freshman Nicole LeBlanc excelled in her first taste of collegiate volleyball, hitting .380 (42-7-92) in her first four matches and earning all-tournament honors. Through the first weekend of play, she ranks second on the team in attack percentage, third in kills and third in blocks with 17.
Vakulya, meanwhile, ranks fourth on the team in kills (33) and is third in attempts (96) and digs (43).
Bears Among Big 12 Stat Leaders
Four Bears rank among the Big 12 individual statistical leaders, through games of Sept. 2. As a team, the Bears rank second in blocks per game (2.94) and fourth in assists per game (14.75).
The complete list of individuals:
Desiree Guilliard-Young: 3rd in blocks per game (1.50)
Emily Huston: 2nd in assists per game (12.44), t-6th in service aces per game (0.62)
Nicole LeBlanc: 10th in blocks per game (1.06)
Tisha Schwartz: 3rd in kills per game (5.06), 6th in blocks per game (1.19)
Nicholas, Schwartz Rewriting Recordbook
Seniors Stevie Nicholas and Tisha Schwartz have already made their places in the Baylor recordbooks, having earned spots on the 25th Anniversary Team released last year. But their places are becoming even more solid as they continue to make their ways up the charts in several statistical categories.
Nicholas and Schwartz each rank among the top 10 players in Baylor history in career kills, attack percentage and attempts. Nicholas also is among the career leaders in service aces and is threatening to crack the top 10 in digs. Schwartz, meanwhile, is just outside the top 10 in career blocks.
It's In Their Blood
As might be expected, a number of this year's Bears have sports -- volleyball or otherwise -- in their blood. Notable examples:
Senior Stevie Nicholas' entire family seems to have excelled in athletics. Her father, Steve, wrestled at Oregon State, while her mother, DeAnne, competed in the high jump at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. Those genes were passed along to both Stevie and her sister, Sunny, who lettered four years in volleyball at Baylor (1998-2001) and was named to the Bears' 25th Anniversary Team last season.
Sophomore Maggie Chlebana's mother Marian played collegiate basketball at Florida State, while her sisters Sarah and Julia each played volleyball at Cal State Sacramento. Sarah is now an assistant coach at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
Freshman Eszter Kovacs' brother David played basketball at the University of Miskolc in Hungary, the same school from which Eszter transferred to Baylor.
Newcomer Kristen Schramek has a pair of cousins with excellent collegiate resumes. Mark Schramek played baseball at Texas-San Antonio and was a first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2002, while Mark's brother Chad played quarterback at Sam Houston State.
Rookie Casey Schuur's father, Robert, played football and rugby at Stanford, and Casey's mother Martha was a professional tennis player.
Transfer Andrea Vakulya's brother Gabor played volleyball for the City of Szeged team in the Vakulya's native Hungary.
New Faces on Coaching Staff
Head coach Brian Hosfeld added three new faces to his coaching staff for the 2003 season.
Hungarian native Jozsef Forman comes to Waco from overseas, where he has over 10 years of experience, including four years as head coach of the Hungarian Women's Senior National Team. Forman spent his last four years as head coach and general manager of the NRK-NYIREGYHAZA Club, the top club team in Hungary each of the past three years (2000, 2001, 2002).
Sarah McFarland, a two-time all-American at Loyola Marymount, has also joined the coaching ranks. McFarland earned four letters at LMU (1997-2000) and became the first two-time all-American in her program's history. A three-time all-West Coast Conference selection, she led the nation in kills twice and set an NCAA record with 7.78 kills per game in 2000.
Volunteer assistant coach Kevin Wray returns to Baylor as an assistant this fall after having spent four years as a manager for the team while completing his degree. While at Baylor, Wray also led the men's club volleyball team to its top finish ever, an 11th-place national finish in 2001. He has won two gold medals coaching Junior Olympics teams and has spent time with several different club teams.
Schedule Notes
The Bears host 15 home matches in 2003, including the 13th Baylor Classic held Labor Day weekend. Baylor plays 12 matches against teams that finished the 2002 season ranked nationally and 18 matches against teams that participated in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Four opponents are on Baylor's schedule for the first time: Alcorn State, Jacksonville, Pacific and Wyoming.
Head Coach Brian Hosfeld
Baylor is in its eighth season under the direction of head coach Brian Hosfeld. During his tenure, the Bears have compiled a 120-112 (.517) overall record and a 51-89 (.364) 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 seven 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.
O Captain, My Captain
Seniors Stevie Nicholas and Tisha Schwartz are serving as team co-captains in 2003. The pair are the only two seniors on a squad that does not include any juniors. Nicholas and Schwartz are each in the fourth seasons at Baylor and have each been named all-Big 12 (Nicholas in 2000 and 2001, Schwartz in 2002).
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 College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities.
Live scoring updates are available on BaylorBears.com for selected Baylor games.
Inside Baylor Sports
"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.
