Volleyball Heads to Missouri for Big 12 Road Test
9/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2004
Baylor-Missouri Notes
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BAYLOR AT MISSOURI
Saturday, Sept. 18 - 5 p.m.
Hearnes Center - Columbia, Mo.
Baylor (6-4, 0-1 Big 12) will hit the road to take on Missouri (4-3, 0-1) in Big 12 action Saturday afternoon at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. Both teams will be looking for their first conference win of the season after being swept in their openers. The Bears are looking to rebound from a home loss to Texas Wednesday, while Missouri took a loss to eighth-ranked Nebraska on the road. The Bears return to action when they host Oklahoma Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.
INSIDE THE SERIES vs. MISSOURI
Baylor and Missouri had never faced each other until the Big 12 Conference began in 1996 and the series is all square at 8-8. Missouri has won the last four meetings and seven of the last nine. The Bears won the first four meetings and six of the first seven before the Tigers began to gain the momentum in the series.
LAST TIME OUT
WACO, Texas - Baylor sophomore middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young hit .632 with 13 kills and added four blocks, but serving and service receive proved to be the Bears undoing in a 3-0 (30-28, 30-19, 30-24) loss to Texas in the Big 12 Conference opener Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center. Junior outside hitter Kelly Spriggs added 11 kills, but hit only .034. Sophomore right-side hitter Nicole LeBlanc hit .348 with nine kills, a team-high nine digs and a match-high six blocks for the Bears. Junior setter Emily Huston pitched in with 36 assists, three kills and three blocks.
BLOCK PARTY...
The Bears had 15 total team blocks in a Sept. 8 sweep of Texas-Pan American, a mark Baylor reached five times last season...Junior middle blocker Adeline Meira recorded the first double-digit block total (10) of her career against UTPA and was the first since Nicole LeBlanc had 12 at Houston Sept. 10, 2003...Baylor ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference in blocks with 3.16 per game...Meira ranks third in the league with 1.70 per game, while Desiree Guilliard-Young ranks 10th with 1.31 per game...Baylor has not been outblocked all season and have only allowed an opponent to post double-digit blocks one time this year...The Bears have registered 12 blocks or more in five of the last six matches.
SERVING IT UP...
Baylor ranks third in the Big 12 Conference with 1.97 service aces per game, and junior setter Emily Huston is second in the league individually with 0.69 per game...Huston recorded the 100th ace of her career against Sam Houston State Sept. 11 and ranks 10th all-time at Baylor...Aces have been important this season as the Bears are 5-1 when they have more aces and 1-3 when they have fewer...Texas had six aces and five errors on Sept. 15, while Baylor was held without an ace for the first time all season and recorded 10 service errors.
YOUTH MOVEMENT...
The Baylor roster has no seniors, a void left by two of the best players to come through the program, outside hitters Tisha Schwartz and Stevie Nicholas. What the Bears do have is a host of juniors and redshirts who have been together for three seasons. Junior setter Emily Huston and junior outside hitter Stella Odion have played two full seaons, and junior outside hitter Kelly Spriggs has seen a lot of action in her one-and-a-half seasons. Sophomore middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young and right-side hitter Nicole LeBlanc are coming off tremendous rookie campaigns in which both were among the Big 12 leaders in attacking percentage and blocks. Redshirts Kristen Schramek and Adeline Meira have been solid so far in their first seasons and are looking to contribute even more after sitting out the 2003 campaign with injuries. All totaled, the Bears boast five juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen.
CAREER NIGHT...
Seven of the eight Bears that played in the opener against UT-Arlington Sept. 1 set or tied a career high in at least one category...Nicole LeBlanc in kills (28); Stella Odion in kills (20) and digs (23); Desiree Guilliard-Young in kills (16) and digs (4); Emily Huston in assists (68) and digs (15); Maggie Chlebana in digs (15) and service aces (2)...Adeline Meira and Kristen Schramek were playing their first career matches, so each set career highs in several categories...Kelly Spriggs was the only player not to set a career high, but still played well with 16 kills.
ROAD WARRIORS...
Baylor will end up playing 11 of its first 14 matches away from the Ferrell Center, including the three-match tournament at Ole Miss Sept. 3-4 and the four-match slate at Sam Houston State Sept. 10-11...The Bears will only play three matches at home in September, the home opener against UT-Pan American and conference matches against Texas tonight and Oklahoma Sept. 22...Baylor ended a nine-match road losing streak with a sweep of Sam Houston State Sept. 11.
