Volleyball Faces UTPA in Home Opener
9/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 7, 2004
BU-UTPA Notes
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Baylor (1-3) vs. UT-Pan American (3-1)
Wednesday, Sept. 8 - 7 p.m.
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas
Broadcast: Audio and Gametracker on BaylorBears.com
Baylor (1-3) hosts Texas-Pan American (3-1) in a non-conference matchup, the sixth meeting between the two schools and the first since 2001. The Bears have won the five previous meetings, losing only one game out of 15.
The Bears are coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Magnolia Invitational hosted by Ole Miss after a season-opening five-game loss at Texas-Arlington. The Lady Broncs are 3-1 after hosting the McAllen Holiday Inn UTPA Invitational. UTPA won its first three matches before falling to Oklahoma in five games in the championship match.
Baylor returns to action at the Sam Houston State Tournament Friday and Saturday in Huntsville, Texas.
LAST TIME OUT...
OXFORD, Miss. - Junior outside hitter Stella Odion (Houston, Texas) and sophomore middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young (Berkeley, Calif.) each tied their career highs in kills, but Baylor's rally from two games down fell short against Eastern Michigan in a 3-1 (19-30, 22-30, 33-31, 23-30) loss in volleyball action at the Magnolia Invitational hosted by Ole Miss Saturday at Gillom Sports Center.
Odion led the Bears (1-3) with 20 kills and added 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. Guilliard-Young hit .419 with 16 kills and six blocks. Sophomore right-side hitter Nicole LeBlanc (Tampa, Fla.) had 11 kilss and a team-high 14 digs. Junior setter Emily Huston (Santa Rosa, Calif.) had 43 assists and 10 digs, while junior libero Maggie Chlebana (Calgary, Alberta) and freshman defensive specialist Kristen Schramek (San Antonio, Texas) each had double-digit digs with 13 and 10, respectively.
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 were solid in the Green-Gold Match and are looking to contribute 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 last Wednesday's opener 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 this past weekend at Ole Miss and a four-match slate at Sam Houston State upcoming...The Bears only play three matches at home in September, the home opener against UT-Pan American tonight and conference matches against Texas on Sept. 15 and Oklahoma on Sept. 22...Baylor will be looking to change it's ways this weekend as it has dropped nine in a row on the road, dating back to a five-game victory over Texas Tech Oct. 15, 2003, in Lubbock. BAYLORBEARS.COM...
BaylorBears.com is the official web site for Baylor athletics and offers bio information on players and coaches, statistics, rosters and much more. You can catch every home volleyball on Gametracker or, new for this season, listen to the web cast. There will also be four matches carried on live video and three road matches on audio. Don't miss any part of the Baylor volleyball season, click on BaylorBears.com. INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS...
Inside Baylor Sports is a half-hour show devoted to coverage of all 17 of Baylor's varsity sports. The show features highlights of the past week's action, features on individual athletes and a preview of the week ahead. Join co-hosts John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman every Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. on KCEN-TV Ch. 6 or on Fox Sports Net every Wednesday at 1 p.m.
