Baylor

Volleyball Plays Host to No. 2 Nebraska on Wednesday

Volleyball 11/20/2007 12:00:00 AM

Nov. 20, 2007

WACO, Texas -

Baylor stays at home on Wednesday night as the Bears play host to second-ranked Nebraska at 6:30 p.m. at the Ferrell Center. Baylor faces its fourth straight ranked opponent and the second consecutive foe ranked in the top three of the AVCA Poll.

The Bears are coming off a 3-0 loss at home to No. 3 Texas on Saturday afternoon, breaking Baylor's streak of four-straight five-game matches.

Baylor held Texas, who entered the match with a nation-leading .346 hitting efficiency, to a .276 (54-19-127) hitting percentage, its lowest in a winning match this season. The Bears, who had blocked at a 2.45 clip the previous four matches, blocked 12.0 attacks (4.00 bpg), the most against Texas this season. Anna Breyfogle, a three-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, was responsible for eight total blocks (one solo), the most individual blocks against the Longhorns this year.

Haley Thomas and Kelsey Smith each recorded nine kills for Baylor, while Breyfogle added six kills for the Bears. Baylor was without the services of outside hitter Katie Sanders, who missed the match with an injury.

Thomas recorded a career-high 12 digs in her first action in the back row. Taylor Barnes added 11 digs and a service ace to go along with four kills for the Bears.

Nebraska is tied with Texas atop the Big 12 standings, and holds the tiebreaker over the Longhorns for the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Cornhuskers are led by a pair of AVCA Players of the Year in Sarah Pavan (2006) and Christina Houghtelling (2005). Nebraska opened the season with a 19-match winning streak, including wins over eight ranked teams, before dropping a 3-0 match at Texas. Since their loss, the Cornhuskers have won six straight matches, including four straight 3-0 sweeps.

The Cornhuskers lead the nation in kills per game at 18.09 as well as assists per game at 16.69. Nebraska ranks third in hitting percentage at a .330 clip.

The live audio broadcast of the match can be found at BaylorBears.com starting at 6:20 p.m.

Print Friendly Version