Nov. 26, 2017
2017 NCAA Bracket 
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
A year ago, Baylor volleyball was sweating out just getting into the NCAA tournament.
This time, the Bears (23-6) not only got in the 64-team field, they were selected as the No. 12 overall seed and will host the Mid-American Conference champion Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (23-8) at 7 p.m. Friday in a first-round matchup at the Ferrell Center.
Head coach Ryan McGuyre said the "excitement on the girls' faces was priceless" when the selection was announced Sunday night on ESPNU.
"Great seed, good reflection of what we've done all year," said McGuyre, who hosted a watch party at his home. "It's always been about the girls, I'm excited for them. This is always my favorite night of the season, just being able to worship and then kind of reflect on what we've done all season."
Baylor was one of four Big 12 teams selected to the field and joins sixth-seeded Texas and 14th-seeded Iowa State as hosts for the first and second rounds. This is the Bears' sixth NCAA Championship appearance and first time they've ever hosted.
"At Senior Night, it was so exciting, but we had this little inkling like, `OK, hopefully that wasn't the last one. Hopefully we get to play here again,''' said senior outside hitter Katie Staiger. "The fact that we at least get one more is really exciting."
Former Big 12 foe Colorado (22-9) faces Colonial Athletic Association conference champion James Madison (23-5) at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the other first-round match, with the winners playing at 8 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The other seeded teams in Baylor's part of the bracket are fourth-seeded Kentucky (26-3), No. 5 seed Nebraska (26-4) and 13th-seeded BYU (28-2), with Kentucky being the potential regional host.
"When you get to the tournament, everybody is good," said McGuyre, whose team made it to the second round last season. "Miami, Ohio is in a good league, Colorado is in the Pac-12, so they're battle-tested. It's not like they haven't played good opponents. They're going to be good. We've got to continue to build upon what we learned from Saturday's match (3-1 loss to Texas)."
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, Baylor faced six NCAA tournament teams in non-conference and had a 6-6 record versus teams in the field. The Bears had 3-0 sweeps of Iowa State (twice) and Kansas in league play and beat Washington State, BYU and LSU in pre-conference matchups.
"We wanted to go undefeated in preseason (non-conference), didn't happen," McGuyre said. "Wanted to go undefeated in conference, didn't happen (13-3). This is our last chance to go undefeated. Our goal is to win our last match, so one match at a time."
Baylor had reeled off seven straight wins before Saturdays' 3-1 loss to Texas, when the Bears had leads in each of the first three sets. Freshman outside hitter Yossiana Pressley had a match-high 23 kills against the Longhorns and is averaging 3.53 kills per set.
"I think it just shows how much we've really tried to change the culture here and make it where we're not just a program that's scraping by, just trying to get in," Staiger said. "That all starts with Coach McGuyre and what he's built into this program. Just the idea that we are aiming for a championship and we want to go as deep in the tournament as possible."
Ticket information and a tournament central page will be available this week at www.baylorbears.com.
WACO, Texas -- After wrapping up the best regular season since 1999, Baylor volleyball earned the No. 12 overall seed in the 2017 NCAA Volleyball Championship bracket and will host the tournament's first and second rounds from Dec. 1-2 at the Ferrell Center for the first time in program history.
On Friday, Colorado (22-9) and James Madison (23-5) will match up at 4:30 p.m. CT, followed by host Baylor (23-6) and Miami of Ohio (23-8) at 7 p.m. CT in the opening round. The two winners of Friday's matchups will face each other in the second round Saturday at 8 p.m. CT with TV designations still to be made.
"Great seed, good reflection of what we've done all year," head coach Ryan McGuyre said. "It's always been about the girls. It's a beautiful night. This is always my favorite night of the season, just being able to worship and then reflect on what we've done all season. And then, the excitement on the girls' faces is priceless, as we're excited to extend our season. So, good seed, get to play at a great place, the Ferrell Center in Waco, and we're playing really well there and looking forward to these matches."
Adding to a year of firsts, the Bears earned back-to-back postseason berths for the first time in school history after earning an at-large bid last season.
Overall, BU is 4-5 all-time in NCAA tournament play after advancing to the second round in 2016. Led by Second Team All-American Katie Staiger, the Bears will face Miami (Ohio) for the second time ever and first time since 1998.
"So exciting. I think we knew with our ranking that there was a chance, but you never know what the committee decides," Staiger said. "Being 12, we're really excited about it and excited to get to play at home."
Ticket information and a tournament central page will be available this week at BaylorBears.com.
Fans can follow the postseason action with the team's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorVball.
