Preview: No. 1 VB Set for Top-Four Battle at No. 4 Texas

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Over the last 17 seasons, there were Baylor teams that hoped and maybe even thought they could stand up to the Goliath that is Texas volleyball and figure out a way to slay the giant.
            This team believes it can.
            "There is definitely a confidence that I feel like hasn't necessarily been there before, or maybe not as strong," junior setter Hannah Lockin said. "We're just confident, and we know what we can do, and we're going to go in there and do it."
            Ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll for the fourth-consecutive week, the Bears (16-0, 6-0) have won a program-record 31 consecutive sets with 10 straight sweeps going into a showdown with No. 4 Texas (12-2, 6-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin.
            "I'd like to think we felt that way before," said Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre, who goes for his 100^thwin at Baylor and first against Texas. "Obviously, we're playing well, and I feel like our team feels like we can go in and win the first set. That's the plan."
            While Baylor's streaks this season are impressive, including winning 48 of 50 sets, Texas has won 34 straight matches in this series, holds a commanding 83-2 edge overall and has never lost to the Bears in Austin (43-0). The Longhorns' last loss to Baylor was Oct. 27, 2001, when a Brian Hosfield-led team took them down in five sets in Waco.
            "This season is probably one of those years I'm pretty convinced that we have the best chance of beating them," said fifth-year senior middle blocker Shelly Stafford. "It's a hostile environment. I'm excited for it to be a fun fight. It's super=loud, sellout crowd. We're just really excited to keep playing our game, keep playing one way, and see what comes from that."
            Wednesday's match has been sold out for the last two weeks, with the cheapest tickets on StubHub going for $50.
            "We said early that we want to just cherish the season," McGuyre said. "So, what an exciting thing for both of us to be undefeated (in the Big 12), we're playing a game that matters, sold-out tickets. This is what these girls signed up for a long, long time ago. I want to play somewhere where it's relevant, where it matters, and we get two teams who are playing the best of the best in a great match."
            The Longhorns dropped five-setters earlier in the season at Rice and then-No. 1 Stanford, but they've won seven in a row and have only lost one set in Big 12 play. Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and second-team All-American Micaya White leads Texas and ranks third in the league with 4.00 kills per set, while right-side hitter Skylar Fields is second in hitting percentage (.356) behind only Stafford (.394).
             "You've got two seasoned outside hitters," McGuyre said. "At some point, the game comes down to how your pins are doing. They can hit the snot out of the ball. Micaya, an All-American, moves the ball around, very smart. And then Skylar Fields on the right side, top recruit in the country, she can hit a heavy ball as well. Asjia (O'Neal) in the middle, Molly (Phillips) in the middle. So, every hitter they have on the floor is a terminal hitter if you're not paying attention."
            Paul Sunderland and Salima Rockwell will call the action for the Longhorn Network, with ESPN's Holly Rowe also on site for a 30-minute pregame show and sideline reports.
            "We preach that we play for an audience of one," Stafford said. "So, whether there's one person or there's 6,000, 10,000, however many fans they're going to have there, we just want to represent Christ and pay for Him, and everything else will take care of itself."
            For Baylor fans that cannot make the trip to Austin, there will be a watch party at the Ferrell Center, with doors opening at 6:30. Admission is free and open to the public, and fans are encouraged to bring snacks, water and soft drinks. The clear-bag policy will be enforced.
            After playing three of its last four on the road, Baylor returns home to host West Virginia (10-9, 1-5) at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center.

WACO, Texas – Top-ranked Baylor volleyball (16-0, 6-0 Big 12) will put its undefeated record and consecutive set streak to the test when it travels to face No. 4 Texas (12-2, 6-0 Big 12) in Austin on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT inside Gregory Gymnasium.

The match will be live on the Longhorn Network with Paul Sunderland and Salima Rockwell on the call.

Fans that cannot make the trip to Austin can head to the Ferrell Center on Wednesday night for a volleyball watch party. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and fans can cheer on the Bears and watch the match inside the arena.

Fans can follow along for match coverage with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.

BEARS AND LONGHORNS CLASH IN TOP-FOUR MATCHUP
• Top-ranked Baylor will put its undefeated record and consecutive set streak to the test when it travels to face No. 4 Texas in Austin on Wednesday.
• The Bears are still the only undefeated team left in D1 college volleyball and hold a perfect 16-0 record.
• BU went undefeated through non-conference play for the first time since 2009 and only the third time in program history. The 2001 season was the first time the Bears went unblemished in non-conference action with an 8-0 record, and the 2009 squad went a program-best 11-0.
• Baylor looks to match its highest-ranked win of the season. BU upended No. 4 Wisconsin on the road during non-conference play for its highest-ranked road win in program history.
• Baylor is riding a 16-match winning streak, including five straight on the road in 2019.
• BU is 0-8 against Texas under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• BU is riding a program-best 31-set winning streak. Baylor has won 10 straight matches in three sets after winning the fourth set against Houston on Sept. 12.
• Baylor is in the top-20 nationally in five different stat categories heading into Saturday's match, and two players are among the nation's top 15 in four categories (full list on pg. 3).
• Baylor is second behind Stephen F. Austin for the longest-set win streak in the country. Baylor holds a 31-set win streak. SFA extended its streak to 34 straight sets with a Saturday win over Southeastern Louisana.
• The Bears look to take at least a set from UT in Austin for the first time since Oct. 24, 2012.

A WIN WOULD…
• A Baylor win would extend the Bears' school-record with 17 consecutive wins and a program-best 17-0 mark to open a season. BU broke the original record against Oklahoma on Oct. 2.
• A win would give BU an unblemished 6-0 record in road matches this season.
• A win would be Baylor's first victory over Texas since Oct. 27, 2001 where BU took down the Longhorns in five sets in Waco.
• A win would be Baylor's first-ever victory in Austin in 44 road meetings.
• A win would give Baylor a 6-0 record against ranked opponents in 2019.
• A win would tie the program mark for the highest-ranked road win in school history.
• A win would snap a 34-match losing streak to the Longhorns.
• A win would put BU atop the Big 12 standings with a 7-0 record.
• A win would give head coach Ryan McGuyre 100 victories at Baylor, becoming the fastest BU head coach to reach this milestone.

ROAD WARRIORS
• Baylor is 5-0 in true road matches in 2019 and recently took a 3-0 win over TCU in Ft. Worth on Oct. 12.
• Baylor was 7-4 on the road in 2018, including a season-best five-match win streak.
• BU is 32-20 all-time in road matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• On the road, BU is 4-0 in three sets, 1-0 in four sets and 0-0 in five-set matches.
• Including the 2017 conference season, BU is 16-3 in Big 12 road matches under McGuyre and has only dropped matches at Texas and Kansas in that stretch.

MCGUYRE ONE WIN AWAY FROM 100 BAYLOR VICTORIES
• Head coach Ryan McGuyre surpassed 400 career wins during the 2018 season and now looks to garner his 100th win as the Baylor head coach.
• McGuyre is 99-41 in his fifth season at Baylor. He would become the fourth Baylor coach in program history to accumulate 100 wins.
• He would be the fastest Baylor coach to 100 wins and holds a .707 win mark in Waco in his fifth season.
• McGuyre sits at 434-174 overall mark in his 18th year as a collegiate women's head coach.
• McGuyre has been a collegiate head coach at three spots: Biola, Cal Baptist and Baylor.

LAST TIME VS. TEXAS IN AUSTIN (Sept. 26, 2018)
• 21st-ranked Baylor volleyball couldn't overcome a season-high 14 service errors in a three-set loss to fourth-ranked Texas in the team's first meeting of 2018 at Gregory Gymnasium, 25-23, 25-16, 25-15.
• Yossiana Pressley paced all players with 11 kills while Gia Milana and Aniah Philo contributed eight each.
• The Bears committed a season-high 14 service errors and the most since BU's 2017 season opener against Florida State (16).
• In total, BU committed 25 attack errors, two ball handling errors, 14 service errors and two receiving errors against the Longhorns (43 total errors).
• Yossiana Pressley hit negative for the first time in her career, posting 11 kills on 39 swings with 16 errors (-.128).

Preview: No. 1 VB Set for Top-Four Battle at No. 4 Texas

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gia Milana

Aniah Philo

Yossiana Pressley

Hannah Sedwick

Shelly Stafford

Footer