Preview: No. 3 VB Hosts Kansas in Midweek Tilt

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Three months ago, when Baylor volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre was talking about getting ready for December, that seemed like a day and a time far, far away.
            Now that there's just five matches left in the regular season and 17 days remaining in November, December and the NCAA Tournament are just around the corner.
            "We have (less than) a month left of the regular season, which is crazy," said junior setter Hannah Lockin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. "So, we need to enjoy it and cherish it . . . and we're really working to do that."
            The third-ranked Bears (20-1, 10-1) host Kansas (7-14, 3-8) at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a chance to sweep the Jayhawks for the first time since 2007. Just 2-7 in road matches this year, Kansas has dropped four of its last five and is coming off a 3-1 loss on Saturday at TCU.
            Baylor put together one of its most complete matches of the season in a 3-0 win at Texas Tech on Sunday, getting double-digit kills from three different players, recording eight blocks and hitting .396 while holding the Red Raiders to just a .134 attack percentage.
            "Heading into Kansas, we want to continue to do more of the same and be low-error, make sure we are still high-kill, so that we are taking big, monstrous swings whenever we can in the right moments," McGuyre said. "And let our defense do its job. . . . We want our block to have an influence on the match, force hitters to hit where they are least comfortable or maybe have a little less power, and let our defenders pick the ball up and convert those to kills."
            Junior All-American outside hitter Yossiana Presslley had her typical outing with 17 kills and .325 attack percentage, but the Bears also got double-digit kills from right-side hitters Marieke van der Mark (10) and Gia Milana (11). Freshman middle blocker Kara McGhee had seven kills and three blocks and hit at a phenomenal .636 clip.
            Pressley said getting other hitters involved takes "a lot of the pressure off me, but it puts a lot of pressure on opponents."
            "They're like, 'Oh, we don't have to worry about one person or two people or three people, we have to worry about the whole team,''' she said. "It definitely helps whenever I get help, Shelly (Stafford) gets help, Marieke gets help, because some days Marieke is going to be on fire and I'm going to play terrible. So, it's good to have all-around players, and it makes me happy that we're all contributing."
            Even with a rematch against top-ranked Texas (17-2, 11-0) looming – 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Ferrell Center – Baylor has to stay focused on the task at hand.
            "We know you've just got to stub your toe once to disrupt the opportunity to be playing for a Big 12 championship," McGuyre said. "You just have to stub your toe once to get knocked out of the (NCAA) tournament. So, I think the girls are doing a pretty good job. And us, as a staff, we're just approaching each game as our most important."
            Wednesday's match will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris calling the action with former Baylor All-American Katie Staiger.

WACO, Texas – The third-ranked Baylor volleyball team (20-1, 10-1 Big 12) continues the second half of conference play with a Wednesday night matchup against Kansas (7-14, 3-8 Big 12) at 7 p.m. CT at the Ferrell Center in Waco.

The match will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with John Morris and Katie Staiger on the call.

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

BEARS HEAD HOME TO FACE THE JAYHAWKS
• Third-ranked BU will continue the second half of league play with a Wednesday match against Kansas.
• Baylor holds a perfect 10-0 record at home this season, which includes eight sweeps.
• Baylor has won the last two matchups and swept KU in Lawrence earlier this season.
• BU is 3-6 against Kansas under head coach Ryan McGuyre, including 1-3 in Waco.
• Baylor is in the top-25 nationally in five different stat categories heading into Wednesday's match, and three players are among the nation's top 40 in six categories (full list on pg. 3).

A WIN WOULD…
• A win would be Baylor's fourth victory in the last five matches against the Jayhawks.
• A win would be Baylor's third consecutive win over Kansas for the first time since they won four in a row from 2006-08.
• A win would give the Bears a program-best 11-1 record in Big 12 play.
• A win would give the Bears the season sweep over the Jayhawks for the first time since 2007.

BAYLOR RECENTLY
• No. 3 Baylor volleyball recorded its 16th sweep of the season with a 3-0 win at Texas Tech last Saturday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, 25-18, 25-20, 25-21.
• Baylor had its best offensive match of the season, hitting .396 against Tech. BU had three players with double-digit kills in Pressley (17), Milana (11) and van der Mark (10).
• Hannah Lockin logged her team-best 10th double-double with 42 assists and 14 digs.
• Defensively, the Bears outblocked the Red Raiders, 8.0-1.0, with sophomore Marieke van der Mark's four stuffs leading the way. Shelly Stafford moved past Nicole LeBlanc (2003-06) for the ninth-most blocks in Baylor history with 386 career blocks.

HOME SWEET HOME
• BU is 54-17 all-time in home matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• Baylor improved to 30-3 in home non-conference matches under McGuyre, finishing 5-0 in 2019.
• At home, BU is 8-0 in three sets, 2-0 in four sets and 0-0 in five-set matches.
• Baylor has broken the single-match attendance record in three straight seasons, most recently with 3,878 fans at the Tennessee match. It shattered the previous high set against LSU last season with 3,858 fans.
• BU has had seven top-10 crowds at the Ferrell Center under McGuyre, including three this season.
• Baylor is 24-13 in Big 12 matches at home under McGuyre.

LAST TIME VS. KANSAS (Sept. 28, 2019)
• No. 2 Baylor volleyball opened Big 12 action with a sweep of Kansas on Oct. 19 at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena in Lawrence, Kan., 25-15, 25-13, 25-22.
• BU ties its best start in school history and consecutive wins at 11-0, matching the 2009 team. Baylor remained the only undefeated team in the country and improved to 3-2 in conference openers under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• Yossiana Pressley posted a match-high 17 kills on a .483 efficiency while Gia Milana was 9-of-12 for a .667 clip on the outside. Hannah Lockin recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 35 assists and 12 digs and also put down three kills on four attempts.
• Defensively, the Bears posted 11 blocks for their second double-digit block effort in 2019. Kara • McGhee posted a match-high six blocks while Marieke van der Mark added five.

Preview: No. 3 VB Hosts Kansas in Midweek Tilt

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Players Mentioned

Kara McGhee

Gia Milana

Yossiana Pressley

Hannah Sedwick

Shelly Stafford

Marieke van der Mark

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