BAYLOR'S IN HER BLOOD
12/2/2021 8:25:00 AM | General, Volleyball
Kentucky Transfer Boosts Volleyball's Chances for NCAA Title Run
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Adding an All-American outside hitter off Kentucky's national championship team seems like a no-brainer.
But, Avery Skinner was joining a Baylor volleyball team that returned every starter from a 20-7 team, including the 2019 National Player of the Year and another All-American outside hitter. Oh, and coach Ryan McGuyre was also bringing in a pair of dynamic hitters in a top-10 recruiting class.
"Before COVID happened, we were telling them, 'Hey, we're going to need you to come in and play right away,''' McGuyre said. "And now, with Avery coming in, it's like, 'Hey, I want you to play right away, but you've got to beat out (Yossiana Pressley), Avery and Lauren (Harrison).'''
Any concern that McGuyre and even Skinner might have had were quickly laid to rest when she joined the team this summer.
"It's definitely hard to have someone new come in," said Skinner, who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors along with Pressley, Harrison and setter Hannah Sedwick. "But, I never felt like an outsider once I got here. That was the biggest thing that I was a little nervous about was the transition, meeting a whole new group of people.
"Being here for such a short amount of time, it can be more difficult to connect. But, I have not felt that at all. Everyone was so great in helping me learn the ropes. And I definitely feel really a part of the team
The 6-1 Skinner has certainly made an impact on the court, averaging 3.50 kills and 2.46 digs per set, chipping in with 56.0 blocks and 16 services aces and leading the team with nine double-doubles.
"She brings everything," McGuyre said. "There's something to be said for those that can do a couple of our skills, but she's such a complete player. It does simplify things that she passes so well, that we don't have to play gimmicks or games and shift things around. She's been a great blocker for us, so you're able to match her up oftentimes on the opponent's best right-side attacker and feel really secure there."
After advancing through the first two rounds with 3-0 sweeps of Texas A&M-Corpus Christti and 23rd-ranked Washington State, fifth-seeded Baylor (22-5) will face 12th-seeded Minnesota (22-8) at 2 p.m. CT Thursday, Dec. 9, in the region semifinals in Madison, Wis. Less than eight months ago, Skinner had 14 kills in Kentucky's 3-1 win over Texas in the national championship match.
"It's crazy that we're back, it seems so soon, but it's exciting," Skinner said. "Like they said on the (NCAA Tournament selection) show, with every team, you don't know what's going to happen going in. There are no easy games. I think that will push us to be mentally engaged and really locked-in from the start."
The daughter of Brian Skinner, a Baylor Hall of Famer who played 14 years in the NBA, Avery grew up coming to Baylor games and wearing green and gold. After four years at Kentucky, "it's kind of full circle to be back," she said.
"I know my parents were pumped about me coming to Baylor," she said. "They both went here, and especially Dad, he just loved his time here. He talks about running the Bear Trail and all the things they used to do that aren't around anymore. I think he enjoys coming back and being able to see me play in the green and gold."
Baylor was going through a coaching change during Skinner's sophomore year in high school, when she picked Kentucky over Texas A&M.
"I ended up deciding that I wanted to use volleyball to get out of Texas," Avery said. "And I'm glad I did, just because I was able to meet so many people who grew up with so many different backgrounds. It really just came down to the people. I loved the coaching staff, and they stayed true to themselves through the recruiting process all the way through my four years."
A starter as a freshman, she averaged 3.32 kills per set, reached double-figure kills 24 times and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Last year, she earned first-team All-America honors, hitting .350 and averaging 3.81 kills per set for the 24-1 national champions.
"That year was the first year I'd been a part of a team that every single person was bought into the common goal," she said. "We started saying we were going to win a national championship in our preseason meeting. In the beginning, you're saying, 'OK, I hope I believe it. I want to believe it.' By the end, every single person believed it."
With an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, Skinner applied for grad school at Kentucky, Baylor, Houston and UT Dallas and ultimately picked Baylor, where she's working on a master's degree in speech language pathology.
"The Kentucky program was great. Just with how the grad program was set up, it was not going to work for me to play volleyball as well," she said. "Me being able to come here and play volleyball and also do what I want to do professionally was really great."
After this year, Skinner will have one semester left and a seven-month clinical fellowship to finish her master's. But after the season, she plans to play professional volleyball overseas.
"I wouldn't say that was my goal in the beginning," she said. "I'm not sure when that flip switched, but I know in my heart I'm not done with volleyball. I don't feel like this chapter of my life is done yet. For me, it's about growth. I know I will become such a better person through this experience, just being able to meet new people and experience new things."
Since a 1-3 start that included losses to top-4 seeds Pitt and Wisconsin, Baylor has won 21 of its last 23 matches and seems to be peaking at the right time.
"I definitely would say it took us a little longer to kind of figure things out," Skinner said, "just because we have so many people who can play in so many different positions. It was kind of just figuring out who fits in the best spot, who works well together. But, I love the fact that we have so many people who can do that, and it makes us just that much more dangerous."
The fourth-seeded and host Wisconsin Badgers (27-3) face 13th-seeded UCLA (25-5) in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. Thursday, with the two winners meeting at 7 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the Final Four the following weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
Baylor Bear Insider
Adding an All-American outside hitter off Kentucky's national championship team seems like a no-brainer.
But, Avery Skinner was joining a Baylor volleyball team that returned every starter from a 20-7 team, including the 2019 National Player of the Year and another All-American outside hitter. Oh, and coach Ryan McGuyre was also bringing in a pair of dynamic hitters in a top-10 recruiting class.
"Before COVID happened, we were telling them, 'Hey, we're going to need you to come in and play right away,''' McGuyre said. "And now, with Avery coming in, it's like, 'Hey, I want you to play right away, but you've got to beat out (Yossiana Pressley), Avery and Lauren (Harrison).'''
Any concern that McGuyre and even Skinner might have had were quickly laid to rest when she joined the team this summer.
"It's definitely hard to have someone new come in," said Skinner, who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors along with Pressley, Harrison and setter Hannah Sedwick. "But, I never felt like an outsider once I got here. That was the biggest thing that I was a little nervous about was the transition, meeting a whole new group of people.
"Being here for such a short amount of time, it can be more difficult to connect. But, I have not felt that at all. Everyone was so great in helping me learn the ropes. And I definitely feel really a part of the team
The 6-1 Skinner has certainly made an impact on the court, averaging 3.50 kills and 2.46 digs per set, chipping in with 56.0 blocks and 16 services aces and leading the team with nine double-doubles.
"She brings everything," McGuyre said. "There's something to be said for those that can do a couple of our skills, but she's such a complete player. It does simplify things that she passes so well, that we don't have to play gimmicks or games and shift things around. She's been a great blocker for us, so you're able to match her up oftentimes on the opponent's best right-side attacker and feel really secure there."
After advancing through the first two rounds with 3-0 sweeps of Texas A&M-Corpus Christti and 23rd-ranked Washington State, fifth-seeded Baylor (22-5) will face 12th-seeded Minnesota (22-8) at 2 p.m. CT Thursday, Dec. 9, in the region semifinals in Madison, Wis. Less than eight months ago, Skinner had 14 kills in Kentucky's 3-1 win over Texas in the national championship match.
"It's crazy that we're back, it seems so soon, but it's exciting," Skinner said. "Like they said on the (NCAA Tournament selection) show, with every team, you don't know what's going to happen going in. There are no easy games. I think that will push us to be mentally engaged and really locked-in from the start."
The daughter of Brian Skinner, a Baylor Hall of Famer who played 14 years in the NBA, Avery grew up coming to Baylor games and wearing green and gold. After four years at Kentucky, "it's kind of full circle to be back," she said.
"I know my parents were pumped about me coming to Baylor," she said. "They both went here, and especially Dad, he just loved his time here. He talks about running the Bear Trail and all the things they used to do that aren't around anymore. I think he enjoys coming back and being able to see me play in the green and gold."
Baylor was going through a coaching change during Skinner's sophomore year in high school, when she picked Kentucky over Texas A&M.
"I ended up deciding that I wanted to use volleyball to get out of Texas," Avery said. "And I'm glad I did, just because I was able to meet so many people who grew up with so many different backgrounds. It really just came down to the people. I loved the coaching staff, and they stayed true to themselves through the recruiting process all the way through my four years."
A starter as a freshman, she averaged 3.32 kills per set, reached double-figure kills 24 times and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Last year, she earned first-team All-America honors, hitting .350 and averaging 3.81 kills per set for the 24-1 national champions.
"That year was the first year I'd been a part of a team that every single person was bought into the common goal," she said. "We started saying we were going to win a national championship in our preseason meeting. In the beginning, you're saying, 'OK, I hope I believe it. I want to believe it.' By the end, every single person believed it."
With an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, Skinner applied for grad school at Kentucky, Baylor, Houston and UT Dallas and ultimately picked Baylor, where she's working on a master's degree in speech language pathology.
"The Kentucky program was great. Just with how the grad program was set up, it was not going to work for me to play volleyball as well," she said. "Me being able to come here and play volleyball and also do what I want to do professionally was really great."
After this year, Skinner will have one semester left and a seven-month clinical fellowship to finish her master's. But after the season, she plans to play professional volleyball overseas.
"I wouldn't say that was my goal in the beginning," she said. "I'm not sure when that flip switched, but I know in my heart I'm not done with volleyball. I don't feel like this chapter of my life is done yet. For me, it's about growth. I know I will become such a better person through this experience, just being able to meet new people and experience new things."
Since a 1-3 start that included losses to top-4 seeds Pitt and Wisconsin, Baylor has won 21 of its last 23 matches and seems to be peaking at the right time.
"I definitely would say it took us a little longer to kind of figure things out," Skinner said, "just because we have so many people who can play in so many different positions. It was kind of just figuring out who fits in the best spot, who works well together. But, I love the fact that we have so many people who can do that, and it makes us just that much more dangerous."
The fourth-seeded and host Wisconsin Badgers (27-3) face 13th-seeded UCLA (25-5) in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. Thursday, with the two winners meeting at 7 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the Final Four the following weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
Players Mentioned
Would go to battle with this crew anytime 🫶
Monday, December 08
Hearts stopped. Records fell. Bears won!
Monday, December 08
Elevate ⬆️ and celebrate 🎉
Monday, December 08
💼 Workin' our way to match day
Monday, December 08
