(This is the 16th in a series of features on Baylor Athletics' 25 for 25, which honors Baylor's top 25 athletes in the 25-year history of the Big 12 Conference (1996-21). Selected by a panel of Baylor experts, the final list was picked from a pool of over 100 candidates that came from all 19 intercollegiate sports that the school offers. Over the next couple of months, two honorees per week will be released and will also be featured during game broadcasts on the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.)
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Maybe this is what it's like when actors or directors watch their own movies and see every flaw, every misstep, every scene that wasn't exactly what they had pictured in their minds.
While everyone else on the planet marvels at
Yossiana Pressley's leap-out-of-the-gym athleticism, laser focus and downright scary hitting ability, the Baylor All-American and reigning National Player of the Year sees all the parts of her game that need to improve.
"OK, sure, I got 31 or 32 kills against Texas in 2019, but what about the 17 errors?" Pressley said. "Let me look at all those errors, and see exactly what the issue was. Is it the set? Am I too slow? Am I going too fast? I'm definitely my biggest critic. Coach will say, 'Good pass,' and I'm like, 'Ugh, it's not middle-middle.' You can't go out there and say, it was a good enough pass. No, it wasn't, you can do better. So, hold yourself to that standard. I try to do that every day."
A first-team Under Armour All-American at Cypress Falls High School, Pressley had her pick of the best college teams from coast to coast, but picked a Baylor program that was barely a dot on the map of NCAA women's volleyball.
Ryan McGuyre, who had just arrived in Waco in 2015, said he had to sell her on his vision, "what my expectations were, what we could accomplish here with her," because that vision is really all he had at that point. Baylor gave her the chance to make an immediate impact and be a part of building something special.
"I believed in what Coach Mac was telling me his purpose for this program was," Pressley said. "He doesn't let up and makes sure that we are the best we can be in every aspect – for volleyball, of course, because that's why we came, but also spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally. I just appreciate how he instills confidence in me and challenges me every day."
Even as a freshman, you saw glimpses and flashes of what she could be. With senior All-American Katie Staiger entrenched at her more natural outside position, McGuyre used Pressley at right side for a 24-7 team that finished second in the Big 12 and earned the program's first national seed (12
th) for the NCAA tournament.
The first freshman in Big 12 history to lead the league in kills per set (4.37), Pressley was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, a unanimous first-team all-conference pick and an honorable mention All-American. But her assessment: "I was so bad."
"I went back and looked, I guess it was a couple months ago, and I was like, 'Oh my goodness!' It just looked so awkward," she said. As a right-handed hitter, McGuyre said, Pressley "wasn't used to seeing the ball coming over her left shoulder."
After getting "the hang of it" by the start of conference play, Pressley said it "felt so weird," when she first returned to outside when Staiger got hurt.
"I don't care what side of the court I'm on, I'm just going to go play," Pressley said. "Don't get me wrong, I still hate right side, but it's something I'm working on. What's it going to hurt to be able to play right side, too?"
With Staiger graduating, Pressley was the full-time starter at outside during a sophomore season that saw her lead the Big 12 again with 517 total kills and 4.70 per set. She earned AVCA honorable mention All-America honors and unanimous first-team All-Big 12.
Selected to the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team in 2018, Pressley was one of 17 players invited to participate in the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team spring training camp in March 2019 at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim, Calif.
That week proved to be a humbling experience for Pressley, whose self-evaluation of her performance was, of course, "so terrible."
"Surprising, I didn't cry until the fifth or sixth day," she said. "It was hard, because I had never been a primary passer before I went there, and it was like, 'Hey, all passing.' It was just a learning experience, and I'm happy that I went, because it definitely helped me elevate in a different way. I appreciated every single moment of it, even if I was terrible."
Specifically, the feedback she got from the U.S. coaches was to be calmer on her passes and develop a more aggressive serve.
In 2019, Pressley and Baylor volleyball had a year to remember. Not only did the Bears win a share of their first Big 12 title and make it to the Final Four for the first time in program history, Pressley was named National Player of the Year by both AVCA and ESPNW.
She recorded a mind-boggling 5.41 kills per set and hit .276, adding 126 digs, 46 blocks and 13 service aces as a six-rotation player.
McGuyre said Pressley was "an unstoppable force for us offensively and deeply committed to defense all season long."
"Her ability to elevate and dominate has given the Baylor family so much to celebrate," he said. "I am so proud of Yossi for not only being named the National Player of the Year this season, but also for being one of the most determined servant-leaders on our team. This is another history-making moment for Baylor and a testament to Yossi's drive and determination."
True to form, Pressley downplayed her own performance and gave credit to the "19 other National Players of the Year sitting over there."
"I wouldn't be here without Hannah Lockin's awesome sets or the digs from Tara (Wulf) and Shanel (Bramschreiber), and just my teammates opening me up so that I can get kills," Pressley said at the AVCA banquet.
Having already broken Staiger's rally scoring era (since 2001) record with 1,769 kills, Pressley is now second on the all-time list behind Hall of Famer Elisha Polk (2,272). Given an extra year of eligibility to return for the 2021 fall season, Pressley is currently second in the Big 12 during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season with 4.63 kills per set.
The No. 6 Bears (15-3) play second-ranked Texas (16-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Frank Erwin Center, trying to win their first match ever in Austin.
Previous:
Kiara Nowlin, Acrobatics & Tumbling (2013-17)
Johnathan Motley, Men's Basketball (2013-17)
Shea Langeliers, Baseball (2017-19)
Bayano Kamani, Men's T&F (1998-2001)
Jason Jennings, Baseball (1997-99)
Brittney Griner, Women's Basketball (2009-13)
Robert Griffin III, Football (2008-11)
Dawn Greathouse Siergij, Soccer (1997-2000)
Benedikt Dorsch, Men's Tennis (2002-05)
Corey Coleman, Football (2013-15)
Whitney Canion Reichenstein, Softball (2009-14)
Trayvon Bromell, Men's T&F (2014-15)
Stacey Bowers-Smith, Women's T&F (1996-99)
Andrew Billings, Football (2013-15)
Benjamin Becker, Men's Tennis (2001-05)
