No. 12 Seed VB Advances Past Pepperdine in Five Sets

Thursday, April 15

Omaha, Neb.

11:00 a.m.

Baylor

20-6,13-3Big 12

Pepperdine

17-4,16-2WCC

Pepperdine

Baylor

No. 12 Seed VB Advances Past Pepperdine in Five Sets

4/15/2021 5:10:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Bears reach Regional Semifinals for just third time in program history

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            OMAHA, Neb. – Trailing 20^th-ranked Pepperdine 2-1 in sets, with the fourth set all knotted up at 25, the 11^th-ranked and 12^th-seeded Baylor volleyball team was on the verge of being eliminated Thursday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
            Coach Ryan McGuyre's message was simple: "Are we going to end it, or are we going to move forward?"
            The answer was a very emphatic move forward.
            Surviving that fourth-set threat, the Bears (20-6) had four blocks and held the Waves (17-4) to a minus-0.050 hitting percentage in the decisive fifth set to pull out their sixth five-set win of the season, 25-21, 22-25, 17-25, 27-25, 15-10.
            "I felt like we were on life support there a little bit," said McGuyre, whose team advances to the region semifinals for just the third time in program history, facing fourth-ranked and No. 5 seed Nebraska (15-2) on Sunday. "We were trying to get the execute at the level where we're capable and make it happen. We've learned from other teams in our program, champions don't die easy."
            While senior All-American Yossiana Pressley had a match-high 26 kills, the most ever by a Baylor player in a five-set NCAA Tournament match, Baylor also got key contributions from 6-3 middle blocker Andressa Parise, 6-4 freshman Cassie Davis and junior Bri Coleman.
            Parise, a senior transfer from St. Petersburg College, hadn't played in any matches this spring because of shin injuries and had only played in two sets since September. Getting the start, Parise had four kills and assisted on nine of Baylor's season-high 18 blocks.
            "This is my dream coming true right now. It's kind of unbelievable," Parise said. "I'm so happy I'm a part of this team. I'm going to do my best and take care of my body and just be here for the team when they need me."
            McGuyre said he thought starting the 6-4 Parise over 6-2 Cal transfer Preslie Anderson "Might rattle Pepperdine a little bit."
            "Let's play a girl who nobody has any film or tape on," he said. "Let them figure out if they want to block her, not block her, leave her alone, challenge her hands, not challenge her hands. I kind of liked that idea going into it, but Andressa has had great practices leading into the match."
            Making her first start, in place of injured right-side hitter Marieke van der Mark, Davis had two kills, three blocks and a dig.
            "We knew Pepperdine had good hitters, and (Davis) was probably the next-best blocker as a pin for us over there on the right side," McGuyre said. "You've got to remember, it's kind of a redshirt freshman out there, and the first start of her life is in the NCAA Tournament. I thought she did a solid job, and I know she's going to get better as the tournament goes on."
            Coleman, who subbed in late in the fourth set, assisted on a block in a closing 4-2 run and then had a block and a service ace in the fifth.
            "We know what to expect out of Andressa, Cassie, KJ (Johnson), Bri, and we don't miss a beat with them coming in," Pressley said. "It was awesome to see them succeed and just get out there and play Baylor volleyball."
            Pressley had four kills in Baylor's first five points and eight in the first set, helping the Bears take the first set, 25-21. Hitting .423 and .382 in the second and third sets, respectively, Pepperdine turned the match around and went up 2-1.
            "I think they only had 14, maybe 15 errors in those first three sets, and they had close to 100 swings," McGuyre said. "Just too many good things were happening when they were swinging hard."
            The Bears, who also got 13 kills from Lauren Harrison, turned it around late in the fourth set and then dominated the fifth with a strong defensive effort.
            "It was definitely a fight," Parise said. "It was just our energy. I feel like we should have stepped up earlier, but it's OK, we know we're going to fix that. it was just our energy, and that will come."
            Baylor will face former Big 12 rival Nebraska on Sunday at a time to be determined. The Cornhuskers hit a season-high .398 in sweeping Texas State, 3-0, behind Madi Kubik's match-high 13 kills.

THE RUNDOWN
OMAHA, Neb. – No. 11-ranked and 12th-seeded Baylor volleyball used a late comeback to survive an upset bid at the hands of No. 20 Pepperdine, 25-21, 22-25, 17-25, 27-25, 15-10, Thursday at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb.

With the win, the Bears (20-6) advance to the Regional Semifinals for just the third time in program history, where they'll take on No. 4-ranked and fifth-seeded Nebraska (15-2) on Sunday, April 18.

Baylor began the match in impressive fashion, hitting a clean .469 as a team without an error in the first set. Yossiana Pressley was rolling with nine kills on 15 swings while Lauren Harrison chipped in with three and Cassie Davis contributed two. BU's defense also added three blocks in the frame, taking momentum into the second set.

Pepperdine answered back, leading from wire-to-wire in the second with just four tie scores. The Waves hit .423 to Baylor's .375 and avoided the Bears block in evening the match. In the third, the Waves ran away as Baylor was tripped up on just a .185 efficiency. Kara McGhee was reliable out of the middle, collecting four kills on five swings, but Pepperdine snatched a 2-1 match lead.

BU found its sense of urgency in the fourth, rallying behind seven blocks and a combined 12 kills from Harrison and Pressley. Baylor led by as much as seven points in the set, but Pepperdine clawed back, holding off two set points to tie the score at 24-24. The teams traded a few points, but eventually two Waves errors gave the Bears the frame and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.

Andressa Parise sparked the Bears in the fifth with a pair of blocks, as the team came back from down 3-1. BU got up 6-4 with a kill from the Santa Catarina, Brazil native, but once again Pepperdine found its way back in to tie things at 8-8 and 9-9. That's when it all clicked for Baylor, as Bri Coleman notched a service ace following Hannah Sedwick's timely dump kill. McGhee then took over, recording two blocks and a kill in three of the last four points.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor improved to 11-8 all-time in the NCAA Championship, including an 8-4 record under sixth-year head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• Baylor is now 3-4 all-time in the NCAA Second Round.
• BU advanced to the Regional Semifinals for just the third time in program history.
• Baylor's 18 total blocks are a season-high.
• The Bears hit .326, their seventh outing above .300 this year.
• Yossiana Pressley led the Bears with 26 kills, a BU record for kills in a five-set NCAA Tournament match.
• Lauren Harrison notched 17 kills, her 18^th double-digit performance of the season and ninth in a row.
• Three players eclipsed double digits in assists in Hannah Sedwick (28), Callie Williams (17) and Shanel Bramschreiber (11).
• Bramschreiber recorded the first double-double of her career with 11 assists and 11 digs.
• Andressa Parise led the Bears with nine blocks in her first action since Nov. 20 vs. K-State.
• Cassie Davis made her first-career start and tallied two kills.

STAT OF THE MATCH
26 – Yossiana Pressley's total kills against the Waves, a program record for five-set matches in the NCAA Tournament.

TOP QUOTES
Head coach Ryan McGuyre
On today's match…
"Great fight from our team for sure. We're trying to get the execution to be at the level we're capable of and make it happen. We know that champions don't die easy and so as we move through this tournament, I'm proud of our girls' character. To overcome when you're not playing well, few athletes are in that percentage. I think we're growing, trying to get better through this tournament, but a great performance."

Senior Yossiana Pressley
On getting one match under the belt…
"Yeah, I will say it's kind of weird playing in a convention center. But, it was so awesome to have this new atmosphere and experience something that probably might not happen again. It was just awesome to be part of this and adjust, getting to see teams all the time [in the hotel] is cool and reminds me of club. I'm actually really excited about this atmosphere and playing right now."

Senior Andressa Parise
On stepping up in today's match…
"It's just awesome. It's my dream coming true right now, it's unbelievable. I'm just so happy to be part of this team. I'm always going to do my best, take care of my body and be here for the team. I'm so proud to be at Baylor. I'm so supported and I have everything I need to succeed here, that's what keeps me going."

WHAT'S NEXT
No. 11-ranked and 12^th-seeded Baylor (20-6) faces No. 4-ranked and fifth-seeded Nebraska in the Regional Semifinals on Sunday, April 18 at a time still to be determined.

-BaylorBears.com-