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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
         Not that he will get much sympathy from the coaching fraternity, but seventh-year Baylor volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre says his most difficult job this year will be managing a talented 23-player roster.
         "Because of the skill level, this is for sure our most talented team," said McGuyre, who opened his seventh year at Baylor with double-day workouts this week. "There will be matches where we have All-American-skilled athletes that can't all be on the court at the same time. Great situation to be in . . . I just feel blessed to have so many great athletes in the gym."
         Already returning a trio of All-Americans in Yossiana Pressley, Hannah Sedwick and Lauren Harrison, McGuyre added All-American outside hitter Avery Skinner off a national championship team at Kentucky. In a split 2020-21 season, the Bears finished 20-7, second in the Big 12 and made just the third NCAA region semifinal appearance in program history.
         "We're definitely pushing each other in a way we've never pushed each other before – emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually," said Pressley, a two-time first-team All-American and the AVCA National Player of the Year in 2019. "We are really trying to be on the same mindset and pushing each other, holding each other accountable and trying to win a national championship."
         On top of managing a massive roster, McGuyre has to figure out creative ways to get Pressley, Skinner and Harrison all on the court. All three play the outside hitter position, but could rotate over to the right side or somewhere else as needed.
         "It's just great to play alongside such a high-level player," said Skinner, a returning first-team All-American who hit .366 last season with 3.77 kills per set. "We each have our different strengths and different weaknesses. So, we can kind of feed off of each other and give each other feedbacks. I have so much respect for (Pressley) and feel blessed to be able to play with her."
         After winning a share of its first Big 12 championship and making a Final Four run in 2019, Baylor took a step back in a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeded 12^th, the Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Pepperdine before falling 3-0 to fourth-ranked and fifth-seeded Nebraska.
         "I think there's a really strong internal motivation this year," said senior Shanel Bramschreiber, the first player in program history to earn Big 12 Libero of the Year honors, "because we are really lucky to have the returning players like Yossi and Hannah and (bring in) Avery. This year, I think the team is really striving for success, especially for them."
         More than being motivated to get back to the Final Four, McGuyre is hopeful that "we have a motivation of permanence."
         "Whether we have super high highs or low lows, that this team genuinely does want to glorify the Lord, they really value the relationship with others," McGuyre said. "And if anything, our hearts are just really grateful and excited about being able to still play and play at a place like Baylor with great fans and great administration and just great people to work with."
         Being able to go three- and four-deep at every position, Bramschreiber said there is "so much talent and depth that it makes practice even more beneficial."
         "You always have some sort of competition on the other side of the net," she said, "it's going to be beneficial, even if it's a little untraditional."
         On top of a list of returners that includes Sedwick and Callie Williams at setter, right-side hitter Marieke van der Mark, defensive specialist Emily Van Slate and middle blockers Kara McGhee, Preslie Anderson and Andressa Parise, the Bears also have a talented freshman class.
         Middle blocker Elise McGhee, the younger sister of Kara McGhee, is "looking really, really good," McGuyre said. Defensive specialist Lauren Briseño, an early-enrollee freshman last January, got to train with the team in the spring and summer and has been "making great strides, doing things defensively and passing for us," McGuyre said.
         "The atmosphere in the gym is so competitive," said Skinner, the daughter of Baylor Hall of Famer Brian Skinner, who played 15 years in the NBA. "It's amazing to be able to play against anyone and know that I'm going up against the biggest block every time, the best servers every time. That just raises the level of how we're playing in the gym each and every day."
         Pressley, who joined Skinner as a unanimous selection on the Preseason All-Big 12 team, is coming off a summer that saw her train with the USA Volleyball Women's Collegiate National Team in Anaheim, Calif.
         "It definitely brought me out of my comfort zone," said Pressley, who got a look at right-side hitter during the June camp. "It allowed me to humble myself. Everybody was humbled in that moment because we're all good. It was just awesome to get there and play some top-level volleyball again."
         Picked second behind Texas in the Big 12 coaches' preseason poll, Baylor has a challenging 25-match schedule that includes four of last year's Elite Eight. The Bears will start things off with the Green & Gold Scrimmage at 3 p.m. Wednesday and will face a pair of top-5 teams in the season-opening Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Madison, Wis., playing Minnesota on Aug. 27 and Wisconsin on Aug. 28.
         "This, by far, is the toughest schedule we've had," McGuyre said. "Probably wasn't supposed to be as tough as it turned out to be, but you've got to play the best to be the best. You still win championships in December. . . . The goal is to be good when we start but great when we finish."

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Players Mentioned

Preslie Anderson

Shanel Bramschreiber

Lauren Briseño

Lauren Harrison

Elise McGhee

Kara McGhee

Andressa Parise

Yossiana Pressley

Hannah Sedwick

Avery Skinner

Marieke van der Mark

Emily Van Slate

Callie Williams

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