Wednesday, September 21
Waco, Texas
7 PM
Baylor
vs
TCU
No. 14 VB Hosts TCU for Big 12 Opener
9/20/2022 5:19:00 PM | Volleyball
Bears start conference slate at home with familiar foe
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Ryan McGuyre makes no bones about it, he will cheer for first-year TCU head coach Jason Williams every match . . . except two.
Williams, who spent seven years on McGuyre's staff at Baylor and helped lead the Bears to a Final Four appearance in 2019, will return to the Ferrell Center for the Big 12 opener. TCU (5-6), which has won four of its last six, will face 14th-ranked Baylor (10-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
"He's a phenomenal coach. He's a big reason why we were successful," McGuyre said of Williams. "I consider him a friend. For me, volleyball is just a small part of the big picture. I hope TCU plays the best volleyball they've ever played and challenges us and makes us better. . . . I hope we beat him twice, and he wins all the rest. Either way, I'm rooting for his success."
TCU also boasts other familiar faces in grad transfer setter Callie Williams, who spent the previous three years at Baylor; freshman libero Keagan Polk, who was part of the Bears' 2021 signing class; and volunteer assistant coach Preslie Anderson, a middle blocker for her final two seasons in Waco after transferring from Cal.
"I have a really close relationship with Callie and Preslie, especially, but Callie training me from the very beginning (at) right back defense for my freshman year," said sophomore libero Lauren Briseno, who was named the Best Defender of the Baylor Classic. "I think we are prepared for when they are across the net from us, but I think it's going to be fun."
Volleyball has been fun for the Bears, who have reeled off nine-straight wins since a 3-1 loss at Pepperdine three weeks ago. They have yet to drop even a set this season at the Ferrell Center and have won 25-consecutive sets.
"I think we definitely love playing at the Ferrell Center," said sophomore outside hitter Elise McGhee, who had 23 kills in the Baylor Classic. "We have our fans here, it's just a fun atmosphere. But, I also think we have the mentality that we're going to go out, no matter who we're playing or where we're playing, we're going to play our best and hopefully the outcome is what we want."
Playing without All-American outside hitter Lauren Harrison, who's still out with an injury, the Bears "were probably not as clean as we should have been this past weekend," McGuyre said.
"I think it took us awhile to adjust to her not being on the floor. You've got freshmen passing next to freshmen, and that's just an experience thing. We love our home crowd, we love being at home, and we'd love to maintain that 3-0 sweep rhythm, for sure."
Each of the last two seasons, Baylor's conference title hopes have been derailed with early losses. The Bears dropped a five-setter at Kansas in the 2020 opener, then lost 3-2 at home to Texas Tech, eventually costing them a share of the Big 12 championship.
A non-conference schedule that included three currently ranked teams – No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 8 Minnesota and 17th-ranked Pepperdine – has helped prepare Baylor for the grind of a double round-robin schedule in the Big 12.
"The non-conference matches really helped us recognize what we need to work on in practice," Briseno said, "whether that was defense off-blocker, getting out-of-system setting. I think it definitely showed us what we need to prepare for conference. We've been able to get into practice and really work on what we need to."
Led by Kara McGhee, who ranks third nationally with a Big 12-best 1.63 blocks per set, the Bears are third in the conference and 11th in the nation in blocks per set (2.82).
"Our length is definitely a big part of it," McGuyre said of a front wall that includes the 6-5 Kara McGhee and 6-3 Mallory Talbert at middle blocker, 6-4 Elise McGhee at outside and either 6-4 Riley Simpson or 6-4 Allie Sczech at right-side hitter.
"Allie Sczech has been almost a block per set. You normally see those numbers out of a middle, not a right side. Blocking for us is a mindset. You've got to make it a mindset. They're running to jump to hit, you're running to jump to stuff them. A lot of programs want to take away space or area. . . . We're really trying to be in your face, get in front of it."
Without Harrison in the lineup, Elise McGhee got the start at outside against Tulsa and responded with a career-high 12 kills. Kara McGhee, who was named the tournament MVP, had 12 kills and four blocks.
"Kara is my best friend," Elise said of her older sister. "I live with Kara, so we are always together. To have that bond on the court as well as off the court is so much fun. She's my biggest fan. She is the person I can always go to just for a smile."
When McGuyre told them after the match that they had tied with 12 kills, Elise said, "Dang, one more kill, and I could have beat you."
"But, it's fine. It's definitely friendly competition, always with her, and I love playing with her," she said.
TCU has Power 5 wins over Indiana and Alabama, but is coming off a 3-1 loss to Texas State in the final game of the Horned Frog Invitational. Redshirt junior middle blocker Madilyn Cole was named the Best Defender and was joined on the all-tournament team by outside hitters Julia Adams and Zoe Hall.
McGuyre said Jason Williams "has the advantage" because he coached Kara McGhee for three years and "he's been on the recruiting trail with the young ones we looked at and identified" in a signing class that was ranked a program-best No. 4 in the country.
"He should know us better than we know them, because he's been in this gym. I have not been in their gym," McGuyre said. "We definitely know the players and they return a lot, so they've got firepower and pieces and arms.
"We definitely cannot use the same hand signals and verbal calls. Or, maybe we'll use them and they'll mean something different."
WACO, Texas – The No. 14 Baylor volleyball program is ready to kick off Big 12 Conference play with TCU at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in the Ferrell Center.
The Bears (10-2) will square off with the Horned Frogs (5-6) to start conference play for both teams. This will be the 29th all-time meeting between the programs, with Baylor leading the series, 21-7. BU has won the last 10 matches, with TCU's last win being in Fort Worth on Nov. 16, 2016.
Baylor has won nine straight overall and its last 12 matches in the Ferrell Center, the most recent being the three matches with Tulsa, Sam Houston and McNeese in the Baylor Classic. Heading into Wednesday, the Bears are looking to extend their streak of 25-straight sets won and eight-consecutive sweeps. Head coach Ryan McGuyre is looking for his 500th career win, amassing 164 so far in his tenure in Waco and 499 across Baylor, Biola and Cal Baptist.
The Horned Frogs are coming to Waco still feeling the sting of a 3-1 loss to Texas State in the Horned Frog Invitational. Head coach Jason Williams is in his first year with TCU after spending seven seasons as a part of Baylor's staff, most recently as the associate head coach to McGuyre. In addition to it being Williams' homecoming, Baylor alumni Callie Williams and Preslie Anderson return to the Ferrell Center for the first time since graduating in May of 2022. Williams is exercising her fifth year, playing for her father, while Anderson is serving as the Frogs volunteer assistant coach.
Under McGuyre, the Bears are 4-3 in Big 12 openers and 5-2 in the opener at home. The all-time conference record under McGuyre is 80-32, while BU is 206-270 across program history against Big 12 opponents.
The conference opener for all Baylor sports this season will be the Go Gold match. Fans are encouraged to wear gold apparel to root on the Bears, which can be purchased at the Baylor Bookstore or online here. While supplies last, fans can grab free gold "Beat TCU" buttons, gold t-shirts and gold rally towels as they enter the match.
A new feature available to fans is the Baylor Bold Rewards punch card, where fans can be entered into a special sweepstakes and earn bonus points for attending multiple events. This week, fans who check in at both the TCU match and the soccer match against Oklahoma will receive 20 bonus points and can enter into a raffle for an on-field photo experience for the football game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 1.
To follow along at home, fans can tune into ESPN+, where "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Smith will provide live coverage of the match.
Single-match tickets for Baylor volleyball can be purchased online at https://baylorbea.rs/VBSingleGm.
A full recap and final stats can be found on BaylorBears.com after the conclusion of the match.
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
-BaylorBears-
Baylor Bear Insider
Ryan McGuyre makes no bones about it, he will cheer for first-year TCU head coach Jason Williams every match . . . except two.
Williams, who spent seven years on McGuyre's staff at Baylor and helped lead the Bears to a Final Four appearance in 2019, will return to the Ferrell Center for the Big 12 opener. TCU (5-6), which has won four of its last six, will face 14th-ranked Baylor (10-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
"He's a phenomenal coach. He's a big reason why we were successful," McGuyre said of Williams. "I consider him a friend. For me, volleyball is just a small part of the big picture. I hope TCU plays the best volleyball they've ever played and challenges us and makes us better. . . . I hope we beat him twice, and he wins all the rest. Either way, I'm rooting for his success."
TCU also boasts other familiar faces in grad transfer setter Callie Williams, who spent the previous three years at Baylor; freshman libero Keagan Polk, who was part of the Bears' 2021 signing class; and volunteer assistant coach Preslie Anderson, a middle blocker for her final two seasons in Waco after transferring from Cal.
"I have a really close relationship with Callie and Preslie, especially, but Callie training me from the very beginning (at) right back defense for my freshman year," said sophomore libero Lauren Briseno, who was named the Best Defender of the Baylor Classic. "I think we are prepared for when they are across the net from us, but I think it's going to be fun."
Volleyball has been fun for the Bears, who have reeled off nine-straight wins since a 3-1 loss at Pepperdine three weeks ago. They have yet to drop even a set this season at the Ferrell Center and have won 25-consecutive sets.
"I think we definitely love playing at the Ferrell Center," said sophomore outside hitter Elise McGhee, who had 23 kills in the Baylor Classic. "We have our fans here, it's just a fun atmosphere. But, I also think we have the mentality that we're going to go out, no matter who we're playing or where we're playing, we're going to play our best and hopefully the outcome is what we want."
Playing without All-American outside hitter Lauren Harrison, who's still out with an injury, the Bears "were probably not as clean as we should have been this past weekend," McGuyre said.
"I think it took us awhile to adjust to her not being on the floor. You've got freshmen passing next to freshmen, and that's just an experience thing. We love our home crowd, we love being at home, and we'd love to maintain that 3-0 sweep rhythm, for sure."
Each of the last two seasons, Baylor's conference title hopes have been derailed with early losses. The Bears dropped a five-setter at Kansas in the 2020 opener, then lost 3-2 at home to Texas Tech, eventually costing them a share of the Big 12 championship.
A non-conference schedule that included three currently ranked teams – No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 8 Minnesota and 17th-ranked Pepperdine – has helped prepare Baylor for the grind of a double round-robin schedule in the Big 12.
"The non-conference matches really helped us recognize what we need to work on in practice," Briseno said, "whether that was defense off-blocker, getting out-of-system setting. I think it definitely showed us what we need to prepare for conference. We've been able to get into practice and really work on what we need to."
Led by Kara McGhee, who ranks third nationally with a Big 12-best 1.63 blocks per set, the Bears are third in the conference and 11th in the nation in blocks per set (2.82).
"Our length is definitely a big part of it," McGuyre said of a front wall that includes the 6-5 Kara McGhee and 6-3 Mallory Talbert at middle blocker, 6-4 Elise McGhee at outside and either 6-4 Riley Simpson or 6-4 Allie Sczech at right-side hitter.
"Allie Sczech has been almost a block per set. You normally see those numbers out of a middle, not a right side. Blocking for us is a mindset. You've got to make it a mindset. They're running to jump to hit, you're running to jump to stuff them. A lot of programs want to take away space or area. . . . We're really trying to be in your face, get in front of it."
Without Harrison in the lineup, Elise McGhee got the start at outside against Tulsa and responded with a career-high 12 kills. Kara McGhee, who was named the tournament MVP, had 12 kills and four blocks.
"Kara is my best friend," Elise said of her older sister. "I live with Kara, so we are always together. To have that bond on the court as well as off the court is so much fun. She's my biggest fan. She is the person I can always go to just for a smile."
When McGuyre told them after the match that they had tied with 12 kills, Elise said, "Dang, one more kill, and I could have beat you."
"But, it's fine. It's definitely friendly competition, always with her, and I love playing with her," she said.
TCU has Power 5 wins over Indiana and Alabama, but is coming off a 3-1 loss to Texas State in the final game of the Horned Frog Invitational. Redshirt junior middle blocker Madilyn Cole was named the Best Defender and was joined on the all-tournament team by outside hitters Julia Adams and Zoe Hall.
McGuyre said Jason Williams "has the advantage" because he coached Kara McGhee for three years and "he's been on the recruiting trail with the young ones we looked at and identified" in a signing class that was ranked a program-best No. 4 in the country.
"He should know us better than we know them, because he's been in this gym. I have not been in their gym," McGuyre said. "We definitely know the players and they return a lot, so they've got firepower and pieces and arms.
"We definitely cannot use the same hand signals and verbal calls. Or, maybe we'll use them and they'll mean something different."
WACO, Texas – The No. 14 Baylor volleyball program is ready to kick off Big 12 Conference play with TCU at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in the Ferrell Center.
The Bears (10-2) will square off with the Horned Frogs (5-6) to start conference play for both teams. This will be the 29th all-time meeting between the programs, with Baylor leading the series, 21-7. BU has won the last 10 matches, with TCU's last win being in Fort Worth on Nov. 16, 2016.
Baylor has won nine straight overall and its last 12 matches in the Ferrell Center, the most recent being the three matches with Tulsa, Sam Houston and McNeese in the Baylor Classic. Heading into Wednesday, the Bears are looking to extend their streak of 25-straight sets won and eight-consecutive sweeps. Head coach Ryan McGuyre is looking for his 500th career win, amassing 164 so far in his tenure in Waco and 499 across Baylor, Biola and Cal Baptist.
The Horned Frogs are coming to Waco still feeling the sting of a 3-1 loss to Texas State in the Horned Frog Invitational. Head coach Jason Williams is in his first year with TCU after spending seven seasons as a part of Baylor's staff, most recently as the associate head coach to McGuyre. In addition to it being Williams' homecoming, Baylor alumni Callie Williams and Preslie Anderson return to the Ferrell Center for the first time since graduating in May of 2022. Williams is exercising her fifth year, playing for her father, while Anderson is serving as the Frogs volunteer assistant coach.
Under McGuyre, the Bears are 4-3 in Big 12 openers and 5-2 in the opener at home. The all-time conference record under McGuyre is 80-32, while BU is 206-270 across program history against Big 12 opponents.
The conference opener for all Baylor sports this season will be the Go Gold match. Fans are encouraged to wear gold apparel to root on the Bears, which can be purchased at the Baylor Bookstore or online here. While supplies last, fans can grab free gold "Beat TCU" buttons, gold t-shirts and gold rally towels as they enter the match.
A new feature available to fans is the Baylor Bold Rewards punch card, where fans can be entered into a special sweepstakes and earn bonus points for attending multiple events. This week, fans who check in at both the TCU match and the soccer match against Oklahoma will receive 20 bonus points and can enter into a raffle for an on-field photo experience for the football game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 1.
To follow along at home, fans can tune into ESPN+, where "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Smith will provide live coverage of the match.
Single-match tickets for Baylor volleyball can be purchased online at https://baylorbea.rs/VBSingleGm.
A full recap and final stats can be found on BaylorBears.com after the conclusion of the match.
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
-BaylorBears-
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