Wednesday, September 28
Ames, Iowa
8 PM
Baylor
at
Iowa State
Photo by: Marshal Tompkins
No. 13 VB Starts Road Swing at Iowa State
9/27/2022 4:50:00 PM | Volleyball
Bears face Cyclones before continuing on to Kansas
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Since the post-apocalyptic movie, "The Road Warrior," came out 20 years before most of the players were even born, Mel Gibson's character of "Mad" Max Rockatansky might fall on deaf ears for the 13th-ranked Baylor volleyball team.
But, Ryan McGuyre wants the Bears (11-2, 1-0) to be "road warriors" as they begin a two-match road swing against Iowa State (8-6, 0-1) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Baylor will stay on the road to play Kansas (11-3, 1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lawrence.
"This is a big test, because it's only our second true road match," said McGuyre, whose team is riding a 10-match winning streak, with the last eight coming at home. "We were at a neutral site with Minnesota and Wisconsin, and then I feel that we did not perform well at Pepperdine (3-1 loss) in the one true road match. We were way too passive and not assertive."
The Bears are coming off a 3-1 conference-opening win at home over TCU and former Baylor assistant Jason Williams. McGuyre picked up his 500th win as a collegiate women's volleyball head coach.
"I probably won't remember the match down the road, but at 500, it would be like, 'Hey, that came at the end of a great phase and run,' coming to Baylor," McGuyre said. "It kind of set the stage for the next run with this fresh team."
After graduating 11 seniors, the Bears are relying heavily on a freshman class that was ranked No. 4 nationally. Averi Carlson is the starting setter and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 10.4 assists per set, right-side hitter Allie Szcech was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week after a 12-kill, six-block performance against TCU and Alexis Dacosta and Sophia Keene have shone in the back row.
"I'm used to being an all-around player," said Dacosta, an outside hitter from Katy, Texas, who was rated the No. 5 recruit nationally. "So, coming into it just playing back row now, it's been a very different experience for me. But, it's something that I really enjoy and I have a lot of help from the coaches and my teammates."
With senior outside hitter Lauren Harrison missing the last four matches with an injury, the Bears have leaned even more on veteran middle blockers Kara McGhee and Mallory Talbert. McGhee is third nationally with 1.60 blocks per game and fourth in the Big 12 with a .426 hitting percentage, while Talbert is averaging just over a block and a kill per set with a league-best .447 attack percentage.
Dacosta, who is third on the team with 71 digs, said she will be a "little nervous" in the Bears' first conference road match. But, going through the spring as early-enrollees helped her and Keene.
"I remember our first spring game, we were praying, and our hands were so sweaty," she said. "We were so nervous. Now, we're definitely more into it."
Keene, who's had 72 digs and six service aces, said the spring matches were "definitely more nerve-wracking because we weren't used to it. But, doing that, we were more calm coming into the season."
Iowa State has made the NCAA Tournament 14 times in the last 16 years and was picked to finish third in the Big 12 in the coaches' preseason poll. But, the Cyclones are coming off a 3-1 loss on the road at TCU.
With senior outside hitter Annie Hatch sidelined, senior right-side hitter Eleanor Holthhaus has led the Cyclones with 3.02 kills per set. Undersized freshman Maya Duckworth and Clemson transfer Solei Thomas are averaging 2.6 and 2.1 kills, respectively, while Kelsey Perry and Alexis Engelbrecht rank among the top 10 blockers in the league.
"They've got some high-flying pins," McGuyre said. "Duckworth is perhaps a little undersized (5-8), but a great leaper out there. So, they've got live arms, they're really athletic and they always play great defense."
Baylor leads the all-time series, 30-24, with a 16-9 edge in Hilton Coliseum. Wednesday's match will be broadcast by ESPN2, with Katie George and Courtney Lyle calling the action.
WACO, Texas – The 13th-ranked Baylor volleyball program is hitting the road to take on the Iowa State Cyclones (8-6, 0-1) at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Taking a week off after their Big-12 opener against TCU, the Bears are rested and ready, looking to extend their 10-game win streak that started with a 3-1 victory over San Diego State in the Pepperdine Asics Classic (Sept. 2).
BU leads the all-time series with the Cyclones, 30-24, with a 16-9 record in Hilton Coliseum.
Sophomore libero Lauren Briseño served up six aces against TCU, the last Bear to have six in a match being 2022 Baylor Hall of Fame inductee Taylor Barnes Fallon against Texas Tech on Oct. 31, 2009 in the Ferrell Center. Defensively, Kara McGhee, Mallory Talbert and Allie Sczech are each averaging at least one block per set.
The Bears opened up conference play with a 3-1 win over the Frogs, who are led by former Baylor associate head coach Jason Williams. Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre picked up his 500th win as a women's head coach in a homecoming match for Williams, who was part of 154 of those wins in the previous seven seasons on the BU staff.
McGuyre is now just 17 wins away from becoming the winningest Baylor volleyball coach with 182 overall. He currently sits at 165 going into the Iowa State match.
Iowa State is back home after falling 3-1 to TCU in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs were able to win a scrappy match against the Cyclones, who took the first set 26-24 but dropped the following three, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19.
Wednesday's match will be broadcast on ESPN2, with Katie George and Courtney Lyle on the call. Live stats can be found on BaylorBears.com/stats.
A full recap and final stats will be available 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.com-
Baylor Bear Insider
Since the post-apocalyptic movie, "The Road Warrior," came out 20 years before most of the players were even born, Mel Gibson's character of "Mad" Max Rockatansky might fall on deaf ears for the 13th-ranked Baylor volleyball team.
But, Ryan McGuyre wants the Bears (11-2, 1-0) to be "road warriors" as they begin a two-match road swing against Iowa State (8-6, 0-1) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Baylor will stay on the road to play Kansas (11-3, 1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lawrence.
"This is a big test, because it's only our second true road match," said McGuyre, whose team is riding a 10-match winning streak, with the last eight coming at home. "We were at a neutral site with Minnesota and Wisconsin, and then I feel that we did not perform well at Pepperdine (3-1 loss) in the one true road match. We were way too passive and not assertive."
The Bears are coming off a 3-1 conference-opening win at home over TCU and former Baylor assistant Jason Williams. McGuyre picked up his 500th win as a collegiate women's volleyball head coach.
"I probably won't remember the match down the road, but at 500, it would be like, 'Hey, that came at the end of a great phase and run,' coming to Baylor," McGuyre said. "It kind of set the stage for the next run with this fresh team."
After graduating 11 seniors, the Bears are relying heavily on a freshman class that was ranked No. 4 nationally. Averi Carlson is the starting setter and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 10.4 assists per set, right-side hitter Allie Szcech was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week after a 12-kill, six-block performance against TCU and Alexis Dacosta and Sophia Keene have shone in the back row.
"I'm used to being an all-around player," said Dacosta, an outside hitter from Katy, Texas, who was rated the No. 5 recruit nationally. "So, coming into it just playing back row now, it's been a very different experience for me. But, it's something that I really enjoy and I have a lot of help from the coaches and my teammates."
With senior outside hitter Lauren Harrison missing the last four matches with an injury, the Bears have leaned even more on veteran middle blockers Kara McGhee and Mallory Talbert. McGhee is third nationally with 1.60 blocks per game and fourth in the Big 12 with a .426 hitting percentage, while Talbert is averaging just over a block and a kill per set with a league-best .447 attack percentage.
Dacosta, who is third on the team with 71 digs, said she will be a "little nervous" in the Bears' first conference road match. But, going through the spring as early-enrollees helped her and Keene.
"I remember our first spring game, we were praying, and our hands were so sweaty," she said. "We were so nervous. Now, we're definitely more into it."
Keene, who's had 72 digs and six service aces, said the spring matches were "definitely more nerve-wracking because we weren't used to it. But, doing that, we were more calm coming into the season."
Iowa State has made the NCAA Tournament 14 times in the last 16 years and was picked to finish third in the Big 12 in the coaches' preseason poll. But, the Cyclones are coming off a 3-1 loss on the road at TCU.
With senior outside hitter Annie Hatch sidelined, senior right-side hitter Eleanor Holthhaus has led the Cyclones with 3.02 kills per set. Undersized freshman Maya Duckworth and Clemson transfer Solei Thomas are averaging 2.6 and 2.1 kills, respectively, while Kelsey Perry and Alexis Engelbrecht rank among the top 10 blockers in the league.
"They've got some high-flying pins," McGuyre said. "Duckworth is perhaps a little undersized (5-8), but a great leaper out there. So, they've got live arms, they're really athletic and they always play great defense."
Baylor leads the all-time series, 30-24, with a 16-9 edge in Hilton Coliseum. Wednesday's match will be broadcast by ESPN2, with Katie George and Courtney Lyle calling the action.
WACO, Texas – The 13th-ranked Baylor volleyball program is hitting the road to take on the Iowa State Cyclones (8-6, 0-1) at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Taking a week off after their Big-12 opener against TCU, the Bears are rested and ready, looking to extend their 10-game win streak that started with a 3-1 victory over San Diego State in the Pepperdine Asics Classic (Sept. 2).
BU leads the all-time series with the Cyclones, 30-24, with a 16-9 record in Hilton Coliseum.
Sophomore libero Lauren Briseño served up six aces against TCU, the last Bear to have six in a match being 2022 Baylor Hall of Fame inductee Taylor Barnes Fallon against Texas Tech on Oct. 31, 2009 in the Ferrell Center. Defensively, Kara McGhee, Mallory Talbert and Allie Sczech are each averaging at least one block per set.
The Bears opened up conference play with a 3-1 win over the Frogs, who are led by former Baylor associate head coach Jason Williams. Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre picked up his 500th win as a women's head coach in a homecoming match for Williams, who was part of 154 of those wins in the previous seven seasons on the BU staff.
McGuyre is now just 17 wins away from becoming the winningest Baylor volleyball coach with 182 overall. He currently sits at 165 going into the Iowa State match.
Iowa State is back home after falling 3-1 to TCU in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs were able to win a scrappy match against the Cyclones, who took the first set 26-24 but dropped the following three, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19.
Wednesday's match will be broadcast on ESPN2, with Katie George and Courtney Lyle on the call. Live stats can be found on BaylorBears.com/stats.
A full recap and final stats will be available 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.com-
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