Wednesday, November 1
Waco, Texas
7PM
Baylor
vs
Oklahoma
No. 21 VB Hosts Midweek with Oklahoma
10/31/2023 4:42:00 PM | Volleyball
Match will end conference series with OU
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
With an eye on finishing strong enough to be one of the 16 hosts for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the 21st-ranked Baylor volleyball team (12-9, 6-5) will host Oklahoma (9-12, 2-9) in their final matchup as Big 12 rivals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
Other than a back-to-back series with TCU next weekend, the Bears will close with single matches against five other league opponents, including No. 14 Kansas (16-4, 7-3) on the road and No. 22 Houston (12-7, 5-5) in the regular-season finale on Nov. 22 at home.
"Everything matters, because you've only got one shot at it," said coach Ryan McGuyre, whose team took No. 4 Texas to five sets before getting swept the next night. "I think the preparation, getting ready, the execution, we've done much better at that as a team. It's the adjustments within the games is where we're trying to get better, to be a little bit swifter"
In the single matches, McGuyre said there is a "little bit of a shift of like, 'Hey, this is our most important match.'''
"Should be that way all the time," he said, "but it's just one-and-done. If we want to beat this team, we've got to do it now because we don't get another shot."
In the six matches that freshman outside hitter Kyndal Stowers has missed with a head injury, junior Elise McGhee has stepped up to average 15.8 kills per match and 4.1 per set, hitting at a .228 clip.
"Kyndal is amazing," said McGhee, who was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after the Bears' sweep of then-No. 24 UCF. "She's a freshman, and she came in and has just killed it the whole way. When she's out, it's like, 'How can I contribute to the team and make sure that we're also terminal?' And even though we don't have her back row anymore, let's be terminal and get through the rotation."
McGuyre has seen other players like freshman Tehani Ulufatu, sophomore Sophia Keene and redshirt sophomore Riley Simpson step up in Stowers' absence.
"The whole team loves playing with Tehani," he said. "She has not taken a day off in the gym and just has a childlike joy and enthusiasm. She's like Manuela (Bibinbe's) cousin. They both are the same person, just play with great energy and youthfulness and are fun to be around.
"Four kills per set is where Stowers was, which is a lot for a freshman. We're trying to get 15 kills per set, and I think we've probably divided that up a little bit. Elise has jumped up in her kills per set as well. So, it's fun to see them step up that way because of how hard they've worked, for sure."
Oklahoma, led by first-year head coach Aaron Mansfield, has won two of its last four league matches after an 0-7 start. The Sooners are coming off a 3-0 sweep on the road at Iowa State. Aaron's brother, Jason Mansfield, is leading a Kansas State team that is in the top half of the league at 13-8 overall and 7-5 in conference.
"(They) are California guys that make me feel old," McGuyre said of the Marshall brothers, "because they were playing (at UC Santa Barbara) when I was coaching against them way back in the day on the men's side. I think when you come from the men's game, all their hitters – definitely their outsides – are really long and they're just swinging. They're not afraid to get blocked. So, our blocks have got to be relevant right away for us."
Baylor goes back on the road to face Texas Tech (8-15, 1-10) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock.
Wednesday's match will be streamed by Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Kyle Youmans and former Baylor volleyball standout Katie Smith calling the action.
WACO, Texas – The 21st-ranked Baylor volleyball team is ready to host Oklahoma on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT at the Ferrell Center.
BU (12-9, 6-5 Big 12) will face the Sooners (9-12, 2-9 Big 12) for the final time as conference opponents in the midweek matchup.
Baylor is coming off two losses against then-No. 5 Texas, taking the Longhorns to five sets in the first match but falling in three in the second. The Bears were led in kills by junior outside hitter Elise McGhee for both matches, with redshirt sophomore Riley Simpson collecting the second-most on the team. Both have been consistently finishing matches with double-digit kills for the Bears.
Oklahoma is coming off a sweep of Iowa State on the road to face Baylor. The Sooners are coached by Aaron Mansfield, who is in his first season with OU. He and his brother, first-year Kansas State head coach Jason Mansfield, both played at UC Santa Barbara, where BU head coach Ryan McGuyre coached against them while at Cal Baptist. OU leads the all-time series with BU, but the Bears are on a 12-match winning streak against the Sooners. The record in the Ferrell Center between the teams is tied at 16 apiece.
Wednesday's match is Foster Care Awareness night and pizza will be given to the first 100 student fans at the match.
The match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Kyle Youmans and Katie Smith on the call. Links to watch the match as well as view the live stats can be found at linktr.ee/baylorvball.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
- BaylorBears.com -
Baylor Bear Insider
With an eye on finishing strong enough to be one of the 16 hosts for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the 21st-ranked Baylor volleyball team (12-9, 6-5) will host Oklahoma (9-12, 2-9) in their final matchup as Big 12 rivals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
Other than a back-to-back series with TCU next weekend, the Bears will close with single matches against five other league opponents, including No. 14 Kansas (16-4, 7-3) on the road and No. 22 Houston (12-7, 5-5) in the regular-season finale on Nov. 22 at home.
"Everything matters, because you've only got one shot at it," said coach Ryan McGuyre, whose team took No. 4 Texas to five sets before getting swept the next night. "I think the preparation, getting ready, the execution, we've done much better at that as a team. It's the adjustments within the games is where we're trying to get better, to be a little bit swifter"
In the single matches, McGuyre said there is a "little bit of a shift of like, 'Hey, this is our most important match.'''
"Should be that way all the time," he said, "but it's just one-and-done. If we want to beat this team, we've got to do it now because we don't get another shot."
In the six matches that freshman outside hitter Kyndal Stowers has missed with a head injury, junior Elise McGhee has stepped up to average 15.8 kills per match and 4.1 per set, hitting at a .228 clip.
"Kyndal is amazing," said McGhee, who was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after the Bears' sweep of then-No. 24 UCF. "She's a freshman, and she came in and has just killed it the whole way. When she's out, it's like, 'How can I contribute to the team and make sure that we're also terminal?' And even though we don't have her back row anymore, let's be terminal and get through the rotation."
McGuyre has seen other players like freshman Tehani Ulufatu, sophomore Sophia Keene and redshirt sophomore Riley Simpson step up in Stowers' absence.
"The whole team loves playing with Tehani," he said. "She has not taken a day off in the gym and just has a childlike joy and enthusiasm. She's like Manuela (Bibinbe's) cousin. They both are the same person, just play with great energy and youthfulness and are fun to be around.
"Four kills per set is where Stowers was, which is a lot for a freshman. We're trying to get 15 kills per set, and I think we've probably divided that up a little bit. Elise has jumped up in her kills per set as well. So, it's fun to see them step up that way because of how hard they've worked, for sure."
Oklahoma, led by first-year head coach Aaron Mansfield, has won two of its last four league matches after an 0-7 start. The Sooners are coming off a 3-0 sweep on the road at Iowa State. Aaron's brother, Jason Mansfield, is leading a Kansas State team that is in the top half of the league at 13-8 overall and 7-5 in conference.
"(They) are California guys that make me feel old," McGuyre said of the Marshall brothers, "because they were playing (at UC Santa Barbara) when I was coaching against them way back in the day on the men's side. I think when you come from the men's game, all their hitters – definitely their outsides – are really long and they're just swinging. They're not afraid to get blocked. So, our blocks have got to be relevant right away for us."
Baylor goes back on the road to face Texas Tech (8-15, 1-10) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock.
Wednesday's match will be streamed by Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Kyle Youmans and former Baylor volleyball standout Katie Smith calling the action.
WACO, Texas – The 21st-ranked Baylor volleyball team is ready to host Oklahoma on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT at the Ferrell Center.
BU (12-9, 6-5 Big 12) will face the Sooners (9-12, 2-9 Big 12) for the final time as conference opponents in the midweek matchup.
Baylor is coming off two losses against then-No. 5 Texas, taking the Longhorns to five sets in the first match but falling in three in the second. The Bears were led in kills by junior outside hitter Elise McGhee for both matches, with redshirt sophomore Riley Simpson collecting the second-most on the team. Both have been consistently finishing matches with double-digit kills for the Bears.
Oklahoma is coming off a sweep of Iowa State on the road to face Baylor. The Sooners are coached by Aaron Mansfield, who is in his first season with OU. He and his brother, first-year Kansas State head coach Jason Mansfield, both played at UC Santa Barbara, where BU head coach Ryan McGuyre coached against them while at Cal Baptist. OU leads the all-time series with BU, but the Bears are on a 12-match winning streak against the Sooners. The record in the Ferrell Center between the teams is tied at 16 apiece.
Wednesday's match is Foster Care Awareness night and pizza will be given to the first 100 student fans at the match.
The match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Kyle Youmans and Katie Smith on the call. Links to watch the match as well as view the live stats can be found at linktr.ee/baylorvball.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballHandled business in H-Town 💼
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