Wednesday, November 22
Waco, Texas
6PM
Baylor
vs
Houston
Photo by: ยฉCarter Pirtle
No. 25 VB Finishes Regular Season Hosting No. 22 Houston
11/21/2023 5:24:00โฏPM | Volleyball
Bears to face 12th ranked opponent of the season on Wednesday
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
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With double-digit kills in 12 of the last 13 matches, Baylor junior outside hitter Elise McGhee has taken her game to "an All-American level" in the second half of the season, averaging 4.14 kills per set and hitting at a .277 clip.
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"We look at her starting the year inexperienced," said Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre, whose 25th-ranked Bears (15-12, 9-8) will close out the regular season with a matchup against No. 22 Houston (17-8, 10-6) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center. "I think she's playing like an experienced player and just understanding what scores and what doesn't score. She plays with a great IQ."
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McGhee's surge has coincided with freshman Kyndal Stowers being sidelined by a head injury. Stowers was averaging 3.84 kills per set and ranked among the Big 12 leaders when she suffered the injury in an Oct. 5 match at home versus Kansas State.
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McGuyre said other players like freshmen Kendal Murphy and Tehani Ulufatu, redshirt sophomore Riley Simpson and middle blockers Manuela Bibinbe and Alicia Andrews have also stepped up in helping the Bears win eight of their last 13 matches and stay in the AVCA rankings.
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"I think Alexis (Dacosta) is digging well for us, but our serve receive has really helped us be in every battle, every fight," McGuyre said. "If our serve receive was not at the high level that it has been, then we'd be struggling even more. With Stowers out, that was something I was worried about, and everyone has kind of stepped up."
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Baylor has found its offensive rhythm in the last two matches, hitting a combined .358 with 88 kills and just 19 errors. But the defense has been an issue, with only six combined blocks in a 3-0 loss at Kansas and Saturday's 3-0 sweep of West Virginia.
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"The defense just has to show up. I think that's just the consistent part of it," McGuyre said. "The answer is just that players have got to make some uncomfortable changes and stack together better days of doing it right. Blocking, as we say all the time, is personal. . . . Anticipate what's coming and get in front of it. I think it's increasing the violent mentality and being more uncomfortable with the changes they've got to make."
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Ending a three-game losing streak, the Bears hit .493 in Saturday's sweep of West Virginia while holding the Mountaineers to a .097 hitting percentage. The 11 points WVU scored in the first set was the fewest Baylor has allowed in a set this season.
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"I think we definitely went into that game knowing that we had to play really well, considering how we had performed at Kansas," said McGhee, who had a match-high 13 kills. "Obviously, there's always room for improvement. But I feel like showing up and then sweeping West Virginia was a good way to prove, 'Okay, we need to have some rhythm going into Houston.' Just kind of building off that game."
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After a 2-5 start in conference, league newcomer Houston strung together eight-straight wins before losing a five-setter to Iowa State last Friday, falling 16-14 in the final set. Abbie Jackson leads the Cougars and ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 3.57 kills per set.
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The Bears are 4-7 against ranked opponents this season, including 2-4 in league play, and have played their most ranked foes since 1998 (13).
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"We know they're a heavy pin team," McGhee said. "So, we know we need to block well and defend well, and then also having great serves so they can't run their middles. I feel like just being able to annihilate is always important. So, having good offense, but also blocks and digs from middles, too."
ย
Wednesday's match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose and former Baylor volleyball standout Braya Hunt Choquette calling the action.
WACO, Texas โย The 25th-ranked Baylor volleyball team hosts No. 22 Houston on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Ferrell Center for the regular season finale.
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BU (15-12, 9-8 Big 12) will play its 12thย ranked matchup of the season against UH (17-8, 10-6 Big 12), the most ranked opponents the Bears have faced in a single season since 1998 (13).ย
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The Bears look to get their ninth home win of the season against the Coogs, having swept West Virginia at the Ferrell on Saturday, 3-0. Baylor was led by Elise McGhee in the match with 13 kills, her fourth match in a row getting double-digit kills. Averi Carlson led the team in assists, aces and tied with Lauren Briseño in digs. Freshman Kendal Murphy had a career-high in kills against WVU with nine, her second match in a row to break her previous high.ย
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Both Briseño and Carlson are on the quest for their 70thย career ace, Carlson having served up 63 while Briseño has 62. As McGhee continues to rake in kills, she is only 53 away from the 700thย of her career. Carlson is just outside the top-10 for Baylor's career history for assists, needing 118 to crack that list.
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Houston will be coming to Waco for the first time as a Big 12 opponent. The last time the teams met was in the 2020-21 season in March on UH's home court. The Coogs are coming off a five-set loss to Iowa State to face the Bears, their first road match since November 10. UH is led by Abbie Jackson in kills, while Annie Cooke leads in assists. Defensively, Kate Georgiades leads in digs and Kellen Morin leads in blocks. The loss against ISU stopped an eight-match winning streak for Houston dating back to October 20th.ย
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Wednesday's match will be "Thanksgiving at the Ferrell" with raffle items such as a Baylor blanket, tumbler, tablet and other goodies up for grabs.
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The match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose and Baylor volleyball alumna Braya Hunt Choquette on the call. Links to watch the match, as well as view the live stats, can be found at linktr.ee/baylorvball.
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To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
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Baylor Bear Insider
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With double-digit kills in 12 of the last 13 matches, Baylor junior outside hitter Elise McGhee has taken her game to "an All-American level" in the second half of the season, averaging 4.14 kills per set and hitting at a .277 clip.
ย
"We look at her starting the year inexperienced," said Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre, whose 25th-ranked Bears (15-12, 9-8) will close out the regular season with a matchup against No. 22 Houston (17-8, 10-6) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center. "I think she's playing like an experienced player and just understanding what scores and what doesn't score. She plays with a great IQ."
ย
McGhee's surge has coincided with freshman Kyndal Stowers being sidelined by a head injury. Stowers was averaging 3.84 kills per set and ranked among the Big 12 leaders when she suffered the injury in an Oct. 5 match at home versus Kansas State.
ย
McGuyre said other players like freshmen Kendal Murphy and Tehani Ulufatu, redshirt sophomore Riley Simpson and middle blockers Manuela Bibinbe and Alicia Andrews have also stepped up in helping the Bears win eight of their last 13 matches and stay in the AVCA rankings.
ย
"I think Alexis (Dacosta) is digging well for us, but our serve receive has really helped us be in every battle, every fight," McGuyre said. "If our serve receive was not at the high level that it has been, then we'd be struggling even more. With Stowers out, that was something I was worried about, and everyone has kind of stepped up."
ย
Baylor has found its offensive rhythm in the last two matches, hitting a combined .358 with 88 kills and just 19 errors. But the defense has been an issue, with only six combined blocks in a 3-0 loss at Kansas and Saturday's 3-0 sweep of West Virginia.
ย
"The defense just has to show up. I think that's just the consistent part of it," McGuyre said. "The answer is just that players have got to make some uncomfortable changes and stack together better days of doing it right. Blocking, as we say all the time, is personal. . . . Anticipate what's coming and get in front of it. I think it's increasing the violent mentality and being more uncomfortable with the changes they've got to make."
ย
Ending a three-game losing streak, the Bears hit .493 in Saturday's sweep of West Virginia while holding the Mountaineers to a .097 hitting percentage. The 11 points WVU scored in the first set was the fewest Baylor has allowed in a set this season.
ย
"I think we definitely went into that game knowing that we had to play really well, considering how we had performed at Kansas," said McGhee, who had a match-high 13 kills. "Obviously, there's always room for improvement. But I feel like showing up and then sweeping West Virginia was a good way to prove, 'Okay, we need to have some rhythm going into Houston.' Just kind of building off that game."
ย
After a 2-5 start in conference, league newcomer Houston strung together eight-straight wins before losing a five-setter to Iowa State last Friday, falling 16-14 in the final set. Abbie Jackson leads the Cougars and ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 3.57 kills per set.
ย
The Bears are 4-7 against ranked opponents this season, including 2-4 in league play, and have played their most ranked foes since 1998 (13).
ย
"We know they're a heavy pin team," McGhee said. "So, we know we need to block well and defend well, and then also having great serves so they can't run their middles. I feel like just being able to annihilate is always important. So, having good offense, but also blocks and digs from middles, too."
ย
Wednesday's match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose and former Baylor volleyball standout Braya Hunt Choquette calling the action.
WACO, Texas โย The 25th-ranked Baylor volleyball team hosts No. 22 Houston on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Ferrell Center for the regular season finale.
ย
BU (15-12, 9-8 Big 12) will play its 12thย ranked matchup of the season against UH (17-8, 10-6 Big 12), the most ranked opponents the Bears have faced in a single season since 1998 (13).ย
ย
The Bears look to get their ninth home win of the season against the Coogs, having swept West Virginia at the Ferrell on Saturday, 3-0. Baylor was led by Elise McGhee in the match with 13 kills, her fourth match in a row getting double-digit kills. Averi Carlson led the team in assists, aces and tied with Lauren Briseño in digs. Freshman Kendal Murphy had a career-high in kills against WVU with nine, her second match in a row to break her previous high.ย
ย
Both Briseño and Carlson are on the quest for their 70thย career ace, Carlson having served up 63 while Briseño has 62. As McGhee continues to rake in kills, she is only 53 away from the 700thย of her career. Carlson is just outside the top-10 for Baylor's career history for assists, needing 118 to crack that list.
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Houston will be coming to Waco for the first time as a Big 12 opponent. The last time the teams met was in the 2020-21 season in March on UH's home court. The Coogs are coming off a five-set loss to Iowa State to face the Bears, their first road match since November 10. UH is led by Abbie Jackson in kills, while Annie Cooke leads in assists. Defensively, Kate Georgiades leads in digs and Kellen Morin leads in blocks. The loss against ISU stopped an eight-match winning streak for Houston dating back to October 20th.ย
ย
Wednesday's match will be "Thanksgiving at the Ferrell" with raffle items such as a Baylor blanket, tumbler, tablet and other goodies up for grabs.
ย
The match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose and Baylor volleyball alumna Braya Hunt Choquette on the call. Links to watch the match, as well as view the live stats, can be found at linktr.ee/baylorvball.
ย
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
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/ VolleyballNever stopped battling.
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