No. 18 VB Continues Road Swing at Iowa State
9/29/2023 3:58:00 PM | Volleyball
Bears ready for first back-to-back in Ames
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Ryan McGuyre is not a big fan of a Big 12 schedule that will see the 18th-ranked Bears (6-5, 0-1) play teams on back-to-back days six times this season.
But in the two previous seasons (2020-21) when the league used a similar format because of COVID, Baylor followed up a first-game loss with a win three times in four chances and had back-to-back Big 12 runner-up finishes.
"Past years, traditionally we've been great (in the back-to-backs)," McGuyre said. "I think it's because our staff does a really good job preparing and we're able to make adjustments. I think with a younger team, we will have to (figure out), 'Hey, how well can we make the adjustments going into year two after the first night?'''
In the first of those back-to-backs will come this weekend, the Bears will play Iowa State (11-2, 2-0) at 2 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones opened with back-to-back 3-0 wins on the road at West Virginia last week, while Baylor lost to then-No. 10 BYU, 3-0, last Sunday in Provo, Utah.
"Good team, good program (with) lots of wins," McGuyre said. "Fast middles, good arms on the pins, take a lot of pride in their defense. I'd love to see our offensive game plan execution continue to be strong. . . . Defense has been a big focus for us this week, to limit what teams can do. And again, we're definitely getting better every day. We're really looking forward to bringing some pressure to the Iowa State program."
Baylor had to play the BYU match without freshman outside hitter Kyndal Stowers, who ranks fourth in the league with 4.16 kills per set. McGuyre says Stowers is "day-to-day, so we'll see what happens."
If Stowers is still not available this weekend, the Bears will have to get more production from freshman Kendal Murphy and sophomore Riley Simpson at outside hitter, along with freshman libero/defensive specialist Tehani Ulufatu.
"It's still a team game," McGuyre said. "You don't need one person to step up, it's more maintaining the flow and the rhythm of it. Stowers is special. She serves, she passes, she digs, she blocks, she hits, she covers. . . . I don't think it's put it all on one. But I think it's a testament to what Stowers has been doing so far. Doing all those skills as a freshman has been pretty cool."
While the offense has been dynamic at times, with hitting percentages of ".400, .500, .600" in several sets, sophomore opposite-side hitter Allie Sczech said the key is "coming alive with our defense, with our block."
"How can we be this defensive team that people can't get past," she said. "I really think maturity in volleyball and maturity in sports is just realizing that defense wins games. And without that, a lot of things can go wrong. I feel like if we can really capitalize on our defensive end, our offense will come alive like it naturally does."
Second on the team with 26 blocks and second in the Big 12 with a .428 hitting percentage, junior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe said the "first part of defense is the serve."
"Whenever we have a great server, it makes probably our block and our defense a little better. I feel like when the ball is on the 10-foot line, it should be an easy point for us. From day one to now, we're trying to improve our blocking skill. Our back-row defense does a pretty good job adjusting, too. For sure, we can do a better job than what we are currently, if we want to win a game. But that's why we come to practice every single day with the mentality of getting better every single day."
Saturday's match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Alex Cohen and Rachel Hockaday calling the action, while Sunday's match will be an ESPN broadcast.
WACO, Texas – Continuing its Big 12 conference slate, 18th ranked Baylor volleyball heads to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State in back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday at Hilton Coliseum, both beginning at 2 p.m. CT.
The Bears (6-5, 0-1) split the series with the Cyclones (11-2, 2-0) in the 2022 season, falling in Ames before taking the win at home in Waco.
Baylor comes into the match after falling in three sets to then-No. 10 BYU in Provo, Utah, on September 23. Iowa State is coming off of two straight sweeps of West Virginia on the road to host the Bears.
BU is 92-37 all-time in conference matches with head coach Ryan McGuyre at the helm of the program. Against Iowa State, McGuyre is 12-4 in his tenure. Baylor has a 16-10 record when playing in Ames, and has an overall series record of 31-25.
The Bears were without freshman standout Kyndal Stowers in Provo due to injury, but saw both Allie Sczech and Elise McGhee lead the team in kills with eight each, and Sczech and Alicia Andrew each had three blocks.
Saturday's match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Alex Cohen and Rachel Hockaday on the call. Live stats and links to watch the match on ESPN+ 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.
Baylor Bear Insider
Ryan McGuyre is not a big fan of a Big 12 schedule that will see the 18th-ranked Bears (6-5, 0-1) play teams on back-to-back days six times this season.
But in the two previous seasons (2020-21) when the league used a similar format because of COVID, Baylor followed up a first-game loss with a win three times in four chances and had back-to-back Big 12 runner-up finishes.
"Past years, traditionally we've been great (in the back-to-backs)," McGuyre said. "I think it's because our staff does a really good job preparing and we're able to make adjustments. I think with a younger team, we will have to (figure out), 'Hey, how well can we make the adjustments going into year two after the first night?'''
In the first of those back-to-backs will come this weekend, the Bears will play Iowa State (11-2, 2-0) at 2 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones opened with back-to-back 3-0 wins on the road at West Virginia last week, while Baylor lost to then-No. 10 BYU, 3-0, last Sunday in Provo, Utah.
"Good team, good program (with) lots of wins," McGuyre said. "Fast middles, good arms on the pins, take a lot of pride in their defense. I'd love to see our offensive game plan execution continue to be strong. . . . Defense has been a big focus for us this week, to limit what teams can do. And again, we're definitely getting better every day. We're really looking forward to bringing some pressure to the Iowa State program."
Baylor had to play the BYU match without freshman outside hitter Kyndal Stowers, who ranks fourth in the league with 4.16 kills per set. McGuyre says Stowers is "day-to-day, so we'll see what happens."
If Stowers is still not available this weekend, the Bears will have to get more production from freshman Kendal Murphy and sophomore Riley Simpson at outside hitter, along with freshman libero/defensive specialist Tehani Ulufatu.
"It's still a team game," McGuyre said. "You don't need one person to step up, it's more maintaining the flow and the rhythm of it. Stowers is special. She serves, she passes, she digs, she blocks, she hits, she covers. . . . I don't think it's put it all on one. But I think it's a testament to what Stowers has been doing so far. Doing all those skills as a freshman has been pretty cool."
While the offense has been dynamic at times, with hitting percentages of ".400, .500, .600" in several sets, sophomore opposite-side hitter Allie Sczech said the key is "coming alive with our defense, with our block."
"How can we be this defensive team that people can't get past," she said. "I really think maturity in volleyball and maturity in sports is just realizing that defense wins games. And without that, a lot of things can go wrong. I feel like if we can really capitalize on our defensive end, our offense will come alive like it naturally does."
Second on the team with 26 blocks and second in the Big 12 with a .428 hitting percentage, junior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe said the "first part of defense is the serve."
"Whenever we have a great server, it makes probably our block and our defense a little better. I feel like when the ball is on the 10-foot line, it should be an easy point for us. From day one to now, we're trying to improve our blocking skill. Our back-row defense does a pretty good job adjusting, too. For sure, we can do a better job than what we are currently, if we want to win a game. But that's why we come to practice every single day with the mentality of getting better every single day."
Saturday's match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Alex Cohen and Rachel Hockaday calling the action, while Sunday's match will be an ESPN broadcast.
WACO, Texas – Continuing its Big 12 conference slate, 18th ranked Baylor volleyball heads to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State in back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday at Hilton Coliseum, both beginning at 2 p.m. CT.
The Bears (6-5, 0-1) split the series with the Cyclones (11-2, 2-0) in the 2022 season, falling in Ames before taking the win at home in Waco.
Baylor comes into the match after falling in three sets to then-No. 10 BYU in Provo, Utah, on September 23. Iowa State is coming off of two straight sweeps of West Virginia on the road to host the Bears.
BU is 92-37 all-time in conference matches with head coach Ryan McGuyre at the helm of the program. Against Iowa State, McGuyre is 12-4 in his tenure. Baylor has a 16-10 record when playing in Ames, and has an overall series record of 31-25.
The Bears were without freshman standout Kyndal Stowers in Provo due to injury, but saw both Allie Sczech and Elise McGhee lead the team in kills with eight each, and Sczech and Alicia Andrew each had three blocks.
Saturday's match will be streamed by the Big 12 Network on ESPN+, with Alex Cohen and Rachel Hockaday on the call. Live stats and links to watch the match on ESPN+ 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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L/DS
/ VolleyballWould go to battle with this crew anytime 🫶
Monday, December 08
Hearts stopped. Records fell. Bears won!
Monday, December 08
Elevate ⬆️ and celebrate 🎉
Monday, December 08
💼 Workin' our way to match day
Monday, December 08
