No. 22 VB Selected to 10th-Straight NCAA Tournament
11/30/2025 7:07:00 PM | Volleyball
BU to open its run against Arkansas State on Thursday afternoon
WACO, Texas – No. 22 Baylor volleyball is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, as the Bears were selected as a No. 6 seed in the lower left quadrant of the bracket.
Baylor's 10th-straight appearance is the program's 14th overall. BU will open postseason play against Arkansas State in the first round on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 3:30 p.m., CT. The winner of that match will advance to face the winner of No. 3 Purdue and Wright State in the second round on Friday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m., CT.
The Bears enter the NCAA Tournament at 17-9 after closing the regular season with a top-20 road win at TCU, securing their fourth victory in the final five matches. Head coach Ryan McGuyre feels like his team is playing its best ball with the stakes at their highest.
"Oh, that's most essential part," he said. "It does you no good to play great in August or September and not play good in November and December. You've got to be good, you've got to be healthy, and you got to be confident going into it. We want to compete with joy, that's who we are. That was our mindset last week to finish conference, and that's our mindset this week, compete with great joy."
The Bears are one of 10 Big 12 Teams to make the NCAA Tournament field, joining Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU and Utah.
All matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, with tickets going on sale Monday morning.
Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
Baylor's 10th-straight appearance is the program's 14th overall. BU will open postseason play against Arkansas State in the first round on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 3:30 p.m., CT. The winner of that match will advance to face the winner of No. 3 Purdue and Wright State in the second round on Friday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m., CT.
The Bears enter the NCAA Tournament at 17-9 after closing the regular season with a top-20 road win at TCU, securing their fourth victory in the final five matches. Head coach Ryan McGuyre feels like his team is playing its best ball with the stakes at their highest.
"Oh, that's most essential part," he said. "It does you no good to play great in August or September and not play good in November and December. You've got to be good, you've got to be healthy, and you got to be confident going into it. We want to compete with joy, that's who we are. That was our mindset last week to finish conference, and that's our mindset this week, compete with great joy."
The Bears have played Arkansas State five times, with BU holding a 5-0 advantage. The last meeting was a 3-1 win for the Green and Gold in September of 2012.
Baylor's season has been fueled by standout production from its elite freshman class, led by Ksenia Rakhmanchik, who tops the team with 323 kills (3.4 per set) the second-most by a freshman in program history. Bailey Warren adds a strong complementary presence on the pin with 215 kills, while libero Morgan Madison anchors the defense with 361 digs (3.59 per set), blowing away the BU freshman mark. Veteran contributions round out the lineup, including Gabbi Essix's team-leading 123 blocks and setter Harley Kreck's 836 assist.The Bears are one of 10 Big 12 Teams to make the NCAA Tournament field, joining Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU and Utah.
All matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, with tickets going on sale Monday morning.
Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
—Baylorbears.com—
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