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BAYLOR
at
OKLAHOMA
2:00 p.m. CDT
Oct. 28, 2002
Oklahoma Field House
Norman, Okla.
Baylor returns to Big 12 Conference action Saturday, traveling to Norman, Okla., for a 2 p.m. CDT match at Oklahoma. The Bears (6-6, 0-2) have dropped three straight, including a 28-30, 30-21, 30-25, 30-28 decision to Houston at home Thursday night. Baylor is listed among teams receiving votes for the Volleyball Magazine Top 20. Oklahoma (3-8, 1-2) has dropped two straight, including a 30-22, 30-22, 30-19 match Wednesday night at Texas.
QUICK NOTES
* Baylor and Oklahoma meet for the 25th time Thursday. OU holds a 15-9 advantage in the all-time series, but Baylor has won six straight and three straight at Norman.
* The Bears start Big 12 Conference play 0-2 for the second straight season. Last year, Baylor dropped its first four conference matches before going 9-7 in the rest of its Big 12 schedule.
* Sophomore S Jillian Mazzarella posted Baylor's first triple-double since 1999 Thursday against Houston with 10 kills (career high), 37 assists and 15 digs.
* Freshman OH Kelly Spriggs tallied career highs with 16 kills, nine digs and 17.5 points Thursday against Houston.
* Junior OH Stevie Nicholas missed the first match of her career Thursday against Houston. She snapped streaks of 67 consecutive matches started and 260 consecutive games played.
* Baylor's four-game loss Thursday to Houston was the Bears' first home loss to an unranked non-conference opponents since falling to Northwestern in five games Sept. 6, 1998.
* Baylor has tallied at least one service ace in 45 consecutive matches and at least three service aces in 16 straight matches.
HEAD COACH BRIAN HOSFELD
Baylor is in its seventh season under the direction of head coach Brian Hosfeld. During his tenure, the Bears have compiled a 114-95 (.545) overall record and a 49-73 (.402) mark in the rugged Big 12 Conference. Hosfeld is credited with putting Baylor volleyball on the map. After losing seasons in 14 of 18 seasons prior to Hosfeld's arrival, Baylor has finished above .500 in four of the last six seasons. Baylor has made two NCAA Tournament appearances in that time, advancing to the second round before losing to eventual national champion Penn State in 1999. Owner of the highest winning percentage of the program's seven head coaches, Hosfeld has amassed the most wins, both overall and in conference play, of any coach in school history.
HOSFELD vs. OKLAHOMA
Head coach Brian Hosfeld has a career record of 7-5 against Oklahoma, winning each of the last six meetings. Hosfeld-coached teams are 4-2 against the Sooners in Waco and 3-3 at Norman.
LAST TIME OUT - HOUSTON 3, BAYLOR 1
WACO, Texas - Tisha Schwartz notched 22 kills and Jillian Mazzarella posted Baylor's first triple-double since the 1999 season, but it was not enough as Baylor dropped a 28-30, 30-21, 30-25, 30-28 decision to Houston. Schwartz led all players in the kills department, but 20 attacking errors in 66 swings left her attacking percentage at .030. Kelly Spriggs added career highs with 16 kills and nine digs. Mazzarella, meanwhile, posted a career-high 10 kills to go along with 37 assists and 15 digs. Baylor took the first game 30-28, holding off a furious Houston rally. The Bears led 29-23 before the Cougars scored five straight points to pull within one. However, a Schwartz kill put the game away. Houston dominated Baylor in game two, holding the Bears to a .033 attacking percentage (8-7-30) and hitting .310 as a team (14-5-29). The Cougars' attack was just as strong in game three; UH hit .311 (17-3-45) and held Baylor to .200 (18-9-45). The Bears battled back in game four, holding Houston to a .191 percentage (18-9-47). However, another late Houston run proved fatal for Baylor. With the Bears leading 27-25, Houston came out of a timeout with four straight points to take a 29-28 lead. Baylor withstood one game point on a Spriggs kills, but Jenny Tannberger put the match away with a kill on the next point.
THE OKLAHOMA SERIES
This is the 25th meeting between the two schools with Oklahoma holding a 15-8 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Bears have won six straight and lead the series 7-5 since the beginning of Big 12 play in 1996. The teams first met in 1979, Baylor's second season of volleyball, in Tulsa, Okla., at the Oral Roberts Invitational. Oklahoma won that match 15-8, 13-15, 15-9 and went on to win the first eight matches in the series before a 1992 Baylor victory in Haltom City, Texas. The Bears are 3-9 all-time in Norman, but they have been victorious in each of their past three trips to OU, including a three-game win last season.
THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Oklahoma (3-8, 1-2) is in its third season under the direction of head coach Kalani Mahi, who is 13-59 with the Sooners. Mahi owns a five-year career record of 51-112.
OU Notes: The Sooners opened the season with five straight losses and are 3-3 since that time. Oklahoma's fifth loss of the season was at home against Oral Roberts, which topped Baylor 3-1 in the Bears' first match of the season. OU is 1-2 in Big 12 play, defeating Iowa State 3-0 at home before losses at Kansas (3-0) and at Texas (3-0). ... Oklahoma hits .154 as a team, holding opponents to a .197 clip. The Sooners average 12.21 kills, 1.62 service aces, 13.18 digs and 2.25 blocks per game. ... Senior MB Megan O'Connell leads the Sooner attack with .321 kills per game and a .287 attacking percentage. Sophomore MB Candice Woods averages 2.15 kills and 1.18 blocks per game, while junior OH Christine Barlow averages 2.92 kills and .162 digs per game. Senior OH Denise Griffin leads the Sooners in digs with 2.85 per game. ... Oklahoma carries five Texas natives on its roster - senior OH Lindsay Hoyt (Grapevine), senior S Jessica Barney (New Braunfels), freshman MB Jennifer Mosso (Poteet), junior OH Yvette Villanueva (New Braunfels) and sophomore MB Gretchen French (Bryan).
LAST MEETING - BAYLOR 3, OKLAHOMA 0 (Nov. 8, 1995)
NORMAN, Okla. - Stevie Nicholas tallied a match-high 16 kills and Tisha Schwartz added 12 errorless kills in 25 swings as Baylor pounded Oklahoma 30-21, 30-17, 30-25. Baylor turned in a team attacking percentage of .360, the Bears' highest percentage since hitting .388 Sept. 9, 2000 against New Mexico State. Nicholas led the way with a .536 attacking percentage as her 16 kills were offset by just one error in 28 attempts. Baylor finished the night with 52 kills against only 11 errors in 114 swings. The Bears hit .395 (19-4-38) in game one while holding OU to .176 (12-6-34). In game two, Baylor was flawless on the attack, putting down 13 errorless kills in 32 attempts (.406). Baylor put the wraps on their fifth consecutive victory over Oklahoma with a .295 attacking performance in game three. While the Bears' percentage dropped, they posted a match-high 20 kills in the third game. Baylor led all the way after an early 1-1 tie. Oklahoma closed to within one point at 16-15, but the Bears responded with a five-point run.
NICHOLAS SIDELINED WITH TORN MENISCUS
Junior OH Stevie Nicholas is out for an undetermined amount of time due to a torn medial-meniscus in her right knee. Prior to Thursday's match against Houston, Nicholas had started 72 consecutive matches and had played in 260 consecutive games, missing just three rotations along the way. Nicholas sustained the injury during Baylor's Oct. 19 match against Colorado.
BRAGA UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL SURGERY
Junior L Sarah Braga underwent surgery Friday morning to repair a labrum tear in her right shoulder. The surgery was deemed a success and doctors said there appeared to have been less damage than originally suspected. Still, Braga is expected to miss the remainder of the 2002 season.
LLOREDA RETURNS TO COURT AGAINST HOUSTON
Junior RS Laura Daniela Lloreda returned to the court for the first time in nearly a month Thursday against Houston, playing in the libero position. Lloreda sustained a grade three ankle sprain in practice Sept. 2 and missed eight matches due to the injury. She is expected to stay in the libero role for at least another week before returning to her customary right-side position.
MAZZARELLA NOTCHES FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE
With 10 kills, 37 assists and 15 digs Thursday against Houston, sophomore S Jillian Mazzarella posted the first triple-double of her career. It was also the first triple-double by a Bear since Tatiana Kenon had 18 kills, 11 digs and 10 blocks Oct. 27 against Colorado. Mazzarella's 10 kills were a career-high, doubling the five she had against Arkansas-Little Rock earlier this season.
SPRIGGS ENJOYS CAREER NIGHT AGAINST HOUSTON
Freshman OH Kelly Spriggs talliked 16 kills, nine digs and 17.5 points, all career highs, Thursday against Houston. Baylor is likely to rely on Spriggs for added offensive punch over the coming weeks.
BEARS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Baylor finds itself ranked nationally in service aces, while junior OH Stevie Nicholas ranks nationally in both service aces and kills, according to the Sept. 23 NCAA statistical rankings. The Bears rank 29th nationally with 2.38 service aces per game (as of Sept. 23), while Nicholas ranks fifth nationally with 0.95 aces per game. Nicholas also ranks 11th nationally with 5.45 kills per game.
BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Baylor finds itself in unusual territory statistically this season - not among the league leaders in kills and digs per game. The Bears have finished third or better in kills per game and fifth or better in digs per game in the Big 12 Conference in each of the past three seasons. According to the Sept. 23 statistical rankings, Baylor is seventh in kills per game (15.45) and 11th in digs per game (13.15). The Bears lead the conference with 2.38 service aces per game and rank third with 14.18 assists per game. However, Baylor ranks sixth in attacking percentage (.246), 10th in blocks per game (2.06) and 11th in opponents' attacking percentage (.254).
NICHOLAS LEADS BIG 12 IN THREE CATEGORIES
Junior OH Stevie Nicholas finds herself atop the Big 12 Conference statistical rankings in three categories, according to the Sept. 23 rankings. Nicholas leads the conference in kills per game (5.45), service aces per game (0.95) and points per game (6.81). She has now been the conference kills leader in 33 out of 34 weeks during her career. The gap in points per game between Nicholas and second-place Mira Topic of Texas more than one point per game as Topic is averaging 5.67. Nicholas, the only player in the conference to reach the 30-kill plateau this season, owns four of the top 10 kill performances in the conference this year. ... Junior MB Tisha Schwartz is ninth points per game (4.54).
BAYLOR WINS 17TH IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT
With team titles at the Baylor Classic and at the Rhode Island Classic, Baylor has claimed the program's 16th and 17th in-season tournament titles. Eleven of those titles have come during head coach Brian Hosfeld's tenure (since 1996). The Bears have won at least one in-season tournament in six of Hosfeld's seven seasons, claiming two such titles five times.
THREE BEARS EARN URI CLASSIC HONORS
Baylor juniors OH Stevie Nicholas, MB Tisha Schwartz and OH Lisa Smith were named to the all-tournament team at the Rhode Island Classic. Nicholas was selected as MVP, marking the fifth time in her career she has been named MVP at an in-season tournament. On the weekend, Nicholas hit .316 with 5.25 kills and 2.58 service aces per game and 12 service aces. Schwartz, meanwhile, averaged 4.50 kills per game on the weekend; she also hit at a .406 clip with 11 blocks and five service aces. Smith averaged 2.50 kills and 2.36 digs per game with two double-doubles on the weekend.
FOUR BEARS EARN BAYLOR CLASSIC HONORS
Junior OH Stevie Nicholas, junior MB Tisha Schwartz, sophomore S/DS Jillian Mazzarella and freshman S Emily Huston all earned all-tournament honors at the 2002 Baylor Classic. Nicholas and Schwartz were named co-MVPs. Nicholas averaged 5.10 kills, 1.10 srvice aces, 3.70 digs and 0.90 blocks per game on the weekend, totaling 67.5 points. Schwartz finished the weekend with 52.0 points and per-game averages of 4.00 kills, 1.60 digs and 1.50 blocks. Huston and Mazzarella paced the Bear offense to a .249 attacking percentage and 16.60 kills per game. Huston hit .600 for the weekend (20-2-30) with 2.00 kills, 5.90 assists, 1.70 digs and 0.60 blocks per game. Mazzarella hit .345 on the weekend (12-2-29) with 1.20 kills, 7.30 assists, 3.90 digs and 0.50 blocks per game.
NICHOLAS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 HONORS
Two-time all-Big 12 honoree Stevie Nicholas joined five other athletes on the preseason all-Big 12 Conference team. Nebraska dominated the squad with three seniors being named to the team - S Greichaly Cepero, MB Amber Holmquist and OH Laura Pilakowski. Nicholas was named to the preseason team for the second straight season. She joined sophomore RS Mira Topic of Texas as the only non-seniors on the team. Colorado senior S Elizabeth Gower rounded out the six-player squad. Cepero, the 2000 AVCA National Player of the Year, was the pick as preseason player of the year. Redshirt freshman Shen Danru of Missouri was selected as preseason newcomer of the year, and Texas A&M OH Laura Jones was the pick as preseason freshman of the year.
BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official Colles Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.
UP NEXT...
Baylor returns home Wednesday, Oct. 2 for a 7 p.m. match against Texas at the Ferrell Center. The Bears and the Longhorns split the season series last year. Texas won in three games at Austin, but Baylor was victorious in five games in Waco.
