Aug. 27, 2017
Box Score
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
After Baylor volleyball finished off its second straight dominating sweep on Sunday, beating UC Santa Barbara, 25-19, 25-12, 25-14, coach Ryan McGuyre's only disappointment was that his Bears didn't play that way Friday night against 15th-ranked Florida State.
"Had we played like that, I think we would have honestly swept Florida State, still a good team, in three," McGuyre said after the Bears closed out the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitatonal with a 2-1 record. "So, we were able to showcase a little bit more of what we're capable of. We were more efficient from the service line, we were better with our touches and we were able to get our middles going."
Particularly redshirt sophomore Shelly Fanning, who recorded 13 kills with no errors on 17 swings for a .765 attack percentage, which ranks as the fourth-best mark in program history in a three-set match.
"I think we've got her in a position where she's comfortable," McGuyre said of Fanning, voted the tournament's best attacker. "She's elevating, she's jumping higher than ever. (Freshman setter Hannah) Lockin also takes the ball really high, so they're both able to play high and she's hitting it out of her hands faster than maybe she would have with a shorter setter."
Lockin had 33 assists, four digs, two blocks and a service ace, earning best setter honors, while senior Camryn Frieberg assisted on five of the Bears' 9.0 blocks and was voted the best blocker. Florida State's Natalie Calkins was named the tournament MVP, with Illinois State's Courtney Pence pegged as the best defender.
UCSB (0-3), which swept Baylor in three sets last year in Santa Barbara, Calif., got out to a good start and took a 7-4 first-set lead thanks to five errors by the Bears. But, coming out of a much-needed timeout, Baylor reeled off six of the next seven points and close on another 8-2 run to take the opening set.
"I think it's our synergy," Fanning said. "(After the FSU loss), we had to really refocus. That's in the past, so we've got to move forward. We made a little bit of an adjustment, mainly focusing on little things, but I think mainly it was just synergy, working together."
The Bears never trailed after scoring the first two points in dominating a second set that Fanning closed out with three straight kills. With the score knotted at 9-9 in the third set, Baylor scored the next four points to take the lead for good and then closed it out with a combo block by Frieberg and Tola Itiola and an attacking error by the Gauchos.
Baylor's defense had 53 digs and 9.0 blocks, holding UCSB to a minus-.009 hitting percentage, while the Bears hit an efficient .288 with 42 kills and just 10 errors on 111 total attempts.
After an overall successful home-opening weekend, Baylor will play six matches in 10 days on the road, starting with a matchup at 10 p.m. CDT Thursday at Washington State in the Cougar Challenge in Pullman, Wash.
"I'm so excited going into next weekend," Fanning said. "I think this showed, with our hard work and dedication, what we can bring to the future, for sure."
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas -- Baylor volleyball (2-1) closed out the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational with an emphatic three-set victory over UC Santa Barbara, 25-19, 25-12, 25-14, Sunday afternoon at the Ferrell Center.
Redshirt sophomore Shelly Fanning recorded 13 kills on 17 swings for a .765 clip, good for the fourth-best attack percentage all-time in a three-set match in program history (minimum 10 kills).
Freshman Yossiana Pressley contributed 12 kills on a .267 attack effort in the sweep. Hannah Lockin dished out 33 assists to lead the Bears at the setter spot.
BU got off to a shaky start as head coach Ryan McGuyre was forced to call an early timeout, trailing 7-4. The Bears turned up the intensity and rattled off six of the next seven points to take the two-point advantage. Pressley's seven kills in the first set led BU to the 25-19 win.
The Bears kept the momentum as they jumped out to a 7-3 lead that they would never relinquish. Fanning ended the second frame with three straight kills to give Baylor the 2-0 advantage.
Pressley led the Bears with two early kills in set three, and seniors Camryn Freiberg and Tola Itiola set up match point with a block.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Baylor finished in second place with a 2-1 record, only training Florida State (3-0). Illinois State finished with a 1-2 record, followed by UCSB with an 0-3 record in Waco.
- The following were awarded individual honors: Shelly Fanning (best attacker), Camryn Freiberg (best blocker), Hannah Lockin (best setter), Illinois State's Courtney Pence (best defender) and Florida State's Natasha Calkins (tournament MVP).
The Bears held UCSB to a -.009 hitting efficiency, forcing 25 attack errors.
- Shelly Fanning and Yossiana Pressley combined for 26 kills in the sweep.
- Jana Brusek led Baylor with 13 digs in the back row.
- The Bears are now 1-1 all-time against UC Santa Barbara.
STAT OF THE MATCH
.765 -- the new fourth-best attack efficiency in a three-set match (minimum 10 kills) set by Shelly Fanning.
TOP QUOTE
"We got (Shelly) in a position where she's comfortable. I think she's elevating and jumping higher than ever. With (Hannah) Lockin who takes the ball really high also, they're both able to play high and she's hitting out of her hands faster. Part of it is the growth and maturity of the other girls understanding that we have digs that create kills for middles. That's got to be a staple for our defense." -head coach Ryan McGuyre
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears hit the road to compete in the Cougar Challenge, hosted by Washington State. BU faces the Cougars Thursday at 10 p.m. CT in Pullman, Wash.
