Thursday, September 12
Waco, Texas
7:00 p.m. CT
Baylor
vs
Houston
Preview: No. 5 VB Returns Home for Baylor Invitational
9/11/2019 6:10:00 PM | Volleyball
Bears are 2-2 in home openers under head coach Ryan McGuyre
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
After beating three ranked teams on the road, winning 15 of 16 sets and moving up to a program-best fifth in the country, Baylor volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre would have been just fine to "keep traveling and not come back at all."
Off to a 5-0 start for the first time in 10 years, the Bears return home from a season-opening road trip to play their first regular-season match at the Ferrell Center in 295 days. They will face Houston (5-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational, then Tennessee (2-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
"It's just awesome to be back where we're familiar," said junior setter Hannah Lockin. "It's really exciting to know that we're going to have all the Baylor fans here to support us."
Baylor's fast start has included wins over No. 18 Creighton, No. 11 Marquette and fourth-ranked Wisconsin, the highest-ranked team the Bears have ever beaten on the road.
Even with arguably the program's most challenging schedule ever, McGuyre said he "definitely felt like we had a chance" to start out 5-0.
"You've got to dream big, and there's no rewards without the risk," he said. "It's hard to go deep in the tournament, it's hard to win a national championship. . . . Because we didn't get as far as we wanted to last year, they did not have the benefit of an Elite Eight or Final Four experience to kind of carry it into this year.
"The hope was going to Nebraska and Wisconsin would be kind of that atmosphere, that setting, those types of teams. So, hopefully when we get to the tournament, we're a little bit more experienced in that."
Lockin, who is hitting a team-high .469 with 11.4 kills per set, said the Bears have a cool confidence, knowing that "we're going to be successful and we know what each person brings and the level we're expected to be at."
Senior libero Tara Wulf, who leads the team with 3.2 digs per set, said the team deserves its No. 5 ranking after making the biggest one-poll jump in AVCA history (from 17thto fifth). The previous high was 12thlast year.
"I think it means we're a solid team," Wulf said. "And honestly, we deserve it. We've been putting in the hard work. We don't forget our identity, though. Numbers don't mean a lot, but it just reflects the hard work we put in day-in and day-out in the gym."
Junior outside hitter Yossiana Pressley was named the AVCA National Player of the Week after recording 31 kills in a four-set win at Wisconsin and putting away 20 in the three-set sweep at Marquette.
"She had the ability to terminate and kill, but to go error-free in the Marquette match . . . that was huge," McGuyre said of Pressley, who ranks second nationally with 6.25 kills per set. "When she was on fire last year, we were obviously winning games. And sometimes, she would struggle a little bit. But, she has not had a match where they've been able to shut her down."
McGuyre said the key to that has been Lockin "delivering the ball to the hitters, especially Yossi."
"If (Pressley) is hot, I want to feed her," Lockin said. "I definitely want to play however is going to get us the win, but I love when Yossi is hot, because then it's like, 'All right, we're going to make it the Yossi Show.' Everyone else is awesome, too, so I feel like I have so many options all the time, which I do."
Under first-year head coach David Rehr, Houston is riding a five-match winning streak after dropping its first four. Rehr won a pair of NJCAA national championships at Blinn and led Arkansas State to four 20-win seasons and the Red Wolves' first NCAA tournament berth.
"Houston's got a new coach that's going to do a great job there and help them get to the next level. I think sometimes it takes some time, but they're doing it the right way," McGuyre said.
Tennessee, which will play Houston at 3 p.m. Friday in the sandwich match of the tournament, was 26-6 last year and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. This year, two of the Vols' three losses were five-setters in a home-and-home weekend series against No. 6 Illinois.
"They've played some really good teams, so we're not going to intimidate them just because of our ranking," McGuyre said. "They've seen strong teams. So, it's another tough weekend. The only difference is we're at home instead of on the road."
Saturday's match against Tennessee is "Pack the House" day at the Ferrell Center, with all tickets $1. Both Baylor matches this weekend will be broadcast by ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John. Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Staiger calling the action on Thursday and Staiger joining Lincoln Rose for Saturday's match.
WACO, Texas – The fifth-ranked Baylor volleyball team will open their home schedule by hosting the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational Thursday through Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
BU will face Houston Thursday at 7 p.m. CT and then host (RV) Tennessee Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday's match is "Pack the House" Night, so all tickets are $1. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.BaylorBears.com/tickets.
Fans can follow along this season with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
• Baylor volleyball will compete at home for the first time this season by hosting the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational Thursday through Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
• The Bears are 5-0 on the season after neutral site wins over UCLA and then-No. 18 Creighton in Lincoln, Neb. at the Husker Invitational. Then, the Bears won the HotelRED Invitational last week after a neutral site win over Syracuse and a 3-1 upset over No. 4 Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.
• BU wrapped up its five-match road trip with a 3-0 sweep over No. 11 Marquette in Milwaukee on Sunday.
• BU will face Houston for the first time since 2013 and Tennessee for the first time since 2005.
• Under McGuyre, BU earned its highest-ranked road win in program history with a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Wisconsin in Madison last Friday.
• BU looks for the 6-0 start to the season for the first time since 2009 and first time under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• BU is 25-3 in home non-conference matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre, going 6-1 last season.
HOME VS. ROAD SUCCESS
• Baylor was 7-4 on the road in 2018, including a season-best five-match win streak.
• BU is 44-17 all-time in home matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• On the road, BU is 1-0 in three sets, 1-0 in four sets and 0-0 in five-set matches.
• Baylor is 2-2 in home openers under McGuyre, winning 3-1 against LSU last season.
• Baylor is 25-3 in home non-conference matches under McGuyre, going 6-1 in 2018.
BAYLOR RECENTLY
• No. 17 Baylor volleyball posted its second consecutive road win over a ranked opponent with a
sweep of No. 11 Marquette Sunday at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, 25-14, 27-25, 25-18.
• BU's victory over the 11th-ranked Golden Eagles was the Bears' second-straight ranked win for
the first time in program history after a 3-1 win at No. 4 Wisconsin last Friday.
• Yossiana Pressley surpassed 1,000 career kills after she led all players with 20 kills on a .444
attack efficiency. She heads into the next match with 1,008 as a Bear.
• The Baylor defense suffocated Marquette and posted a season-high 14.5 blocks. Stafford led with a season-high eight blocks and added 13 kills on a .522 clip.
-BaylorBears.com-
Baylor Bear Insider
After beating three ranked teams on the road, winning 15 of 16 sets and moving up to a program-best fifth in the country, Baylor volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre would have been just fine to "keep traveling and not come back at all."
Off to a 5-0 start for the first time in 10 years, the Bears return home from a season-opening road trip to play their first regular-season match at the Ferrell Center in 295 days. They will face Houston (5-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational, then Tennessee (2-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
"It's just awesome to be back where we're familiar," said junior setter Hannah Lockin. "It's really exciting to know that we're going to have all the Baylor fans here to support us."
Baylor's fast start has included wins over No. 18 Creighton, No. 11 Marquette and fourth-ranked Wisconsin, the highest-ranked team the Bears have ever beaten on the road.
Even with arguably the program's most challenging schedule ever, McGuyre said he "definitely felt like we had a chance" to start out 5-0.
"You've got to dream big, and there's no rewards without the risk," he said. "It's hard to go deep in the tournament, it's hard to win a national championship. . . . Because we didn't get as far as we wanted to last year, they did not have the benefit of an Elite Eight or Final Four experience to kind of carry it into this year.
"The hope was going to Nebraska and Wisconsin would be kind of that atmosphere, that setting, those types of teams. So, hopefully when we get to the tournament, we're a little bit more experienced in that."
Lockin, who is hitting a team-high .469 with 11.4 kills per set, said the Bears have a cool confidence, knowing that "we're going to be successful and we know what each person brings and the level we're expected to be at."
Senior libero Tara Wulf, who leads the team with 3.2 digs per set, said the team deserves its No. 5 ranking after making the biggest one-poll jump in AVCA history (from 17thto fifth). The previous high was 12thlast year.
"I think it means we're a solid team," Wulf said. "And honestly, we deserve it. We've been putting in the hard work. We don't forget our identity, though. Numbers don't mean a lot, but it just reflects the hard work we put in day-in and day-out in the gym."
Junior outside hitter Yossiana Pressley was named the AVCA National Player of the Week after recording 31 kills in a four-set win at Wisconsin and putting away 20 in the three-set sweep at Marquette.
"She had the ability to terminate and kill, but to go error-free in the Marquette match . . . that was huge," McGuyre said of Pressley, who ranks second nationally with 6.25 kills per set. "When she was on fire last year, we were obviously winning games. And sometimes, she would struggle a little bit. But, she has not had a match where they've been able to shut her down."
McGuyre said the key to that has been Lockin "delivering the ball to the hitters, especially Yossi."
"If (Pressley) is hot, I want to feed her," Lockin said. "I definitely want to play however is going to get us the win, but I love when Yossi is hot, because then it's like, 'All right, we're going to make it the Yossi Show.' Everyone else is awesome, too, so I feel like I have so many options all the time, which I do."
Under first-year head coach David Rehr, Houston is riding a five-match winning streak after dropping its first four. Rehr won a pair of NJCAA national championships at Blinn and led Arkansas State to four 20-win seasons and the Red Wolves' first NCAA tournament berth.
"Houston's got a new coach that's going to do a great job there and help them get to the next level. I think sometimes it takes some time, but they're doing it the right way," McGuyre said.
Tennessee, which will play Houston at 3 p.m. Friday in the sandwich match of the tournament, was 26-6 last year and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. This year, two of the Vols' three losses were five-setters in a home-and-home weekend series against No. 6 Illinois.
"They've played some really good teams, so we're not going to intimidate them just because of our ranking," McGuyre said. "They've seen strong teams. So, it's another tough weekend. The only difference is we're at home instead of on the road."
Saturday's match against Tennessee is "Pack the House" day at the Ferrell Center, with all tickets $1. Both Baylor matches this weekend will be broadcast by ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John. Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Staiger calling the action on Thursday and Staiger joining Lincoln Rose for Saturday's match.
WACO, Texas – The fifth-ranked Baylor volleyball team will open their home schedule by hosting the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational Thursday through Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
BU will face Houston Thursday at 7 p.m. CT and then host (RV) Tennessee Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday's match is "Pack the House" Night, so all tickets are $1. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.BaylorBears.com/tickets.
Fans can follow along this season with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
• Baylor volleyball will compete at home for the first time this season by hosting the Hampton Inn & Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational Thursday through Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
• The Bears are 5-0 on the season after neutral site wins over UCLA and then-No. 18 Creighton in Lincoln, Neb. at the Husker Invitational. Then, the Bears won the HotelRED Invitational last week after a neutral site win over Syracuse and a 3-1 upset over No. 4 Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.
• BU wrapped up its five-match road trip with a 3-0 sweep over No. 11 Marquette in Milwaukee on Sunday.
• BU will face Houston for the first time since 2013 and Tennessee for the first time since 2005.
• Under McGuyre, BU earned its highest-ranked road win in program history with a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Wisconsin in Madison last Friday.
• BU looks for the 6-0 start to the season for the first time since 2009 and first time under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• BU is 25-3 in home non-conference matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre, going 6-1 last season.
HOME VS. ROAD SUCCESS
• Baylor was 7-4 on the road in 2018, including a season-best five-match win streak.
• BU is 44-17 all-time in home matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• On the road, BU is 1-0 in three sets, 1-0 in four sets and 0-0 in five-set matches.
• Baylor is 2-2 in home openers under McGuyre, winning 3-1 against LSU last season.
• Baylor is 25-3 in home non-conference matches under McGuyre, going 6-1 in 2018.
BAYLOR RECENTLY
• No. 17 Baylor volleyball posted its second consecutive road win over a ranked opponent with a
sweep of No. 11 Marquette Sunday at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, 25-14, 27-25, 25-18.
• BU's victory over the 11th-ranked Golden Eagles was the Bears' second-straight ranked win for
the first time in program history after a 3-1 win at No. 4 Wisconsin last Friday.
• Yossiana Pressley surpassed 1,000 career kills after she led all players with 20 kills on a .444
attack efficiency. She heads into the next match with 1,008 as a Bear.
• The Baylor defense suffocated Marquette and posted a season-high 14.5 blocks. Stafford led with a season-high eight blocks and added 13 kills on a .522 clip.
-BaylorBears.com-
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