Thursday, September 5
Madison, Wis.
4:00 p.m. CT
Baylor
vs
Syracuse
Preview: No. 17 VB Heads to HotelRED Invitational
9/4/2019 8:44:00 AM | Volleyball
Bears face Syracuse, fourth-ranked Wisconsin Thursday and Friday in Madison
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Last year, Baylor volleyball may have caught Wisconsin and Marquette by surprise in 3-1 victories in home tournaments at the Ferrell Center. That won't be the case this time.
Up to 17thin the country after sweeps of UCLA and then-No. 18 Creighton, the Bears (2-0) play Syracuse at 4 p.m. Thursday in the HotelRED Invitational in Madison, Wis., then face the host and fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) at 8 p.m. Friday and close out the weekend with a match against No. 11 Marquette (3-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Milwaukee, Wis.
"We can't really surprise them anymore. They know we're good," said 6-6 sophomore Marieke van der Mark, who had a career-high eight kills in Saturday's win over Creighton. "They know that we are ready to battle, so they're ready to battle against us. . . . It's definitely awesome to play against a good opponent like that."
Although Baylor didn't play second-ranked Nebraska at last weekend's Husker Invitational, coach Ryan McGuyre said it helped "just playing in that atmosphere and that stage there."
"Maybe when we first arrived, it was an eye-opening experience, like 'Hey, wow, this is what it could be!''' McGuyre said. "By no means have we fully arrived yet, but I think we're able to see ourselves, we're a part of this. We've worked hard enough where we have the opportunity to be one of the best teams in the country."
Syracuse, which made the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, is opening the regular season after beating Cornell in an exhibition match last weekend. Polina Shemanova earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors last season when she led the team with 447 kills and 282 digs.
The Orange were "maybe a couple wins away from really making a mark last year," McGuyre said. "We're their first match, they bring in some unknowns, and we'll have to see how that looks."
Wisconsin, tabbed as the Big Ten favorite this year over NCAA runner-up Nebraska, made the Elite Eight last year. Top returners are a pair of All-Big Ten performers, junior middle blocker Dana Rettke and junior setter Sydney Hilley.
"We want to be tested, and that's the game," McGuyre said. "You practice, you train, and then the game tells you where you're at. It's up to me and the staff to help prepare our girls, but they're doing a great job mentally preparing themselves as well. If anything, the big challenge is we've been on the road right out of the gate two weeks straight."
Baylor could not have started much better at last weekend's Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., pulling off a pair of 3-0 sweeps and hitting .277 as a team. Yossiana Pressley had 19 kills in each of the two matches, earning MVP honors, and was joined on the all-tournament team by senior middle blocker Shelly Stafford and junior setter Hannah Lockin.
"One of our dreams is to go undefeated, not lose any sets this preseason or this season," van der Mark said, "so the dream is still alive. It's pretty awesome."
McGuyre said the Bears are "just trying to take steps forward to be really good in December."
"I thought the steps taken forward were really solid, a good size step," he said. "Hannah Lockin did a great job running the show, so I was really pleased with what we were doing offensively. And definitely for the first two sets in both matches, we really limited our errors, put a lot of pressure on the opponent and didn't give up any big runs."
An offensive-minded setter, Lockin had a combined eight kills and hit .467 with only one error while also collecting 34 assists in each of the first two matches.
"She just kept the (UCLA) defense off-balance," McGuyre said of Lockin. "And just when they thought we were going to Yossi or somewhere else, she was able to pick up quick kills for us. And I think that was a big reason why we didn't give up any runs. Her accuracy, her dump and her offensiveness were really awesome. It was at another level that we've wanted her to be at. We want her to keep getting better at it, but it just brings a whole 'nother dynamic when defending Baylor."
Thursday's match against Syracuse will be broadcast on BTN Plus, with Friday's top-20 matchup aired on the Big Ten Network.
WACO, Texas – The 17th-ranked Baylor volleyball team will continue their season-opening road trip with two matches at the HotelRED Invitational Thursday and Friday in Madison, Wis.
BU faces off against Syracuse (0-0) Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. CT then comes back to battle fourth-ranked Wisconsin (2-0) Friday at 8 p.m. at the UW Field House. The Baylor-Syracuse match will be on BTN Plus while the top-20 matchup on Friday will air on the Big Ten Network.
Fans can also follow along with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• Baylor volleyball will continue its season-opening five-match road trip and will face Syracuse and No. 4 Wisconsin at the HotelRED Invitational in Madison, Wis. before heading to Milwaukee, Wis. to face 11th-ranked Marquette.
• The Bears are 2-0 on the season after neutral site wins over UCLA and then-No. 18 Creighton in Lincoln, Neb. at the Husker Invitational last weekend.
• BU will face Syracuse for the first time in program history while the Bears and Badgers will meet up for the second consecutive season.
• Under McGuyre, BU earned its highest win in program history with a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Wisconsin in Waco last season. BU looks to improve to 2-0 all-time against the Badgers.
TOP-20 IN THE AVCA COACHES POLL
• After a 2-0 start to the season, the Bears moved up three spots to No. 17 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, released Monday.
• Baylor's ranking is only second to No. 3 Texas among Big 12 opponents. Conference foe TCU also received votes in the poll.
• Last season, the Bears received a program-best No. 12 ranking. The No. 12 ranking shattered the previous the all-time program record set in 2009 at No. 17.
• The Bears are ranked for the 39th time in program history and have received votes in the poll for 28 straight weeks dating back to last season.
• BU has 14 matches slated against ranked opponents or teams receiving votes in the preseason poll.
• Baylor went 1-4 against ranked squads last season which includes a 3-1 win over No. 2 Wisconsin on Sept. 7 in Waco.
• BU is 1-0 against ranked opponents so far this season.
• BU opened the season at No. 20 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, opening the season as a ranked team for the third time in program history.
SUCCESS ON THE ROAD
• Baylor was 7-4 on the road in 2018, including a season-best five-match win streak.
• BU is 27-20 all-time in road matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• On the road, BU was 2-0 in three-set matches and 0-0 in four and five-set matches in 2019.
• Baylor is playing in Wisconsin for the first time under McGuyre.
• Baylor is playing back-to-back true road matches for the first time in 2019 this weekend.
BU AGAINST HOTELRED INVITATIONAL OPPONENTS
• Baylor and Wisconsin will face off for the second-straight season. Both teams had never played each other prior to the 2018 season.
• BU topped second-ranked Wisconsin for its highest ranked win in program history last September in Waco.
• This will be the first time in program history that Baylor will play Syracuse.
• BU is 2-2 against ACC schools and 1-0 against Big Ten schools under McGuyre.
LAST TIME VS. WISCONSIN (Sept. 7, 2018)
• Despite dropping the opening set, 15th-ranked Baylor volleyball produced its highest ranked win in program history with a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Wisconsin at the Ferrell Center, 18-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22.
• Handing Wisconsin its first loss of the season, the Bears' highest ranked win before Friday came on two occasions: at No. 9 UCLA on Dec. 5, 2009 and against ninth-ranked Kansas State on Sept. 24, 2003.
• Sophomore Yossiana Pressley led all players with a career-high 32 kills on a .313 hitting efficiency and became the first Bear since former All-American Katie Staiger to record over 30 kills in a match. Her 32-kill total was the second-best four-set match performance in program history.
• Shelly Fanning and Aniah Philo contributed double-digit efforts with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
-BaylorBears.com-
Baylor Bear Insider
Last year, Baylor volleyball may have caught Wisconsin and Marquette by surprise in 3-1 victories in home tournaments at the Ferrell Center. That won't be the case this time.
Up to 17thin the country after sweeps of UCLA and then-No. 18 Creighton, the Bears (2-0) play Syracuse at 4 p.m. Thursday in the HotelRED Invitational in Madison, Wis., then face the host and fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) at 8 p.m. Friday and close out the weekend with a match against No. 11 Marquette (3-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Milwaukee, Wis.
"We can't really surprise them anymore. They know we're good," said 6-6 sophomore Marieke van der Mark, who had a career-high eight kills in Saturday's win over Creighton. "They know that we are ready to battle, so they're ready to battle against us. . . . It's definitely awesome to play against a good opponent like that."
Although Baylor didn't play second-ranked Nebraska at last weekend's Husker Invitational, coach Ryan McGuyre said it helped "just playing in that atmosphere and that stage there."
"Maybe when we first arrived, it was an eye-opening experience, like 'Hey, wow, this is what it could be!''' McGuyre said. "By no means have we fully arrived yet, but I think we're able to see ourselves, we're a part of this. We've worked hard enough where we have the opportunity to be one of the best teams in the country."
Syracuse, which made the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, is opening the regular season after beating Cornell in an exhibition match last weekend. Polina Shemanova earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors last season when she led the team with 447 kills and 282 digs.
The Orange were "maybe a couple wins away from really making a mark last year," McGuyre said. "We're their first match, they bring in some unknowns, and we'll have to see how that looks."
Wisconsin, tabbed as the Big Ten favorite this year over NCAA runner-up Nebraska, made the Elite Eight last year. Top returners are a pair of All-Big Ten performers, junior middle blocker Dana Rettke and junior setter Sydney Hilley.
"We want to be tested, and that's the game," McGuyre said. "You practice, you train, and then the game tells you where you're at. It's up to me and the staff to help prepare our girls, but they're doing a great job mentally preparing themselves as well. If anything, the big challenge is we've been on the road right out of the gate two weeks straight."
Baylor could not have started much better at last weekend's Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., pulling off a pair of 3-0 sweeps and hitting .277 as a team. Yossiana Pressley had 19 kills in each of the two matches, earning MVP honors, and was joined on the all-tournament team by senior middle blocker Shelly Stafford and junior setter Hannah Lockin.
"One of our dreams is to go undefeated, not lose any sets this preseason or this season," van der Mark said, "so the dream is still alive. It's pretty awesome."
McGuyre said the Bears are "just trying to take steps forward to be really good in December."
"I thought the steps taken forward were really solid, a good size step," he said. "Hannah Lockin did a great job running the show, so I was really pleased with what we were doing offensively. And definitely for the first two sets in both matches, we really limited our errors, put a lot of pressure on the opponent and didn't give up any big runs."
An offensive-minded setter, Lockin had a combined eight kills and hit .467 with only one error while also collecting 34 assists in each of the first two matches.
"She just kept the (UCLA) defense off-balance," McGuyre said of Lockin. "And just when they thought we were going to Yossi or somewhere else, she was able to pick up quick kills for us. And I think that was a big reason why we didn't give up any runs. Her accuracy, her dump and her offensiveness were really awesome. It was at another level that we've wanted her to be at. We want her to keep getting better at it, but it just brings a whole 'nother dynamic when defending Baylor."
Thursday's match against Syracuse will be broadcast on BTN Plus, with Friday's top-20 matchup aired on the Big Ten Network.
WACO, Texas – The 17th-ranked Baylor volleyball team will continue their season-opening road trip with two matches at the HotelRED Invitational Thursday and Friday in Madison, Wis.
BU faces off against Syracuse (0-0) Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. CT then comes back to battle fourth-ranked Wisconsin (2-0) Friday at 8 p.m. at the UW Field House. The Baylor-Syracuse match will be on BTN Plus while the top-20 matchup on Friday will air on the Big Ten Network.
Fans can also follow along with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• Baylor volleyball will continue its season-opening five-match road trip and will face Syracuse and No. 4 Wisconsin at the HotelRED Invitational in Madison, Wis. before heading to Milwaukee, Wis. to face 11th-ranked Marquette.
• The Bears are 2-0 on the season after neutral site wins over UCLA and then-No. 18 Creighton in Lincoln, Neb. at the Husker Invitational last weekend.
• BU will face Syracuse for the first time in program history while the Bears and Badgers will meet up for the second consecutive season.
• Under McGuyre, BU earned its highest win in program history with a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Wisconsin in Waco last season. BU looks to improve to 2-0 all-time against the Badgers.
TOP-20 IN THE AVCA COACHES POLL
• After a 2-0 start to the season, the Bears moved up three spots to No. 17 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, released Monday.
• Baylor's ranking is only second to No. 3 Texas among Big 12 opponents. Conference foe TCU also received votes in the poll.
• Last season, the Bears received a program-best No. 12 ranking. The No. 12 ranking shattered the previous the all-time program record set in 2009 at No. 17.
• The Bears are ranked for the 39th time in program history and have received votes in the poll for 28 straight weeks dating back to last season.
• BU has 14 matches slated against ranked opponents or teams receiving votes in the preseason poll.
• Baylor went 1-4 against ranked squads last season which includes a 3-1 win over No. 2 Wisconsin on Sept. 7 in Waco.
• BU is 1-0 against ranked opponents so far this season.
• BU opened the season at No. 20 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, opening the season as a ranked team for the third time in program history.
SUCCESS ON THE ROAD
• Baylor was 7-4 on the road in 2018, including a season-best five-match win streak.
• BU is 27-20 all-time in road matches under head coach Ryan McGuyre.
• On the road, BU was 2-0 in three-set matches and 0-0 in four and five-set matches in 2019.
• Baylor is playing in Wisconsin for the first time under McGuyre.
• Baylor is playing back-to-back true road matches for the first time in 2019 this weekend.
BU AGAINST HOTELRED INVITATIONAL OPPONENTS
• Baylor and Wisconsin will face off for the second-straight season. Both teams had never played each other prior to the 2018 season.
• BU topped second-ranked Wisconsin for its highest ranked win in program history last September in Waco.
• This will be the first time in program history that Baylor will play Syracuse.
• BU is 2-2 against ACC schools and 1-0 against Big Ten schools under McGuyre.
LAST TIME VS. WISCONSIN (Sept. 7, 2018)
• Despite dropping the opening set, 15th-ranked Baylor volleyball produced its highest ranked win in program history with a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Wisconsin at the Ferrell Center, 18-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22.
• Handing Wisconsin its first loss of the season, the Bears' highest ranked win before Friday came on two occasions: at No. 9 UCLA on Dec. 5, 2009 and against ninth-ranked Kansas State on Sept. 24, 2003.
• Sophomore Yossiana Pressley led all players with a career-high 32 kills on a .313 hitting efficiency and became the first Bear since former All-American Katie Staiger to record over 30 kills in a match. Her 32-kill total was the second-best four-set match performance in program history.
• Shelly Fanning and Aniah Philo contributed double-digit efforts with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
-BaylorBears.com-
Players Mentioned
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