Preview: No. 2 VB Welcomes TCU to Waco

	BAYLOR BEARS (1-1) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Ryan McGuyre (Biola, 1998) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes (PDF)	BAYLOR (1-1) vs. TCU (0-0) Oct. 2, 2020 • 5 p.m. CT Oct. 3, 2020 • 5 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Ferrell Center Live Stats: baylorstats.com WATCH: ESPNU Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Baylor Social Media:

	TCU HORNED FROGS (0-0) Location: Fort Worth, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Jill Kramer (TCU, 1999) Roster \| Stats (PDF) \| Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            In a 16-game, conference-only schedule, Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre knows that you can fall out of the title race in a hurry.
            Coming off a road split with a Kansas team that's now ranked ninth in the AVCA poll, the second-ranked Bears (1-1) will host TCU (0-0) at 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Ferrell Center, hoping to keep pace with a top-ranked Texas team that's off to a 3-0 start.
            "The Big 12 is still in our hands, we just have to win out," said McGuyre, whose team shared last year's championship with the Longhorns. "It's so hard not to think about April (the NCAA Championships) for me, because I am normally like, 'Hey, what's the end date?' And you always want to work backwards and do what you need to do."
            The balance, McGuyre said, is winning enough games to remain highly ranked and stay in consideration, "but you've got to make mistakes in order to get better, too, so you have to have some matches to let the girls play through things."
            Baylor wasn't able to "play through things" in a 3-2 season-opening loss to Kansas last Friday. The Bears hit over .600 with 36 kills in the first and fourth sets, but managed just 25 kills with 22 errors on 73 swings for a .041 hitting percentage in the sets the Jayhawks won.
            "It's definitely a punch in the face, and what are we made of?" McGuyre said. "And to me, the response was great – more focused, more dialed-in. We were able to have more clarity on what we were trying to do. You never like to lose. And if it's going to happen, you'd rather see it happen earlier than later. My hope is that it brought a renewed commitment to just the sharpness and mental focus that it really takes."
            That was evident the next day, when the Bears hit .400 overall and got double-digit kills from sophomore transfer Lauren Harrison (14), sophomore middle blocker Kara McGhee and senior All-American Yossiana Pressley (10 kills, 4 blocks) in a 3-0 sweep.
            "I think it was really big to bounce back Saturday and get the sweep," Harrison said. 'I feel like we were able to make quick adjustments."
            While Pressley has struggled to regain her National Player of the Year form after an offseason surgery, hitting just .091 with 2.38 kills per set, Harrison has taken up the slack with a team-best 29 kills and .400 attack percentage.
            "Offensively, we already knew what we were getting in her," McGuyre said of Harrison, who transferred from North Carolina. "But, the few weeks we had in the spring with her before COVID, we were like, 'Man, we are getting so much more.' Offensively, she's right there doing what Yossi can do. It's just a matter of the non-offensive things, getting her caught up on a little bit of defense, passing, off-block assignments. We expect a lot out of everybody."
            Since TCU had its bye last weekend, Baylor once again goes into Friday's match against TCU not knowing fully what to expect. Last year, the Horned Frogs tied for seventh in the nine-team league, finishing 12-18 overall and 4-12 in the Big 12 and getting swept by Baylor both times.
            "It's a lot like the Kansas match, except they have more information on us than even Kansas did," McGuyre said. "TCU has a little less, as far as new faces in there. They have some that we'll just have to do our homework on, but I think we can anticipate who's returning and what positions they're playing, and look at film from what they were doing scheme-wise last year. I'm sure, what we see on the first night will be something new again."
            Friday's match will be broadcast on ESPNU and Saturday's by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose and former Baylor All-American Katie (Staiger) Smith calling the action.

STORYLINES

COMING HOME

After a 1-1 road series to begin the 2020 season, the Bears are back in Waco to take on I-35 rival TCU.
Under sixth-year head coach Ryan McGuyre, BU is 3-2 in home openers.
The Bears currently own a two-match win streak in home openers, as last season Baylor topped Houston in four sets and in 2018, the Bears defeated LSU in four.
Due to precautions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferrell Center will be restricted to 25 percent capacity (just under 700 seats) in order to provide the safest environment for student-athletes, fans, coaches and staffs.
Two of Baylor volleyball's all-time top-four Ferrell Center crowds have come at home openers.

AGAINST THE HORNED FROGS

Baylor leads the all-time series with TCU 17-7, including a 7-3 record under McGuyre.
The Bears have won each of the last six meetings with the Horned Frogs, including a pair of 3-0 sweeps in 2019.
BU is 6-2 against TCU in Waco since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.

BOUNCING BACK

After dropping the season opener in five sets at Kansas last Friday, the Bears bounced back to sweep the Jayhawks on Saturday in dominating fashion.
The Bears had three players record double-digit kills in both matches at KU as Lauren Harrison and Kara McGhee reached double figures twice, and Yossiana Pressley and Marieke van der Mark each did so once.
The Bears improved to 4-0 following a season-opening loss under McGuyre.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Eight Bears saw their first action in a Baylor uniform last weekend: L/DS Gabby Brown, MB Laché Harper, OH Lauren Harrison, L/DS Jena Kelly, OPP AJ Koele, MB Andressa Parise, L/DS Emily Van Slate and S Callie Williams.
Brown made her first-career start on Saturday, tallying two digs in action as a defensive specialist.
Harrison led the Bears in kills in both matches with 15 and 14, respectively.
Parise made her Division I debut on Friday, recording four kills and six blocks.
Williams collected 47 assists, just eight off her career-high, in her first action as a Bear on Friday.
Harper, Kelly, Koele and Van Slate each came off the bench for the Bears.

NEW IN 2020

The revised 2020 schedule includes a new, 16-match format in which teams will play on back-to-back days against league opponents.
The Bears will host four Big 12 opponents and travel for four road series, splitting the 2020 ledger evenly with eight home and eight away contests.
The Big 12 has set the minimum number of players required to play a match this season at nine, which must include one setter. Teams falling below the benchmark, based on game week test results, could still elect to play as scheduled if so desired. Otherwise, upon approval by Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, the match would be declared a no-contest if it cannot be moved to a later date.

-BaylorBears.com-

Preview: No. 2 VB Welcomes TCU to Waco

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gabby Brown

Lauren Harrison

Jena Kelly

AJ Koele

Kara McGhee

Andressa Parise

Yossiana Pressley

Marieke van der Mark

Emily Van Slate

Callie Williams

Footer

Preview: No. 2 VB Welcomes TCU to Waco

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gabby Brown

Lauren Harrison

Jena Kelly

AJ Koele

Kara McGhee

Andressa Parise

Yossiana Pressley

Marieke van der Mark

Emily Van Slate

Callie Williams

Related Videos

Promotional Background Photo

Footer