Friday, February 26
Waco, Texas
6:00 p.m.
Baylor
14-3,13-3Big 12
3
vs
0
North Texas
-46,13 CUSA
1
2
3
F
North Texas
16
17
13
0
Baylor
25
25
25
3
No. 6 VB Springs Back Into Action With 3-0 Sweep Over North Texas
2/26/2021 9:15:00 PM | Volleyball
Strong backcourt defense leads Bears to first win in second half of 2020-21 season
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Considering that No. 6 Baylor volleyball hadn't played in over three months, Ryan McGuyre couldn't have drawn this one up any better.
Playing their first spring schedule in program history, the Bears (14-3) had a near-flawless first set, got 15 kills from All-American Yossiana Pressley, held North Texas (4-6) to a negative hitting percentage (-.019) and rolled to their 10th sweep, 25-16, 25-17, 25-13, Friday night at the Ferrell Center.
"We were all super excited just to get out there for the first time, super pumped coming out of the locker room," said junior libero Shanel Bramschreiber, who had a match-high 16 digs. "That first set was really clean, and we can work on keeping it clean through all three. But, I'm pretty impressed with how we came out the first night, and it's only going to get better."
McGuyre's message to the team was to "come back in midseason form," but as good as they were Friday night, "it felt like a good 1-0 to start the season," he said.
"We're trying to do what's not easily done, but I think it's important," he said. "Some of those misconnections we had tonight, I feel confident that we'll get those things dialed-in. There's just a little bit more sense of urgency where those hiccups can't happen against good teams like Pepperdine (on Sunday) or Texas next week. We're going to look a lot better in a month, but right now we're playing those teams that have had a head start."
Pressley had eight of her 15 kills in the first set, when the Bears hit an efficient .467 with only three errors on 30 total swings.
"Our goal is to get clean swings," McGuyre said. "I thought (setter Hannah Sedwick) was streaking Yossi pretty good, and she was feeling good and hitting at a high clip. Seventeen kills in a set (for the team) is a lot. Any time you're over 15, you're really clean."
Baylor wasn't as efficient in the last two sets, hitting .121 with 11 kills and seven errors in the second set and then .220 with 14 kills and five errors in the last set. But, the defense carried the day, racking up 7.0 blocks and 53 digs.
"I think our blocking was good," said sophomore middle blocker Kara McGhee, who had four blocks and seven kills. "It can always get better, just have more consistent touches, but I think it definitely contributed to the team."
Playing her first game in over a year, Cal grad transfer Preslie Anderson had a solo block, two assists and a kill from the middle.
"One of the highlights tonight was just listening to her and (associate head coach Jason Williams) talk about, 'Hey, what's the best method to stop some of these players?''' McGuyre said. "She was bringing healthy suggestions that shows me she's really in-tune with what's happening on the other side. We'd love to see her get back in just pure volleyball shape, but she's fun to play with, fun to battle with, no doubt."
Sophomore transfer Lauren Harrison from North Carolina added nine kills and sophomore Emily Van Slate added 11 digs and an ace for the Bears, while Rhett Robinson led the Mean Green with eight kills and six blocks.
Baylor will host Pepperdine (7-1) at 6 p.m. Sunday before going on the road to play No. 2 Texas (15-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Austin. The Waves are coming off a split with No. 12 BYU, winning the opener in a sweep and then dropping a tight five-setter.
Sunday's match will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Staiger Smith calling the action.
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 6 Baylor volleyball resumed its 2020-21 season with a sweep over North Texas Friday evening at the Ferrell Center, 25-16, 25-17, 25-13.
Strong backcourt defense fueled the Bears, with 53 total digs including a 16-dig effort by Shanel Bramschreiber. Emily Van Slate added 11 digs and BU also recorded seven blocks at the net, holding UNT to a -.019 attack percentage, the second-lowest by an opponent this year.
Baylor (14-3, 13-3 Big 12) benefitted from Yossiana Pressley's 15 kills, Lauren Harrison's nine, and Kara McGhee's .429 efficiency night. The Mean Green (4-6, 1-3 C-USA) lost for the second time in their last three matches, while the Bears extended their winning streak to three.
In the opening set, BU got out to a quick start behind Pressley's lively arm. The reigning national player of the year tallied kills at 5-3, 11-5 and 20-12 as part of her eight-kill first set. Harrison also put down four balls on five swings, while KJ Johnson went a perfect three-of-three to propel the Bears into set two.
It was much of the same in the second frame as Baylor created breathing room and took advantage of UNT's miscues, as the Mean Green hit -.088 in the set. Preslie Anderson made her presence known at the net, compiling two of her three blocks on the evening. McGhee highlighted the offense, collecting five kills on six attempts to give the Bears a 2-0 match lead.
To close things out, Baylor saw its lead swell to 15-4 following a 7-0 run that included three BU kills and four UNT attack errors. Marieke van der Mark checked into the match and tallied three kills, while Harrison accounted for three of BU's final five points to wrap up the victory.
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor resumed its 2020-21 season with its 10th sweep of the year.
• BU held North Texas to just a -.019 attack percentage, the second-lowest output by an opponent this season (-.020, TCU on Oct. 3, 2020).
• The Bears tallied 17 kills in the first set on a combined .467 hitting percentage.
• Three Bears recorded at least seven kills: Yossiana Pressley (15), Lauren Harrison (9) and Kara McGhee (7).
• Pressley reached double figures for the 16th time this season.
• McGhee hit above .400 for the fifth time in 2020-21.
• Shanel Bramschreiber led the team with 16 digs, her 13th outing of the year with double-digit digs.
• Graduate transfer Preslie Anderson (California) made her Baylor debut with two kills and three blocks. It was her first action since November of 2019, as the Pac-12 did not compete during the fall of 2020.
STAT OF THE MATCH
-.019 – The Bears held UNT to a negative hitting percentage, marking the second time BU has done so this season.
TOP QUOTES
Head coach Ryan McGuyre
On the defense in tonight's match…
"I thought the floor defense was very good. Emily [Van Slate], Callie [Williams], but Shanel [Bramschreiber] did a great job with Soup [Campbell Bowden] and Yossi [Pressley] contributing. I liked our floor defense and I liked our serving game, but like I said the backcourt defense was great. Anything they got past the block, we got up. Shanel to me is an All-American libero. She really picked her spots well and I love how quickly she's making adjustments. She has great court ownership."
On resuming play in February…
"We're trying to get [make it feel like] mid-season, now we're 14-3, but it felt like a good 1-0 start to a new season. We're trying to do what is not easily done. I think it's important, like Pepperdine coming in on Sunday, they've had eight matches. Some of those misconnections we had tonight, I feel fine and confident that we will get those dialed in, but there's a little bit more sense of urgency where those hiccups can't happen against good teams like Pepperdine or Texas next week. We are going to look a lot better in a month, but right now we're playing those teams that have had a head start."
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 6 Baylor (14-3, 13-3) takes on Pepperdine (7-1, 7-1) Sunday evening at the Ferrell Center. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Baylor Bear Insider
Considering that No. 6 Baylor volleyball hadn't played in over three months, Ryan McGuyre couldn't have drawn this one up any better.
Playing their first spring schedule in program history, the Bears (14-3) had a near-flawless first set, got 15 kills from All-American Yossiana Pressley, held North Texas (4-6) to a negative hitting percentage (-.019) and rolled to their 10th sweep, 25-16, 25-17, 25-13, Friday night at the Ferrell Center.
"We were all super excited just to get out there for the first time, super pumped coming out of the locker room," said junior libero Shanel Bramschreiber, who had a match-high 16 digs. "That first set was really clean, and we can work on keeping it clean through all three. But, I'm pretty impressed with how we came out the first night, and it's only going to get better."
McGuyre's message to the team was to "come back in midseason form," but as good as they were Friday night, "it felt like a good 1-0 to start the season," he said.
"We're trying to do what's not easily done, but I think it's important," he said. "Some of those misconnections we had tonight, I feel confident that we'll get those things dialed-in. There's just a little bit more sense of urgency where those hiccups can't happen against good teams like Pepperdine (on Sunday) or Texas next week. We're going to look a lot better in a month, but right now we're playing those teams that have had a head start."
Pressley had eight of her 15 kills in the first set, when the Bears hit an efficient .467 with only three errors on 30 total swings.
"Our goal is to get clean swings," McGuyre said. "I thought (setter Hannah Sedwick) was streaking Yossi pretty good, and she was feeling good and hitting at a high clip. Seventeen kills in a set (for the team) is a lot. Any time you're over 15, you're really clean."
Baylor wasn't as efficient in the last two sets, hitting .121 with 11 kills and seven errors in the second set and then .220 with 14 kills and five errors in the last set. But, the defense carried the day, racking up 7.0 blocks and 53 digs.
"I think our blocking was good," said sophomore middle blocker Kara McGhee, who had four blocks and seven kills. "It can always get better, just have more consistent touches, but I think it definitely contributed to the team."
Playing her first game in over a year, Cal grad transfer Preslie Anderson had a solo block, two assists and a kill from the middle.
"One of the highlights tonight was just listening to her and (associate head coach Jason Williams) talk about, 'Hey, what's the best method to stop some of these players?''' McGuyre said. "She was bringing healthy suggestions that shows me she's really in-tune with what's happening on the other side. We'd love to see her get back in just pure volleyball shape, but she's fun to play with, fun to battle with, no doubt."
Sophomore transfer Lauren Harrison from North Carolina added nine kills and sophomore Emily Van Slate added 11 digs and an ace for the Bears, while Rhett Robinson led the Mean Green with eight kills and six blocks.
Baylor will host Pepperdine (7-1) at 6 p.m. Sunday before going on the road to play No. 2 Texas (15-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Austin. The Waves are coming off a split with No. 12 BYU, winning the opener in a sweep and then dropping a tight five-setter.
Sunday's match will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Staiger Smith calling the action.
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 6 Baylor volleyball resumed its 2020-21 season with a sweep over North Texas Friday evening at the Ferrell Center, 25-16, 25-17, 25-13.
Strong backcourt defense fueled the Bears, with 53 total digs including a 16-dig effort by Shanel Bramschreiber. Emily Van Slate added 11 digs and BU also recorded seven blocks at the net, holding UNT to a -.019 attack percentage, the second-lowest by an opponent this year.
Baylor (14-3, 13-3 Big 12) benefitted from Yossiana Pressley's 15 kills, Lauren Harrison's nine, and Kara McGhee's .429 efficiency night. The Mean Green (4-6, 1-3 C-USA) lost for the second time in their last three matches, while the Bears extended their winning streak to three.
In the opening set, BU got out to a quick start behind Pressley's lively arm. The reigning national player of the year tallied kills at 5-3, 11-5 and 20-12 as part of her eight-kill first set. Harrison also put down four balls on five swings, while KJ Johnson went a perfect three-of-three to propel the Bears into set two.
It was much of the same in the second frame as Baylor created breathing room and took advantage of UNT's miscues, as the Mean Green hit -.088 in the set. Preslie Anderson made her presence known at the net, compiling two of her three blocks on the evening. McGhee highlighted the offense, collecting five kills on six attempts to give the Bears a 2-0 match lead.
To close things out, Baylor saw its lead swell to 15-4 following a 7-0 run that included three BU kills and four UNT attack errors. Marieke van der Mark checked into the match and tallied three kills, while Harrison accounted for three of BU's final five points to wrap up the victory.
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor resumed its 2020-21 season with its 10th sweep of the year.
• BU held North Texas to just a -.019 attack percentage, the second-lowest output by an opponent this season (-.020, TCU on Oct. 3, 2020).
• The Bears tallied 17 kills in the first set on a combined .467 hitting percentage.
• Three Bears recorded at least seven kills: Yossiana Pressley (15), Lauren Harrison (9) and Kara McGhee (7).
• Pressley reached double figures for the 16th time this season.
• McGhee hit above .400 for the fifth time in 2020-21.
• Shanel Bramschreiber led the team with 16 digs, her 13th outing of the year with double-digit digs.
• Graduate transfer Preslie Anderson (California) made her Baylor debut with two kills and three blocks. It was her first action since November of 2019, as the Pac-12 did not compete during the fall of 2020.
STAT OF THE MATCH
-.019 – The Bears held UNT to a negative hitting percentage, marking the second time BU has done so this season.
TOP QUOTES
Head coach Ryan McGuyre
On the defense in tonight's match…
"I thought the floor defense was very good. Emily [Van Slate], Callie [Williams], but Shanel [Bramschreiber] did a great job with Soup [Campbell Bowden] and Yossi [Pressley] contributing. I liked our floor defense and I liked our serving game, but like I said the backcourt defense was great. Anything they got past the block, we got up. Shanel to me is an All-American libero. She really picked her spots well and I love how quickly she's making adjustments. She has great court ownership."
On resuming play in February…
"We're trying to get [make it feel like] mid-season, now we're 14-3, but it felt like a good 1-0 start to a new season. We're trying to do what is not easily done. I think it's important, like Pepperdine coming in on Sunday, they've had eight matches. Some of those misconnections we had tonight, I feel fine and confident that we will get those dialed in, but there's a little bit more sense of urgency where those hiccups can't happen against good teams like Pepperdine or Texas next week. We are going to look a lot better in a month, but right now we're playing those teams that have had a head start."
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 6 Baylor (14-3, 13-3) takes on Pepperdine (7-1, 7-1) Sunday evening at the Ferrell Center. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
UNT
Baylor
Kills
22
42
Errors
24
15
Attempts
105
104
Hitting %
-.019
.260
Points
32
52
Assists
21
38
Aces
1
3
Blocks
9
7
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball🐻's on the PROWL 🏜️
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