No. 17 VB Readies for Senior Day, Kansas State

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            When middle blocker Mallory Talbert celebrated Senior Day at Texas A&M last year, getting the match-clinching kill in a 3-0 sweep of Missouri, she knew the season was over.

            That won't be the case when the 17^th-ranked Baylor volleyball team (22-6, 11-4) hosts Kansas State (15-13, 6-9) for Senior Day at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center in the regular-season finale for both teams.

            At 15^th in the latest RPI rankings, the Bears are a lock for their seventh-consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and a likely host for the first and second round if they beat K-State.

            "This one isn't as bittersweet," said Talbert, who is third on the team with 87 blocks and 15^th nationally with a .404 hitting percentage, "because we're going to keep on going into postseason. It's hard to be upset about something whenever it's been such a huge blessing. It'll be hard to leave volleyball behind, but I'll take everything that I've experienced here with me."

            Also honored in a post-match ceremony will be outside hitters Lauren Harrison and Cassie Davis and middle blocker Kara McGhee, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. McGhee is the lone holdover from the 2019 team that won a share of the conference title and made the Final Four.

            "Reflecting on when Kara was here and we're beating UCLA in her first match as a freshman, and she was kind of oblivious on how intense it was," coach Ryan McGuyre said, "to now, where she's a team leader and really impacting things this year."

            McGhee, who's seventh nationally with a Big 12-best 1.50 blocks per set, said she wants to "go in with the same mindset that we go into any game," because she knows "it isn't the end of our season and we still have a game to play."

            A two-time All-Big 12 pick at Baylor after spending her first two seasons at North Carolina, Harrison said her favorite memories in three years with the Bears are beating No. 1-ranked Texas, 3-1, last year at the Ferrell Center and upsetting then-No. 3 Wisconsin, earlier this year in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Fort Worth.

            She said going toe-to-toe with the top-ranked Longhorns, 3-1, on Saturday was "difficult coming that close," but it was "definitely encouraging to know that we can compete at that level with the No. 1 team in the country."

            McGuyre said the tight 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23 loss showed that "we can battle, we can compete, we can dig and we can play at that same level."

            "Our sport always comes down to one or two points," he said. "Disappointed, because I think in every set . . . there's probably five or six points that we really feel we should have capitalized on. There were some sloppy moments at times for us that gave it away, versus making them earn it."

            With a resume that includes a runner-up finish in the Big 12 – the No. 1 RPI conference in the country – and seven wins over top-50 teams, McGuyre believes the Bears have "done enough to deserve to host, especially with this team and how we fought on the road at Texas."

            "We're in a super-competitive conference where pretty much every team is in the top 100, five teams in the top 50," McGuyre said. "Hopefully, the (selection) committee does its homework. We took a dinger to No. 1 Texas and fell in the polls (from 16^th to No. 17 in the AVCA coaches' poll). But everyone's jockeying. Two weeks ago, we were sitting at 10 and just stubbed our toe at TCU. The conference is No. 1 in RPI, so I think the top two teams should be hosting."

            Davis, who played in 10 sets combined in her first two seasons at Baylor, has played in 53 sets over 20 matches this season. She has had 10 aces, 13 kills, 31 digs and four blocks.

            "I relish in it just because I'm so grateful for the opportunity when I do get to go out there," Davis said, "and hopefully make a difference on the court and bring the energy off the bench."

            McGuyre says Davis has been consistent and "probably our best practice player."

            "She never takes a day off in the gym," he said. "I'm just proud of her. She's one of those where my heart and brain fight each other a little bit because she hasn't always had maybe the playing time that others had, but she's just so trustworthy and reliable."

            Saturday's match will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor volleyball All-American Katie Staiger Smith calling the action.

            The NCAA Selection Show for Division I volleyball is set for 6:30 p.m. CT Sunday and will be broadcast by ESPNU.

WACO, Texas – The No. 17-ranked Baylor volleyball team readies for the regular-season closer on Saturday against Kansas State, taking place at 1 p.m. CT in the Ferrell Center.

Senior celebrations for Cassie Davis, Lauren Harrison, Kara McGhee and Mallory Talbert will take place post-match on the court.

The Bears (22-6, 11-4 Big 12 Conference) close out the regular-season at home with the Wildcats (15-13, 6-9 Big 12).

KSU comes to Waco off a 3-2 win over Texas Tech in Manhattan, while BU most recently fell in a four-set bout with top-ranked Texas.

McGhee currently leads the conference in blocks per set and is eighth overall in the nation at 1.50. McGhee is also leading the conference in total blocks with 155 while ranking 11^th in the NCAA. Also ranking first in the conference is Averi Carlson with 1,111 total assists, that number coming in at 41^st in the NCAA.

The match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with John Morris and former Baylor All-American Katie Smith on the call. Live stats for the match can be found on BaylorBears.com/stats.

A full recap and final stats will be posted on BaylorBears.com after the conclusion of the match.

The Bears will wait for their name to be called in the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show after Saturday's match, the show airing on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

To keep up to date with Baylor volleyball all year long, follow the Bears on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @BaylorVBall.

-BaylorBears.com-

No. 17 VB Readies for Senior Day, Kansas State

Players Mentioned

Averi Carlson

Cassie Davis

Lauren Harrison

Kara McGhee

Mallory Talbert

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