No. 20 VB Set to Face No. 5 Texas

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

Instead of repeating the past, Baylor volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre wants to make history when his 20^th-ranked Bears (12-7, 6-3) face No. 5 Texas (14-3, 9-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Gregory Gym in Austin.

In a series dating back to 1974 that the Longhorns have completely dominated (89-4), Baylor is 0-46 all-time in Austin, including a 3-1 loss last year at Gregory Gym.

"It's always tough matches in Gregory," said McGuyre, whose team has reeled off five-straight wins in to move up to fourth in the Big 12 standings behind Texas, No. 8 BYU and a UCF team the Bears just swept last weekend. "We know there's history of us not doing well there, so we want to change that and this is the last chance to do it under the umbrella of the Big 12."

With Texas leaving for the SEC after this year, these will be the last two conference matchups of the in-state rivals that goes back to the Southwest Conference days.

"I probably haven't wrapped my mind around that part of it," McGuyre said, "just because they're a good program, we're a good program, the rivalry is there. . .. If you ask them, our rise has probably helped them push it a little bit more with what they've been doing. We want to compete, and it would be absolutely sweet to get not just one win but two wins, and what better way to send them off to the SEC."

The last four games in the win streak have come without freshman Kyndal Stowers on the court, and "there is zero chance she plays this weekend," McGuyre said.

But the Bears have had other players step up, like reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Elise McGhee. She totaled 32 kills in a pair of 3-1 wins over then-No. 24 UCF after recording 36 the week before in a sweep at Cincinnati.

Sophomore Riley Simpson has made the biggest impact in Stowers' absence, recording double-digit kills in five of the team's last six matches.

"As a setter, I'm super proud of my hitters just being able to step up and take on that challenge," said sophomore Averi Carlson, who leads the conference with 10.74 assists per set. "It's definitely a different look with Kyndal out, but you really can't tell. They're super confident, and it just makes my job even easier."

The defending national champion, Texas has won at least a share of 11 of the last 12 Big 12 titles, sharing it with Baylor in 2019 when the Bears made it to the Final Four.

"It's always so much fun playing Texas, especially being able to play in Gregory Gym," junior libero Lauren Briseño said. "The gym is just notoriously known for being super loud and having a really engaged crowd. Something really cool that we've been talking about when we have these big matchups and super big crowds is learning how to love louder. No matter how loud the crowd gets, we're going to love each other louder."

Texas is led by junior outside hitter Madisen Skinner, who is second in the league with 4.52 kills per set. Madisen is the younger sister of former Baylor player Avery Skinner and played with her on Kentucky's 2020 national championship team.

"Great family, we loved having Avery here," McGuyre said. "She brings a lot of heat, can elevate. Her ability to move the ball around, you talk about a hitter's toolbox, she can annihilate, she can locate. You can take one away and something else is open."

All-American middle blocker Asjia O'Neal leads the Big 12 with 1.52 blocks per set and has USA National Team experience. Freshman setter Ella Swindle ranks eighth in the league with 9.64 assists per set, while Minnesota transfer Jenna Wenaas has had double-digit kills in 11 matches and is averaging 2.82 kills per set.

"They are significantly different, but still talented, still physical," McGuyre said. "(O'Neal) is probably one of the best middles in the country, if not the best. This year. She could be really dangerous on her slide attack. She blocks well, picks the right spots, plays with a good, healthy swagger."

Thursday's match will be broadcast by FS1, with Ron Thulin and Jill Dorsey-Hall calling the action. Friday's match will be carried by the Longhorn Network.

WACO, Texas – The 20th-ranked Baylor volleyball squad is set to head down I-35 to face fifth-ranked Texas on Thursday and Friday at Gregory Gym.

This will be the last time BU (12-7, 6-3 Big 12) faces the Longhorns (14-3, 9-0) as a conference foe. The series is the most-played for the Bears at 93 overall matches. Baylor is looking to get its first win over UT in Austin in this series.

Baylor is coming off a season sweep of UCF to face the Horns, winning 3-1 in the first match and going 3-0 in the second. The Knights were ranked No. 24 the week of the series but have since fallen out of the AVCA Teraflex Poll. Elise McGhee and Riley Simpson led the team for the matches, both raking in double-digit kills in each match. In the first match, Averi Carlson had her 2000^th career assist while Lauren Briseño had her 800^th career dig. McGhee was named the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Week after collecting 32 total kills.

The Longhorns last played on Oct. 18 against TCU in Fort Worth, winning in five sets. It was UT's first five-set match of the season. The reigning national champions are led by Asjia O'Neal on defense and Madisen Skinner on offense. Skinner is the younger sister of Baylor alumna Avery Skinner. The two both previously played at Kentucky before transferring to their respective universities in Texas. BU were picked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in each of the previous five years of the Big 12 Preseason Poll. This season the Bears were picked to finish third in the league behind BYU.

Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre often says the "better team wins the second night" when it comes to playing back-to-back matches against the same opponent. Since the 2020 season, McGuyre and his Bears are 17-1 on the second day in back-to-back matches. The singular loss was to Texas in the 2020 season. In 2021, Baylor won the second night against the Longhorns.

The match will be broadcast on FS1 with Ron Thulin and Jill Dorsey-Hall on the call. Links to live stats and the broadcast can be found on linktr.ee/baylorvball.

To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.

- BaylorBears.com -

No. 20 VB Set to Face No. 5 Texas

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Briseño

Averi Carlson

Elise McGhee

Riley Simpson

Kyndal Stowers

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