By Tyler White | Sports Writer
With two spring matches under its belt, Baylor volleyball is fully back in action. The team is introducing new faces as well as preparing for the 2024 season, as the squad’s schedule was officially announced on Thursday.
Junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech said she is looking forward to more spring matches with her teammates, as well as the fall season. Since it was a senior-less team this past season, Sczech said she’s excited to see how the upperclassmen fall into roles of leadership and continue to build a strong team.
“I mean, just to have everyone back has been great,” Sczech said. “All the kids that were in the junior class last year now being seniors is just awesome. And to have that leadership from them — it’s been here the whole time — but to see them fill the senior role.”
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Looking at the four remaining spring exhibitions, Sczech said this is the time when they focus and put in a lot of work. She said competition is still intense in the spring, even though matches don’t start counting until the fall.
“Spring is the grind, and there’s not necessarily reaping the reward quite yet,” Sczech said. “So it’s been a lot of tough practices, a lot of pushing ourselves, pushing the limit, doing a little more than we think we can do every single practice.”
Senior outside hitter Elise McGhee said she is looking forward to the spring and fall seasons because she wants to cherish her last year with the team. She said it’s a great feeling to know she’s going into her final season with her close teammates.
“I feel like it’s such a close-knit team, and that’s something so valuable and unique, I feel like, to Baylor,” McGhee said. “I just love every single person, so no matter what happens on the court, knowing that going to my last season with my best friends, people I’ve grown with, it’s just super special.”
McGhee said even in the spring exhibitions, head coach Ryan McGuyre is focused on making sure they compete at a high level. She said it’s an important time for them to get into practice.
“I feel like everyone just getting in the gym and competing at a high level is super important, super valuable to him, as well as knowing, how can I get 1% better every single day and build off of that so when we get into the fall, we are super prepared, and we feel that comfortability playing on the court?” McGhee said.
Looking forward to the 2024 schedule, McGhee said she’s pumped for the Bears to host the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge against Wisconsin and Minnesota. She said she has been looking forward to these matchups for her final season of volleyball.
“I have especially been looking forward to this matchup because this is my last year doing it, and every single year, it’s been away or at a neutral spot,” McGhee said. “And so this is the first year we’ll be at Baylor, so that just makes me so excited.”
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Sczech said the team is continuing to work hard and produce talent on the court as a cohesive team. She said next year will be an exciting season, and she’s looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
“I think, like, all hands on deck,” Sczech said. “Everything’s going to be great, and we’re going to have a lot of high-level competition in the gym.”