By Grant Morrison | Sports Writer
For the fifth time in Baylor volleyball head coach Ryan McGuyre’s 10-year tenure, the Bears are set to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in the Ferrell Center. They were chosen as the No. 4 seed in the Lower Right Regional and No. 15 overall squad in the 64-team bracket.
Baylor (22-7, 14-4), relishes the opportunity to play in front of its home crowd, fully prepared to make the most of the home-court advantage. In a volatile sport liable for big momentum swings, an engaged fan presence can be a massive boon to a team.
“Having your home crowd, one, makes it tougher on opponents, and two, makes for a quicker resurgence in the match if there’s ever a lull,” McGuyre said.
Senior libero Lauren Briseño, along with graduate setter Jackie Barrett Frazier and junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech, was named to the All-Big 12 second team earlier this week. Senior outside hitter Elise McGhee was a unanimous selection to the first team. Each of the seniors is looking to make the most of their final home matches.
“Going to battle, even if we were at home or away, we knew we’re gonna get this done” Briseño said.
Baylor’s first tournament match comes Thursday against the Wofford Terriers (23-8), who come to Waco with momentum after winning their second straight — and second ever — Southern Conference Championship.
The Terriers spread the ball out on offense, with four players boasting top-10 hitting percentages in their conference. As a team they lead the Southern Conference in kills, assists, blocks and digs.
Their talented pair of young setters, sophomore Taylor Pecht and freshman Maddy Frazier, split time on the court, both managing the offense with efficiency.
But where the Terriers truly excel is their defense. Junior middle blocker Annemarie Rakoski leads the Southern Conference with 133 total blocks on the season, while freshman middle blocker Bradley Brown isn’t far behind at sixth.
Wofford sophomore libero Laney Klika makes a hefty contribution defusing attacks as well, leading the league with an impressive 5.23 digs per set — a number that would put her atop the Big 12 leaderboard as well.
Though Baylor’s focus is on the match in front of them, McGuyre anticipates its potential matchup with No. 5 seed Dayton (29-2), whom the Bears would face Friday with a win against Wofford and a Dayton win over South Carolina (16-11).
“Dayton’s really, really good,” McGuyre said. “All the teams coming to this tournament are — they’re champions; they’re winners.”
For McGuyre, the matchup would also serve as a reunion with Dayton head coach Tim Horsmon, who hired McGuyre as an assistant during his tenure as head coach at Maryland.
“I wouldn’t be at Baylor if it wasn’t for Tim,” McGuyre said. “There’s a great friendship there.”
Friendships aside, a matchup against Dayton would be a welcome challenge for Baylor, considering the Flyers suffered only one regular season loss before being swept in their conference championship against Loyola Chicago.
Like Wofford, Dayton leads their conference in kills, assists and digs, with the added bonus of holding its opponents to the fewest assists, kills and service aces, as well as the lowest hitting percentage.
The Dayton offense runs through senior setter Alyssa Miller, who holds a nationwide top-15 10.87 assists per set, while senior outside hitter Lexie Almodovar’s 4.91 kills per set ranks seventh overall.
But first, the Bears have to take care of business against Wofford.
“If you don’t play like it’s your last game, it will be,” McGuyre said.
The match is set for a 7 p.m. start time in the Ferrell Center, and will stream on ESPN+.
