By Bennett Parker | Sports Writer
No. 20 Baylor volleyball has its toughest test of the season on Friday, facing off against the best team in the nation in front of a packed opposing gym.
Baylor (4-1) hits the road for a three-game slate for their second tournament of the 2026 season, facing Georgia Tech (7-0), No. 1 Nebraska (4-0) and New Mexico (2-3).
The Bears on the heels of a disappointing outcome against No. 10 Florida and will look to get back to their winning ways in the Ameritas Challenge in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers are a different beast when it comes to volleyball, and Baylor will have to roll out its most complete performance of the year to compete. It is a new level of challenge for the players, but head coach Ryan McGuyre is no stranger to top-ranked teams, knocking off No. 1 Texas in 2019.
“We were just really strong,” said McGuyre when asked about what was key in the win over Texas. “We were really confident. The big key is we were trusting one another, and the team was really unselfish in 2019.”
His trust in how deep the 2019 squad gave him the confidence to tout any of his players on the court. He is now searching for a similar trust in the current team.
“Didn’t care who got how many sets, didn’t care who started,” McGuyre said. “Those that had to come in and finish the match were ready the whole entire time. That will be important for us going forward.”
Road games against high competition are difficult, especially as the Bears come off a match against an undefeated Georgia Tech on Thursday. Nebraska will take on a sub-.500 New Mexico team before playing Baylor.
“I think it’s hard on the staff from a scout standpoint,” McGuyre said. “Teams make adjustments. So, New Mexico on day three might look a lot different than they did going into the week, as they play and different things happen. And you have those quick turnarounds. So you’ve got to recover well. You’ve got to prepare well.”
The Bears will have a quick turnaround after their Georgia Tech match before running into powerhouse Nebraska. McGuyre still has faith in his squad.
“I still love the grit of this team; they want to battle,” McGuyre said. “At the end of the day, they like getting out on the court. That’s a reliability; I know what I’m getting from them.”
Nebraska fans add even more home-court advantage for the Cornhuskers. The team brought in a nation-leading 8,600 attendees per home match. Needless to say, the environment will be intense.
“I feel like our team’s really good at crowds,” freshman middle blocker Mya Hemmer said. “In Hawaii, we were able to see a gym full of their colors, so it didn’t really faze us that much. We were able to hone in on our game, which is really nice … we travel pretty well, that I’ve noticed so far.”
Baylor opens the weekend against Georgia Tech at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
