By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
No. 15 Baylor volleyball is set to take on Big Ten stalwarts No. 2 University of Wisconsin and No. 7 University of Minnesota for the third year in a row as part of the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. This fall’s installment of the annual duel will take place in the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis.
All three teams enter the season ranked in the top 15 of the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll, with Wisconsin leading the pack at No. 2. The Badgers only trail defending national champion University of Texas, but Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre thinks his soon-to-be foe had the case to be ranked even higher.
“I think Wisconsin had a case for [being] No. 1, just as far as the transfers that they brought in,” McGuyre said. “They were really active in bringing a lot of [players] back from a good team, and then probably picking off the best players from other programs.”
Wisconsin, which earned its first national title in 2021, is bringing back five of six starters from last year’s Elite Eight team. The program found reinforcements in the transfer portal, ushering in Second Team All-American graduate student outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara from Northwestern University, along with First Team All-Big Ten sophomore middle blocker Carter Booth from Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is entering a transition year after former national coach of the year Hugh McCutcheon stepped down in the offseason. During McCutcheon’s tenure, the Golden Gophers made three trips to the Final Four and a decade’s worth of Sweet 16 runs. Filling his shoes will be former University of Washington coach Keegan Cook, who led the Huskies to four Elite Eights and a Final Four in his eight seasons out west.
“Minnesota will look a little different,” McGuyre said. “They have a new coach, great coach, Keegan [Cook] from Washington over there. One of their outsiders transferred to Texas. So still loaded, still lots of talent, still well-trained, and they’re going to be good.”
McGuyre’s squad lost to Wisconsin and beat Minnesota in 2021, flipping those results in 2022. The challenge of facing two teams likely to “be battling for the Big Ten championship” is exciting for many on the roster, including sophomore setter Averi Carlson.
“We’re super excited to go to Minnesota and go play,” Carlson said. “They’re both great teams, and I think they’ll be great competition.”
The past two Big Ten/Big 12 Challenges have come on the road, first at the Wisconsin Field House in Madison, Wis., and then at the Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth. The Bears only have to make one more road trip before hosting the 2024 Challenge in Waco.
“The unique thing about that weekend is it’s the only football home game we’ve had in August since I’ve been here,” McGuyre said. “I think it’s Aug. 31, Saturday. Normally, there’s never football opening weekend, but the planets aligned, so we’ll have to get creative and maybe do a Friday-Sunday one for opening weekend instead of a Friday-Saturday — but for sure looking forward to that.”
