By Grant Morrison | Sports Writer
As a young student-athlete in Ridgefield, Wash., Baylor volleyball redshirt junior middle blocker Alicia Andrew didn’t consider herself primarily as a volleyball player. But her perspective changed when her mother signed her up for volleyball camp as a teenager.
“I always thought basketball was gonna be my path to college,” Andrew said. “It definitely turned my head a bit. Getting to play in high school and club was really huge.”
As the years went on, she continued to concentrate and hone her craft. Playing sand volleyball with her two younger sisters grew her love for the game, and soon she knew the sport was something she wanted to pursue at the next level.
Like many volleyball hopefuls looking for a college home, Andrew wanted to be a dual-athlete, competing in both beach and indoor volleyball. But as the search for a school to play for went on, her priorities shifted.
“I was looking for a place that felt like home, that even without my sport, I would love it there, and I would love the people,” Andrew said. “The environment that you’re in impacts you so much.”
On her first visit to Baylor during her sophomore year of high school, the environment she craved was exactly what greeted her.
“Getting to meet [head coach Ryan McGuyre and] the rest of the coaches, and meeting the girls, you can just tell that there’s something special here,” Andrew said.
In her first year on campus, Andrew was at the bottom of the depth chart behind middle blocker Kara McGhee, the older sister of current senior outside hitter Elise McGhee. Without an avenue to the court as a freshman, Andrew chose to redshirt and develop under Kara.
“I learned so much,” Andrew said. “Getting to take a year to get my feet under me and figure out, ‘This is what high-level volleyball looks like, this is what playing in that environment looks like,’ and how to be successful in that.
“Kara was like my older sister middle [blocker], just seeing how she handled the pressure and how she played for something bigger than herself, she was a really good role model for me.”
Now a redshirt junior, Andrew is the new “older sister middle” to underclassmen like sophomore middle blocker Victoria Davis and freshman opposite hitter Grace Carroll.
“Everything I’ve learned from freshman year – the role that I played then, and the role that I play now… there are very different aspects, and things than I’ve learned to help younger teammates and pour into them with,” Andrew said.
And for every opportunity she gets, Andrew pawns off her knowledge.
“[She’s] really inspiring to all of us that are around her… learning how to play at the level that she’s playing at,” Carroll said.
As for the middle blocking position group, senior Manuela Bibinbe occupies the other starting role with Andrew. With Davis and senior Ava Grace Haggard coming in off the bench, the four are what Andrew calls “Middle Buddies Four Life.”
“It’s so special. [Manuela and I] pray together before every game, and it helps recenter and reframe what we’re doing. I absolutely love playing next to her.”
But as a redshirt junior, there’s a bittersweetness that accompanies this year for Andrew. So many members of her freshman class— Bibinbe, McGhee, Haggard and libero Lauren Briseño— are now in their last season at Baylor.
“One thing that I’ve focused on this year is enjoying the moment and being present,” Andrew said. “They always say, ‘Oh college goes by fast!’… I didn’t realize how fast.”
The season is moving just as quick. Just over halfway through the season, Andrew and the Bears (10-6, 2-3 Big 12) are refocusing their energy after road losses to No.18 TCU, No. 24 BYU and No. 20 Utah. The opportunity to reset and defend the Ferrell Center is one that the team relishes.
“We’re happy to be home, happy to be back in the gym… Using that time to put in the work, train and sharpen all the things we need to sharpen,” Andrew said.
That work ethic—the always grinding, constantly improving, never satisfied mentality that Andrew exhibits—is seen by her teammates and coaches as a vital part of her game.
“It’s a testament to who she is, and what she’s willing to give for the team. It’s cool to see her step out of this role she was in, into a new one, and it’s been a big light for our team,” junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech said. “From a statistical standpoint, she’s helping our team a lot… To have a middle that’s just that dominant is extremely effective in the game.”
Not only have the players on the squad noticed how much Andrew moves the needle for Baylor’s deep postseason run aspirations, but also the coach staff that lured her in more than five years ago.
“I’m really proud of her, just for the work ethic, it’s a great example,” McGuyre said. “She’s continued to persevere, and her volleyball IQ has been good. She really owns the net up there… it’s great to see her take her game to another level.”
Moving into the second half of the season, in the second half of her collegiate career, Andrew has taken the few extra days between matches to reflect on her Baylor experience.
“Throughout the rollercoaster that it’s been, I’m just really grateful. College athletics are something that are so special. It’s an opportunity that can be taken for granted at times. But it’s such a cool environment, getting to represent a school, playing a sport that you love, with the people that you love, for a bigger audience than just yourselves is huge,” Andrew said. “How cool is this? Not a lot of people get this opportunity.”
Baylor volleyball will be back in action at 7 p.m. Thursday against Cincinnati (11-5, 2-3 Big 12) at the Ferrell Center.
