By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Earning a top-16 national seed for the third time in program history and second-straight year, Baylor volleyball (19-6) was selected as the No. 12 seed for the 2020-21 NCAA Championship and will get a first-round bye in the 48-team tournament. 
            In a bracket that was announced Sunday, the Bears will face the winner of a first-round match between UMBC (11-3) and Pepperdine (16-3) in the Round of 32 at 11 a.m. CDT Thursday, April 15, in Omaha, Neb. 
            "It's such a blessing to be ranked and then have a bye and have an opportunity to play some quality teams in the tournament," said senior All-American Yossiana Pressley. 
            Coach Ryan McGuyre, whose team is making its fifth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, said it helps that "some of them have been there and been pretty close." In 2019, the Bears made their first Final Four, losing to Wisconsin in the national semifinals. 
            "The hope is that you're not adjusting to the atmosphere because it's the first time, but something they're experienced with," McGuyre said. "Having that routine and being able to sleep well on the road, get up, take care of your bodies, do your scout and show up on the court, be ready to play, is the key. Our girls are going to train well and prepare well once we get to that bubble."
            In a potentially challenging second-round matchup, Baylor could get a Pepperdine team that took the Bears to five sets on Feb. 28 in Waco. Presley had a double-double with 17 kills and 14 digs to help Baylor pull out a 3-2 in just its second spring match. 
            "There are very few easy routes all the way through to the end," McGuyre said. "Normally, the toughest route is the one that prepares you the best for the Final Four. It's definitely a match at a time, but there will be no easy matches this tournament."
            Baylor's path to its second-straight Final Four is in a difficult region that includes fifth-seeded Nebraska (14-2) as a potential third-round opponent and either 13^th-seeded Penn State (9-5) or fourth-seeded Texas (23-1) in the region final. 
            While Pressley, All-American setter Hannah Sedwick and sophomore middle blocker Kara McGhee all return from a 29-2 team that made it to the Final Four, 6-2 senior middle blocker Preslie Anderson is making her NCAA tournament debut. 
            "It's not in front of a sold-out crowd and with the full 64 teams, but I'm still super-excited to go with my team and compete against a well-respected team," Anderson said. "We're (No. 1) in our hearts and minds. We know we're the best team in the gym every day at practiced, so we just wait to bring it out on the court and show it in the NCAA tournament."
            Pressley is averaging a Big 12-best 4.66 kills per set, while North Carolina transfer Lauren Harrison ranks second on the team with a 3.20 average. McGhee and Anderson are 1-2 on the team in blocks per set with 1.26 and 1.14, respectively. 
            Junior right-side hitter Marieke van der Mark has missed the last two matches with an injury and is listed as day to day. "We're still waiting on more results," McGuyre said. 
            Baylor is 3-5 versus the NCAA tournament field, with wins over Texas State, Pepperdine and Rice. The Bears went 1-1 against Texas State, losing 3-1 in Thursday's regular-season opener at the Ferrell Center. 
            "It was disappointing, for sure," McGuyre said. "We made it very difficult on ourselves just from a focus part. . . . I think when you play with good energy, you're always going to be in it. At the end of the day, you still have to execute and make plays. We were just very high-error in the serving phase, side-out phase, passing phase, setting and blocking. We were just a little subpar in each category. You lose close sets, and that's how our game works."
 

WACO, Texas – Baylor volleyball has been selected as the No. 12-seed in the 2020-21 NCAA Championship and earned a first-round bye, as announced Sunday on ESPNU.

The Bears will face the winner of UMBC and Pepperdine on Thursday, April 15, at 11 a.m. CT in Omaha, Neb., on ESPN3.

After a 19-6 regular-season and a second-place finish in the Big 12, the Bears earned an at-large bid to their fifth-consecutive postseason, a program record. BU will square off with either the Retrievers, the America East champion, or rematch with the Waves, an at-large selection out of the West Coast Conference.

If the Bears can advance to the Regional Semifinals, they would potentially line up against No. 5-seed Nebraska. Baylor is one of two Big 12 schools in this year's NCAA Tournament, along with No. 4-seed Texas.

Baylor is a top-16 national seed for the third time in school history and second year in a row. The Bears were the No. 1 overall seed in 2019 and No. 12 in 2017.

Overall, Baylor is 10-8 all-time in NCAA tournament play after advancing to the National Semifinals for the first time in program history last season. BU earned its ninth NCAA tournament bid in school history and will make its fifth-straight appearance.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.