By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Taking a rare break from conference play, 12^th-ranked Baylor volleyball (8-4) will face North Texas (9-7) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the North Texas Volleyball Center in Denton before getting the weekend off with a Big 12 bye. 
            "This gives us a chance to sharpen some things and maybe work on some stuff, some wrinkles that we still need to be adding," Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre said. "And then, over the weekend, a chance to rest up a little bit, make sure everyone's fresh and healthy. I'd like to see our hitters jumping back with fresher legs a little bit more as we head into play a great Kansas team."
            The Bears are coming off a split at home against Texas Tech, letting a 2-0 lead slip away in a 3-2 loss to the Red Raiders before coming back to win the next night in four sets. 
            Junior outside hitter Lauren Harrison said the message coming out of the Tech series is that the team has to "stay consistent all throughout the game and keep our foot on the pedal."
            "We can't let up just because we have a 2-0 lead," said Harrison, who is hitting .249 with 2.23 kills per set. "So, just to stay consistent and stay aggressive throughout the whole match. I'd definitely rather learn it now instead of later in the season, so that we can just from it and go from there."
            McGuyre said he's still trying to figure out a rotation at middle blocker with junior Kara McGhee and seniors Andressa Parise, Preslie Anderson and Marieke van der Mark, because "they have different blocking strengths."
            "Some block well against good middles. Some block well against outsides, right sides," he said. "You want them to be great at all those spots, but it's the hardest position for us. You've got to get up, get off, transition, work hard, jump left, jump right. And it probably feels like they don't get set enough, which we want to set them more. It's kind of a workhorse position, maybe like a running back in football. At some point, they need a little break."
            After a grueling non-conference schedule and two weeks of Big 12 play, McGuyre does have a better handle on how to use All-American outside hitters Harrison, Yossiana Pressley and Kentucky grad transfer Avery Skinner. 
            "We flipped Yossi and Lauren around a little bit. Maybe same spot in the lineup, but ended up on the court in different positions," McGuyre said. "I think that will be a continues ebb and flow. Both Yossi and Lauren have heavy arms. How Lauren continues to hit out of system is a big factor. And when all three are on, we're really, really good."
            North Texas took two from Louisiana Tech last weekend in Ruston, La., with outside hitter Andrea Owens earning Conference USA Freshman of the Week honors. The 6-2 freshman had a career-high 19 kills in the first match and came back with nine the next day, adding a combined 12 digs and hitting .273. 
            "Traditionally, really strong," McGuyre said of North Texas. "I think they're nursing some injuries. Not sure if either of us know exactly which lineup we're going to see. I know (UNT head coach Andrew Palileo) is working on some things, too."
            Baylor has won five in a row against the Mean Green and leads the all-time series, 21-8, including an 8-3 mark in Denton. The two teams met in the spring portion of the 2020-21 season, with the Bears winning 3-1 in Waco. 
            Wednesday's match will be streamed live on YouTube, with the link available on the Baylor volleyball schedule.


WACO, Texas. – No. 12 Baylor volleyball travels a bit north for a midweek, non-conference matchup on Wednesday evening with North Texas. The Bears take on the Mean Green in Denton at 6 p.m. in the North Texas Volleyball Center.
 
Baylor (8-4, 3-1) comes off a split-series weekend with Texas Tech to face the Mean Green (9-7, 2-2) on the road.
 
The Bears have a Big 12 bye-week and fill it with in-state, Conference USA opponent North Texas. Baylor leads the series with UNT, 21-8, including an away record of 8-3 in Denton. The last time the two met was in February of 2021, with Baylor winning 3-1 at home. The Bears are on a five-match winning streak against the Mean Green.
 
North Texas is led by head coach Andrew Palileo who is in his ninth season in Denton. The Mean Green faced 12 non-conference opponents before starting play in C-USA against Rice and Louisiana Tech. They went 2-1 in the North Texas Invite, UTA Classic and North Texas Challenge before posting one win and two losses at Illinois State's Redbird Classic. UNT is led by senior Rhett Robinson in kills with 262 so far this season, while graduate student Kaliegh Skopal is their leading assister. On defense, fifth-year Henrianna Ibarra leads the team in digs and true senior Sarah Haeussler in blocks.
 
BU comes into the match with an NCAA RPI ranking of No. 6, the governing body announced Tuesday. The Bears are clustered at the top with 2021 opponents Pittsburgh (No. 1), Texas (No. 2), Wisconsin (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 7), Minnesota (No. 10) and Kansas (No. 18).
 
BEAR BITES

• Baylor is ranked No. 6 in the first NCAA RPI rankings, as of 10/5.
• Avery Skinner is nearing her 1,000^th career kill, with the majority coming from her time as a Kentucky Wildcat. She is only 27 away from hitting the major milestone in her career.
• Skinner, Shanel Bramschreiber, and Hannah Sedwick all hit career-highs against Texas Tech.
• BU is No. 6 in the nation in blocks per set with 2.99.
• Baylor has recorded an attack percentage of over .300 in six of the last seven matches.

 
The match will be streamed on YouTube, with the link available on the Baylor volleyball schedule. Live stats for the match are accessible through www.BaylorStats.com.
 
A full recap and final statistics will be available after the conclusion of the match on BaylorBears.com.
 
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
 
Up Next
The Bears return home to the Ferrell Center on Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15, against Kansas to continue Big 12 play.