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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 30, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black">USA Volleyball Names Baylor Alumna Skinner to VNL Week 1 Roster</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">Skinner is one of six rookies for Team USA’s roster of 14<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Madelon Allen; 254-252-7168, </span><a href="mailto:madelon_allen@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">madelon_allen@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt">
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> USA Volleyball released its 14-player
Women’s National Team roster for the first week of the 2023 Volleyball Nationals League, including Baylor volleyball alumna Avery Skinner. The preliminary round for Team USA will be in Antalya, Türkiye.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">VNL is the world’s premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament. The final round is hosted this year at College Park Center
in Arlington, Texas, on July 12-16. Hosting on U.S. soil means that USA Volleyball automatically qualifies for the quarterfinal round. The USA and other top 15 teams in the world play four matches a week for three weeks of preliminary competition, competing
for the seven remaining spots in the quarterfinal. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Skinner is one of six rookies and will play alongside three Tokyo Olympic gold medalists and four other athletes who have VNL experience.
There are a total of three former Big 12 players on the roster in Skinner and Texas’ Brionne Butler and Asjia O’Neal.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Skinner played the 2021 season with Baylor, her fifth year of eligibility. She finished the season named First Team All-Big 12 unanimously,
AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, AVCA Southwest All-Region and CoSIDA Academic First Team All-America. She recorded 10 double-doubles and was an offensive powerhouse for the Bears, recording the second-most kills on the team that season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">The USA squad is coached by three-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist head coach Karch Kiraly, who has been head
coach of the U.S. Women since 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">The U.S. Women are the reigning Olympic champions and are currently ranked No. 4 in the world. They have won the VNL three
times (2018, ’19, ’21) since its inception in 2018. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">In its first match, USA will face world No. 1 and defending world champion Serbia, which knocked the U.S. out of the quarterfinals
in 2022. The Americans will then play world No. 2 and reigning VNL champion Italy in the second match.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">All VNL matches will be broadcast on volleyballworld.tv. Tickets for the final round in Arlington can be purchased
<a href="http://tickets.volleyballworld.com/arlington">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">The full week 1 roster for the USA, and full VNL schedule, can be found
<a href="https://usavolleyball.org/story/u-s-women-balancing-vets-and-rookies-for-first-round-of-vnl/">
here</a>. Of note, VNL team rosters of 14 players are subject to change each week of competition.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">U.S. Women’s Volleyball Schedule – 2023 VNL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">(all times PT)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><u><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">Week 1 at Antalya, Türkiye<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">May 31 at 7 a.m. USA vs Serbia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">June 2 at 10 a.m. USA vs Italy<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">June 3 at 7 a.m. USA vs Korea<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121">June 4 at 10 a.m. USA vs Türkiye<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="http://www.BaylorBears"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">- BaylorBears</span></i></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">.com</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">
-<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#385623">Madelon Allen</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#385623"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">| </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Associate
Director of Athletics Communications <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">VB, A&T, BaylorBears.com</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">C: 254-252-7168<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img border="0" width="159" height="44" style="width:1.6562in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D992FF.7155BB60" alt="signature_2645764059"><o:p></o:p></p>
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