No. 5 Seed Baylor VB Defeats Islanders, Moves into Second Round

Thu Dec 2 22:10:27 CST 2021

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – December 2, 2021

No. 5 Seed Baylor VB Defeats Islanders, Moves into Second Round
Bears swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night in the Ferrell Center
For more information contact: Madelon Allen, 254-252-7168, Madelon_Allen at Baylor.edu<mailto:Madelon_Allen at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – No. 5 seed Baylor volleyball defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the First Round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Thursday night in the Ferrell Center, sweeping them 3-0.

BU (21-5) battled with the Islanders (19-10) throughout the three sets, but defeated them 25-22, 24-12, 26-24 to advance.

Yossiana Pressley was the standout for the Bears along with Avery Skinner and Lauren Harrison, all three recording double-digit kills. Skinner had her ninth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 14 digs overall.

Marieke van der Mark provided the spark of energy for the Bears when it was waning in the first set. The second set saw BU ramp up the energy and precision en route to the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
The Islanders applied pressure early on, keeping up with the pace of the Bears. Baylor came out lacking their usual spark and it took a minute to get there. TAMU-CC was able to block Yossiana Pressley and Avery Skinner while finding the holes on the court for their own kills. After plenty of back-and-forth to start it off, BU caught its stride around the 10th point with a service ace from Skinner. A&M Corpus Christi brought itself within two points at 12-10, but Baylor pushed and scored two more. The Islanders scored out of a media timeout, but the Bears kept rolling on. TAMU-CC tied it up at 19-19 and McGuyre called for a timeout. Marieke van der Mark was brought in and got a kill after two points passed, followed by one from Sedwick to make it 21-21 and TAMU-CC called timeout. They’d take another when it was 24-22 after Lauren Harrison scored and errors from the Islanders. Another attack error ended the set at 25-22.

SET TWO
After the Islanders made it another close set at the beginning, BU bounced back and showed them it’d go no further. They traded points until BU scored its 10th of the set. Up 14-11, the Bears challenged a call and it was reversed in their favor to make it 15-11 and then went into a media timeout. Baylor went on an 8-0 run starting at 14-11, the last point an Avery Skinner service ace at 21-11. The set finished with a 17-3 run from the Bears to take set two at 25-12. Skinner was monstrous throughout the set, and van der Mark was the added x-factor to make things happen.

SET THREE
An Avery Skinner kill started the third set, then Yossiana Pressley made her move. TAMU-CC took the lead at 3-2, and held the lead or tied until it was 16-16. The Bears had to play catch-up and bounce back. Back-to-back Pressley kills led to the 16-all tie, and Skinner tipped the scales for BU to have a lead. The Islanders tied it back up at 18-18, but the Bears pushed on. Preslie Anderson was instrumental, getting a kill at 19-18. At 20-18, A&M called timeout. They’d call timeout again at 22-20 after two points from Lauren Harrison. But the Islanders weren’t done yet. They pushed it to 23-all, and after an attack error from Baylor, McGuyre called timeout. Out of the break, van der Mark recorded a kill, then Skinner, then Anderson finished off the set and match at 26-24.

Baylor will take on Washington State for the Second Round matchup, who defeated Northern Colorado 3-0 earlier in the day on Thursday.

Start time is set for 7 p.m. between the Bears and Cougars on Friday, Dec. 3.

Lincoln Rose and Adam Johnson will be on the call for Friday night’s match on ESPN+.

Fans are encouraged to visit Baylor’s Tournament Central<https://baylorbears.com/sports/2021/11/28/ncaa-volleyball-first-and-second-rounds.aspx> for all relevant information regarding the Second Round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. Links for broadcasts, radio streams and live stats will be housed there as they become available.

A full recap and final stats will be posted to BaylorBears.com as well as the Tournament Central page after the conclusion of the match.

BEAR BITES

  *   Avery Skinner recorded her ninth double-double of the season, the 11th of her career.
  *   Baylor improves to 9-5 under McGuyre in NCAA Tournaments and 12-9 overall.
  *   BU is making its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and has won 20 or more matches in each of the last six seasons.
  *   The Bears have now hosted a portion of the NCAA Tournament in three different seasons: 2017, 2019, and now 2021.
  *   Baylor has had 19 of its 25 matches against teams that are now in the tournament, going 14-5.

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

-BaylorBears.com-

__________________________________

Madelon Allen | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (VB, MTEN, A&T)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-252-7168

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