No. 17 Baylor VB to Face No. 7 Florida

[Allen, Madelon]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – September 9, 2021



No. 17 VB to Face No. 7 Florida
The Gators will be the third team the Bears have faced this season ranked No. 7 by the AVCA.
For more information contact: Madelon Allen, 254-252-7168, Madelon_Allen at Baylor.edu<mailto:Madelon_Allen at Baylor.edu>


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 17 Baylor volleyball is set to face another top-10 opponent ranked by the AVCA in the No. 7 Florida Gators. The Bears will play them on both Friday and Saturday in Exatech Arena in the O'Connell Center, with Friday’s match set to start at 7 p.m. CT.

Baylor (1-3) takes on their third opponent that is currently ranked No. 7 in the AVCA polls, the Florida Gators (4-1). BU previously faced Minnesota and Pittsburgh while they were ranked at No. 7 this season.

The Bears have not played the Gators since the 1991 season, and are behind in the series at 0-2. Baylor looks to change that in back-to-back matches in Gainesville.

BU goes into the match on a three-match losing streak, though several sets in those matches were by slim margins. Although it is early in the season, every opponent the Bears have faced has been ranked or received votes in the AVCA weekly poll. The six fifth-year seniors anchor the squad, but several newcomers are making their marks on the team early. A team loaded with talent, they are only four matches into the schedule.

ABOUT THE GATORS
Florida head coach Mary Wise is in her 31st season in Gainesville and her 35th year of being a head coach in her career. At Florida, she has a record of 902-118. So far this season, the Gators are 4-1, having defeated San Francisco, UC Davis and Sacramento State in the Hornet Invitational, all in three sets. They also defeated No. 10 Minnesota at home, 3-1, but fell to No. 20 Stanford on the road, 1-3. The No. 7 Gators are led by redshirt senior T’ara Ceasar with 60 kills, sophomore Elli McKissock with 64 digs, senior Marlie Monserez with 183 assists, and redshirt senior Lauren Forte with 18 blocks. Monserez was named Overall Player and Setter of the Week for the SEC on September 7 after averaging 12.12 assists per set.

Florida has special sentimentality for Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre. He met his wife while working volleyball camps on the Florida campus one summer under Mary Wise.

BEAR BITES

  *   The Bears have only played Florida twice, in 1990 and 1991. They will play them twice this weekend in Gainesville.
  *   Yossiana Pressley is on track to pass Elisha Polk for career kills leader this season. Pressley has already recorded 80 kills and needs just 250 to match her.
  *   Freshmen Lauren Briseño and Elise McGhee have both seen playing time here early in the season.
  *   The series with the Gators is led by Florida at 2-0.
  *   All matches but one have either been streamed or broadcasted so far this season.

Fans of the Green & Gold can find live stats by visiting www.BaylorStats.com<http://www.BaylorStats.com>.

The first match of two will be broadcasted on the SEC Network with Sam Ravech and Jenny Hazelwood calling the match.
A full recap and final statistics can be found on www.BaylorBears.com<http://www.BaylorBears.com> after the conclusion of the match.

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

NEXT UP
The Bears will play a second match against Florida on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT in Exatech Arena in the O’Connell Center. That game will be streamed on the SEC Network +.



-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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