Baylor volleyball earns NCAA tournament return

The obstacles facing Baylor volleyball were daunting. After losing three starters to graduation, the team lost two more — including their lone returning All-Big 12 player — to injuries before the 2016 season even began. Then another injury claimed yet another starter just a month into the season. Needless to say, the Bears’ second-year head coach, Ryan McGuyre, had his work cut out for him.

But the team persevered, and now they’ve been rewarded: Baylor volleyball is headed back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011!

The Bears have been led this season by junior Katie Staiger, a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection who has already set a new Baylor record for single-season kills (the second-highest total in Big 12 history). The Lewisville, Texas, native ranks among the top 5 in the nation in total kills, points and attacks, as well as kills, points and attacks per set. Staiger was joined on the All-Big 12 teams by second-team selections Jana Brusek and Camryn Freiberg; the three honorees matched Baylor’s program record for all-Big 12 selections.

Baylor finished the regular season 21-11 overall and 9-7 in the Big 12 (tied for fourth) — the team’s highest win total and best conference finish since the Bears’ 2009 Sweet 16 finish. Baylor will now face 11th-ranked San Diego in the NCAA tournament’s opening round (Friday, 7:30 p.m. CT, at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion). The winner of that match will face No. 10 national seed UCLA on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT.

Sic ’em, Bears!