Volleyball begins McGuyre’s 10th season once again among nation’s top 25
It’s hard to believe, but the 2024 season will be head coach Ryan McGuyre’s 10th at the helm of the program he has built into a national powerhouse. In that time, the Bears have reached eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments (and counting), five Sweet 16s and a Final Four. Last year, he became the program’s all-time winningest coach and guided a young squad back to the tournament.
This year, the Bears look to build on that experience and add to the program’s resume of success. The 2024 Bears will look to two Preseason All-Big 12 selections for leadership when the season begins. Lauren Briseño, a senior libero, and Elise McGhee, a senior outside hitter, bring experience and a league-wide reputation for outstanding play on the defensive and offensive ends, respectively. They’re two of the six returning starters from last year’s postseason matches at the University of Kentucky.
One added bonus for this year’s team is a head-start on togetherness: the team embarked on a foreign tour to Europe to begin the summer, traveling through Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Italy (plus a quick stopover in Paris). In addition to seeing a variety of natural and historic sights together in places like Budapast, Vienna and Venice, they played against the Czech National Team and Hungarian Senior National Team — valuable bonding time and experience heading into the season.
The Bears will open the season ranked No. 23 in the AVCA preseason poll. Their list of opponents includes plenty of ranked teams, too; this year’s home schedule at the Ferrell Center includes matchups against powerhouses Minnesota (No. 18) and Wisconsin (No. 3) in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge, plus home matches against LSU and Texas (No. 1). The Big 12 schedule also includes matches with No. 13 Kansas, No. 16 BYU, and No. 17 Arizona State.
Opening day is August 30, as the Bears host ACU and Tulsa in the Baylor Classic. Season and single game tickets are available now.
Sic ’em, Baylor Volleyball!