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Daily Bears Report 10/22

Equestrian’s Kaylee Mellott named rider of the month. Soccer Falls to Iowa State.

By Ohio Baylor Fan
Baylor’s Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field
Baylor Bears dot com

Today’s Events

Soccer Update

  • No. 24 Baylor soccer dropped a 1-0 decision in double overtime to Iowa State on Friday evening at Betty Lou Mays Field. From Baylor Bears dot com.

The Bears (11-5-1, 4-2-1) had plenty of chances but weren’t able to put away any goals as the Cyclones (9-6-1, 3-3-1) scored in the 103rd minute.

Baylor played an aggressive first half offensively, holding edges in shots (9-5) and shots on goal (5-3), but caught a couple bad breaks on shots that just missed or were saved on great efforts by ISU goalkeeper Lindsey Hendon.

In the second half neither team had much to show. However, in the first overtime period the Bears had a one-on-one shot with the keeper by Ashley York saved and then two straight shots that were blocked in traffic on back-to-back corner kicks near the end of the period.

In the second overtime, Iowa State had a good run by Hannah Cade in the 103rd minute and she dropped a nice lead pass to Klasey Medelberg for the finish from 14 yards out in the right side of the box to end the game.

Baylor’s three-match winning streak came to an end.

“You have to take these experiences and have them make you better. They have 20 minutes to think about it and then they have to get their heads up and refocus, because our season is not over and we have a long way to go.” – Head Coach Paul Jobson.

Athletics Update

Soccer with Chardonae Fuqua

Equestrian

  • Baylor equestrian’s sophomore western rider, Kaylee Mellott, was tabbed as the National Collegiate Equestrian Association’s September Rider of the Month in horsemanship, announced Wednesday afternoon by the NCEA. From Baylor Bears dot com.

Mellott earned the first national ROTM honor for the Bears in 2016, coming off a 2015 season in which BU picked up six of the NCEA’s monthly awards.

The Wichita, Kan., native logged a perfect 4-0 effort in the first month of competition, earning three Most Outstanding Player (MOP) nods along the way.

Mellott was the only BU rider to appear in all four of the Bears’ meets, including three meets in two days in BU’s Willis Invitational.

With a 76 and two scores of 75.5, Mellott holds three out of the top five scores in horsemanship this season for the Baylor squad.

The honor is the first of Mellott’s collegiate career, now entering her second season with the Bears.

Mellott and the Bears are back at it on Saturday, Oct. 22

  • No. 4 Baylor equestrian (3-1, 0-0) will open its 2016-17 Big 12 conference schedule on the road, facing the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (1-1, 0-0) today at 10 a.m. at Totusek Arena in Stillwater, Okla. From Baylor Bears dot com.

The Bears have enjoyed three full weeks off after a three-meet Willis Invitational, with BU sweeping the tournament field to take its ninth-straight title.

For the Cowgirls, after a season opener win at Delaware State, OSU took the loss facing SMU in Dallas, 10-8.

The two squads will meet for the first time since the 2016 Big 12 Championships, where Oklahoma State defeated the Bears, 13-6, clinching the conference trophy. In the regular season, the teams split the series, with OSU winning 13-7 in Stillwater and BU winning 13-6 in Waco.

Baylor will go for its first ever win in Stillwater, with the Cowgirls winning the previous 13 meetings in OSU's arena.

Volleyball

  • After two hard-fought, well-earned road wins against West Virginia and Iowa State, the Baylor volleyball team (17-6, 5-2 Big 12) will face the Oklahoma Sooners at 2 p.m. today at the Ferrell Center. Come on out and support your “record shattering” Bears for this the end of the first half of conference play. Story by John Shellenberger of the Baylor Bear Foundation.

Following a five-set thriller in Ames, Iowa, the Bears sit in third place in the Big 12. And while they keep shattering records and reaching milestones (like winning in Ames for the first time since 2005), the Bears are hungry for more. Instead of joining the rest of Baylor's students for fall break, the volleyball is trying to build on its already high expectations.

"We love it," freshman middle Nicole Thomas said. "What sets us apart from other students is how much we love to get on the court and work, and (we) love spending time with each other."

That passion was clearly present in Wednesday's game at Iowa State.

"The Iowa State game was a statement the girls gave me," head coach Ryan McGuyre said. "It was the most emotional match for me afterward, because the first set we weren't dialed in. We've had that happen before, and it's so hard to get back in a rhythm.

"Great teams find a way to get back in rhythm when they are out of it. Few percent of teams are able to do that. For us to get dialed back in was step one, which was great. For us to blow that lead on the road, but not have it devastate us, but have it inspire us really spoke to our grit and character."

Though the team seems to be all-business on the court, junior outside hitter Katie Staiger said she likes to keep things light and fun.

"It's exciting when you go (to Iowa State) and they're saying things like, `We haven't won there since 2005.' It was a blast. It was fun to win in five," said Staiger, who recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 27 kills and 15 digs. "I think when they come here, we can beat them in three. But, it was so much fun."

While the Bears have struggled to find their rhythm on offense the past few games, the defense has done more than enough to keep the team alive and well. Time and time again, the defense has proven that it can keep Baylor in close matches.

"Our defense has kept us in matches all year," McGuyre said. "Our defense is why it's become such a grind, it's why we're winning. It was a focus in the spring, (and) the girls really bought in."

In a year filled with upsets and shattering records, the Bears would like nothing better than to change a trend that has seen Oklahoma (12-8, 3-4) win 13 of the last 14 matches in the series.

"They do a lot of things well. Their middles can be very, very effective," McGuyre said. "Their setter does a good job of getting them the ball, and they hit well off one foot and two feet. Their middles are pretty dynamic, pretty versatile, so we've got to be dialed in."

Saturday's match will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest-Plus and Fox College Sports Center.

Baylor volleyball (17-6, 5-2) closes the first half of the double round-robin conference schedule, squaring off with the Oklahoma Sooners (12-8, 3-4) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Ferrell Center.

The Bears notched a historic program victory on Wednesday, downing Iowa State in Ames for the first time since 2005.

BU can continue its remarkable 2016 campaign with another first. A win over the Sooners would be the first home win for Baylor over Oklahoma since Sep. 28, 2008, a seven-match losing streak. The Bears have also dropped the last eight meeting between the two squads, with the last win coming in Norman on Nov. 12, 2011.

The Sooners hold the advantage in the all-time meeting, 39-15, including a 16-9 mark in Waco.

The Saturday match will be aired on FOX Sports Southwest Plus, featuring the Voice of the Bears, John Morris, and former Baylor volleyball standout, Kristen Bates.

For this and all other Baylor homes matches, fans can tune into the live internet radio broadcast on BaylorBears.com/allaccess.

Tennis

  • Baylor women's tennis saw a trio advance in singles action and its top doubles pair move on to day three of the ITA Texas Regional Presented by Oracle at Hurd Tennis Center Friday. From Baylor Bears dot com.

Senior Rhiann Newborn posted the most impressive victory of the day to move on, upsetting the No. 4 seed in the tournament and 57th-ranked competitor Donika Bashota of TCU in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

"I felt extremely good about it," Newborn said of the win. "I know I can compete with the top level girls in the country and that showed today. The whole time during the match I was just telling myself to be positive, be consistent, keep fighting, have heart and be patient."

"It's early in the season. It's early in the building process of coming back from an injury. Overall I feel amazing at the point I am at today, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season."

Freshman Jessica Hinojosa also had a successful showing, fighting to secure a three-setter over Fernanda Astete of Rice, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Senior Blair Shankle, the No. 2 seed in the tournament and No. 54-ranked player nationally, continued her dominant streak, shutting out SMU's Liza Buss, 6-0, 6-0.

Against the tournament's No. 5 seed and 58th-ranked opponent Wendy Zhang of Rice, juniorTheresa Van Zyl bowed out with a 6-3, 6-3 loss. In consolation singles, sophomore Vanessa Phan fell to North Texas' Dani Kononova, 6-0, 6-2.

Baylor's fifth-seeded doubles duo of sophomore Elizabeth Profit and Shankle began the day with an 8-4 victory over Sarai Monarrez and Ana Perez Lopez of SMU and advanced to quarterfinal action with an 8-0 shutout of Texas' Katie Poluta and Daniella Roldan.

Newborn and sophomore Karina Traxler posted an 8-6 doubles win against Charlene Anselmo and Mary Wright of SMU, before falling to Dani Wagland and Petra Granic, 8-0. Rounding out doubles action were Hinojosa and Van Zyl, who dropped an 8-5 match to Macarena Olvares and Tina Bokhua of Texas A&M.

"All of our players are competing hard and trying to prove themselves," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "A few of our players are making the most of their opportunities this week, but our entire team is making small steps forward. Now we need to come back tomorrow and do it all over again. Consistency is a challenge for everyone trying to add a level."

  • On the opening day of the ITA Texas Regional Championships Presented by Oracle, the Baylor men's tennis team had three singles players and one doubles duo go undefeated Friday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. From Baylor Bears dot com.

All three of Baylor’s seeded earned round of 128 byes and then picked up straight-set victories in the round of 64.

Jimmy Bendeck improved to 9-1 on the year with a 6-2, 6-0 triumph against UTA’s Pablo Colvee Debrot. Bjoern Petersen produced a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Jusso Laitinen of Lamar. In his first match of the fall, Will Little earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Abilene Christian’s Nicholas Agritelley.

There were three Bears, who did not advance in singles as Tyler Stayer opened with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Abilene Christian’s Jackson Fine in the round of 128. However, Stayer was knocked out of the singles main draw, after a 6-2, 6-1 setback against third-seeded and 56th-ranked Guillermo Nunez of TCU in the round of 64.

After a bye in the opening round, Constantin Frantzen dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to Lamar’s Nikita Lis in the round of 64.

Sam May, who also got a first-round bye lost in the round of 64 to second-seeded and 95th-ranked Jolan Cailleau of Texas Tech, 6-0, 6-0.

Meanwhile in doubles, Little and Petersen, seeded 13th, received a first-round bye and then picked up an 8-4 triumph over Texas A&M’s Frankie Colunga and James Martell to make the round of 16.

Baylor’s other duo of Bendeck and Frantzen dropped an 8-5 decision to Lamar’s Juuso Laitinen and Logan Powell in the round of 64.

On Saturday, Bendeck will face Lamar’s Sebastian Santibanez. Petersen takes on Incarnate Word’s Francisco Bendana and Little plays Incarnate Word’s Ivanhoe Lissanevitch. All of those matches are round of 32 contests and begin at 11:30 a.m. If the Bears win those matches, they will play later Saturday afternoon in the round of 16.

In doubles, Little and Petersen will face Texas’ Christian Sigsgaard and Julian Zlobinsky at 8:30 a.m. in the round of 16. Bendeck and Frantzen will play in the doubles consolation at 8:30 a.m. as well.

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