Baylor College Volleyball Team Ranked No. 20 in Final Poll
Baylor earns Sweet 16 appearance and All-America awards for the first time in program history
WACO, Texas – Capping a historic season, Baylor’s college volleyball team was ranked No. 20 in the final poll released on Tuesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Bears (24-10, 11-9 Big 12), who reached as high as 17th during a school-record nine-week stretch of earning a top 25 ranking, finish the season ranked for just the second time in program history. Baylor’s NCAA Tournament run to finish the year included a sweep of Georgia Tech and an upset of eighth-seeded UCLA in Los Angeles, before coming to a halt against ninth-seeded California.
BU began the season with a school-record 11-match win streak, going on to win 17 of its first 18 matches. The stretch included a 3-0 sweep over Iowa State, who finished the season ranked sixth in the nation. At the time, ISU was ranked 11th, which stood as the highest-ranked win ever for BU, until the Bears pulled off the upset of ninth-ranked UCLA. The Bears defeated four Top 25 opponents during the season, also including No. 24 Purdue and at No. 23 Texas A&M.
Individually, senior setter Taylor Barnes and senior middle blocker Anna Breyfogle became the first All-Americans in program history when they were named to the AVCA All-America Honorable Mention. Both earned all-Big 12 and all-region honors, while Breyfogle was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman middle blocker Torri Campbell was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
