Volleyball Quotes and Notes: Coach McGuyre and Players Meet with Media

Head coach Ryan McGuyre, senior outside hitter Lauren Harrison and freshman setter Averi Carlson answered questions Wednesday ahead of the Bears' Green & Gold scrimmage. There is a photo gallery at the end too. Here are the more insightful quotes and notes from that presser:

Ryan McGuyre

• On the roster turnover: “Lots of changes and new faces and new places. We go from a roster of 23 to 15. For me, there's a freshness in the gym because it gives you a little bit more hands-on training with each of the athletes. You graduate 11 seniors to where we have three now with a couple that could even come back again, possibly.”
• On staff turnover: “And then you look at just the staff and support staff: two new assistant coaches, new volunteer, new tech coordinator, a new director of operations, new athletic trainer, new strength trainer, new academic coach... I'm probably forgetting some new ones in there, but it's also exciting because I think we're doing the right things here at Baylor and preparing champions for life.”
• On youthfulness: “The youthfulness is both a blessing and a challenge and we love challenges. That's where we grow. So we have the opportunity to grow more because we're young. But the blessing of the youthfulness is there's a freshness, a liveliness, just kind of a vigor in the gym and an eagerness to get better. Just through our double days, which has been one week, it feels like we got three weeks' worth of stuff done. You know, but I'd probably say we're months behind. So we have got to keep moving at that pace, but I’m really excited about what we're going to be doing, what we will look like in November and December.”
• On player leadership this year: “It's a servant-hearted leadership we always want, but it's kind of a quietly instilled one. When you look at Kara [McGhee] and Lauren [Harrison], you know, they're not the most outspoken. It's going to be different than maybe some leaders you see in the past with, with a loud commanding voice. So it really takes place in how hard we're working behind the scenes to make sure the relationships are that of trustworthiness.”
• On early returns from practices: “Our team has bought in, I think they trust each other. We're seeing a lot of mistakes early on, but the process really is effort-based. And I'm excited because at the end of the day it'll be on us as staff because the girls are giving everything they got and that's all we can ask for, but their resiliency and, and how swiftly they move from mistake to work on the next one shows some great, healthy, mental toughness. So I think we're going to win a lot of matches because of a calmness maybe versus intimidation or a dominant type team.”
• On the talented freshmen: “Averi brings that calmness, that steadiness I think you're going to see a lot more explosiveness from our middle attackers, than in the past five years probably. And her ability to set the middles, but then those being our senior positions with Mallory [Talbert] and Kara and Ali [Alicia Andrew] returning and AG [Ava Grace Haggard] returning a strength there. I think when you look at like a [Alexis] Decosta with great ball control, fastest one in the gym, a fearlessness, like that's something that's just going to grow”
• On the future with a young team: “In four years, what are they going to look like? because they're looking really good together now. It's pretty, pretty exciting. I would love to see what it looks like two years down the road, but we don't have that. But we're dreaming big about here and now”
• On pressure: “Pressure is healthy. I'm not sure we find that pressure always from expectations of others. I think we'd probably be like, 'Hey, maybe sixteen's disappointing.' You know, it's not where you start. It's where you finish. Okay. Here's where others perceive us. Let's play the game and change perceptions through that. So it's also why they came to Baylor because they want to play at a good program, a ranked program where the fans are excited and they're playing with their friends.”
• On Mallory Talbert: “Mallory brings a great freshness. She hits off one foot. I think you'll see us go behind the setter a lot with Mallory. So that's a strength of hers. She brings a contagious enthusiasm that, I joke with her, she relates to the freshman extremely well.”
• On the offense this year: “I think we will have matches where I think both middles are going to hit 600 and be double digits in kills this year… Lauren Harrison's got a heavy arm, so we will be pretty balanced. We'll be able to run our middles as much as our passing and our defense allow us.”
• On the other facets of the game: “I think our serves will be tough. I think our blocking will definitely be a strength of this team. I feel we're ahead of schedule blocking for as young as we are, So I think we'll cause some frustrations blocking. We have got to catch up and, and make sure our first touches, which is really the name of the game in passing and the defense. So those middles can be involved. When the middles are involved, they'll get their kills, but then it makes it easier for everyone else.”
• On Averi Carlson: “She's an incredible learner. She's open to change. She humble. She's calm. I think stress and pressure never get to her. You're going to have an incredible consistency and setter what a great position to have that consistency. So hitters, I think with her just hit with much more rhythm and, and power and trust. Because they just know where the ball's going to be and they're going to go hard every time and don't really have to second guess”
• Also on Carlson: [Paraphrase] She’s instinctive with the game, after a great set they might ask her why she put the ball where she did and she might respond ‘I don’t know, it felt like the right set’.
• On what they need to work on through the scrimmage: “The moving together, our game is such an important team game. So serve-receive is just, you know, tough serves are coming blasting at you. To know with quick authority that's going to be my ball. Here's the angle, my platform. And to have that quick decision, like, 'oh no, that's going to be Lauren's ball’.”

Lauren Harrison

• On being a leader: “I think my role this year will be a lot more of being a vocal leader more than just coming in, playing and like coming straight out. I think I have to lead by example and by voice, which is something different for me, but I'm up for the challenge. It excites me.”
• On the difference between last year’s team and this year’s: “I would just say probably age, but although we are a younger team, we're still very talented and have very great players. So I don't think it's something that should be looked down upon. We're just younger.”
• On what has stood out about the freshmen: “they're all very talented to be so young. Like Avery here, probably one of the best that I've played with and she's just a freshman and then Allie [Sczech], a big right side, really powerful. Alexis [Dacosta] is just great on defense. And then Sophia [Keene] and Bri [Denney] are all very talented and skilled in their position.”
• On all the change: “It's kind of a fresh start for everyone. And everyone's just really excited to get going”
• On the team goals: “I think even though we're a young team, the goals remain the same. And that's just: win the Big 12 and win a national championship.”
• On the scrimmage tonight: “I think it'll be a good opportunity for us to work on our chemistry and perfect it even more once the season actually starts, and then just to play in front of fans would be exciting.”

Averi Carlson

• On enrolling early: “I would say that helped a bunch just getting here in the spring and kind of getting a feel for everything that was going to come in the fall. The summer went great.”
• On pressure for her as a freshman: “I would say there definitely is. I have great teammates though that make it much easier. So I'm just really excited to get to play.”
• On the older team leaders: “Coming in the spring, I was really nervous and just getting to play with them and kind of learn from them, helped a bunch. They just are great leaders and great friends.”
• On translating high school success to college: [Paraphrase] Having experience of a lot of game situations should be helpful. Knowing that the game is at a different level but still knowing a little of what to expect.