– Baylor volleyball (10-4) earned two wins Saturday to win the 2016 Baylor Classic at the Ferrell Center. BU swept College of Charleston (7-5) and edged Washington State (10-2) to take home the tournament title.
With the tournament field sweep, Baylor is currently on a six-match win streak.
Baylor 3, Washington State 2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-9)
Baylor earned a five-set win over Washington State on Saturday evening to cap off the tournament, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-9. It’s the first win in the McGuyre era over a team who has received votes in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll.
BU jumped out to a 6-1 lead behind the serving of freshman Tara Wulf, prompting an early Cougar timeout. The Bears held off a late WSU run, taking the opening frame 25-23.
Baylor got off to a strong start in the second set for a 7-4 lead, but WSU went on a series of runs to create separation in the middle of the set. The Bears could never recover, dropping set two, 25-21.
Set three was tightly contested, and Baylor was forced to burn a timeout after three straight hitting errors dropped the Bears behind, 15-11. BU clawed its way back into the frame with kills from redshirt junior Katie Staiger and sophomore Ashley Fritcher. A kill by senior Morgan Reed ended the third set for a 25-21 win and the 2-1 match advantage.
The Bears were outhit in the fourth frame .279-.068 and recorded eight kills and five errors as WSU ran away late to force a fifth set, 25-22.
BU took an early 6-3 lead in the fifth set, but the Cougars went on a 4-0 run to grab the lead at 7-6. After the changeover, sophomore Aniah Philo provided a spark for the Bears with three straight kills, and the Bears held WSU to one point the rest of the way, clinching the match in the decisive fifth set, 15-9.
Baylor 3, College of Charleston 0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-17)
Baylor opened the second day of the Baylor Classic with a sweep over College of Charleston, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17.
BU could not create any separation early in set one, but the Bears used back-to-back kills by redshirt junior Katie Staiger to claim a 23-21 edge. BU sealed the net to take the first frame, 25-23.
A kill by junior Camryn Freiberg got the Bears out to a 7-3 lead that they never relinquished in set two. Staiger snapped a late Charleston run with a kill to end set two, 25-21.
The Bears fell behind early in set three, but an ace by junior Jana Brusek tied up the set at 13-13 to bring BU back into the game. Baylor then went on a 4-0 run en route to a 25-17 third-set win for the sweep.
HIGHLIGHTS
Baylor wins its second straight Baylor Classic tournament title with a perfect 3-0 record this weekend. Washington State finished in 2nd (2-1), followed by the College of Charleston (1-2) and Virginia (0-3).
Katie Staiger (MVP) and Morgan Reed (Best Setter) earned all-tournament honors for BU. WSU’s Claire Martin (Best Blocker) and Kyra Holt (WSU) and Charleston’s McKala Rhodes (Best Libero) rounded out the all-tournament team.
Staiger posted two double-doubles this weekend, finishing with 45 kills and 32 digs in three matches, respectively.
Baylor hit .345 for 11 kills and one error in the decisive fifth set vs. Washington State.
Baylor’s current six-match winning streak dates back to Sept. 9 where BU swept Little Rock and Florida A&M on the road.
STAT OF THE DAY
90 - the amount of digs Baylor posted to win the Baylor Classic over Washington State.
