Baylor volleyball (14-5, 2-1 Big 12) had its 10-match winning streak snapped on the road by the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks (13-2, 2-1 Big 12), 25-22, 19-25, 13-25, 23-25, Saturday afternoon at the Horejsi Center.
Baylor benefitted from several Bears posting season and career highs in the match, but BU couldn’t fight off the explosive KU offense in front of a packed home arena.
In the first set, the two sides trades points through most of the set, with BU carrying an 86% sideout percentage in the frame. With a narrow 22-21 lead, the Bears closed the set on a 3-1 run, with kills from Morgan Reed and Katie Staiger, and a block from Nicole Thomas, Ashley Fritcher, and Katie Staiger.
The Bears took a 17-16 lead in the second frame, seemingly poised to build a lead in the business half of the set. At 17-17, a challenge on a Baylor kill reversed the point, forcing a replay that would swing the advantage back to KU.
BU was unable to recover, allowing a 9-2 run from the Jayhawks, tying the match at 1-1.
In the third, the Jayhawks pounded away at the Baylor defense, outhitting the Bears .222 to .000 to take the 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth, the Bears clawed out to a 14-8 lead, looking to tie the match and force the fifth.
The Jayhawks used a 9-3 run to tie the set back at 17-17. The two squads traded points late into the set, with BU clinging to a 23-22 advantage.
KU forced an attack error and logged two kills, closing the set and match on a 3-0 run to seal off the Bears’ upset hopes in four sets.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Camryn Freiberg had the most effective attacking effort of her BU career, notching a career-high 14 kills with a .542 attacking mark.
• Nicole Thomas dropped in a career-high six kills on just 10 swings, good for a .400 hitting rate for BU.
• Tara Wulf recorded 13 digs, a season-high for the freshman defensive specialist.
STAT OF THE DAY
.457 – the attack percentage for the Bears in the first set, the match-high mark for either squad.
QUOTE OF THE MATCH
“I thought the sets we were competing, we were holding or own offensively. We didn’t do a good enough job limiting them and slowing the attack. Kansas did a good job of staying in system and attacking the way they wanted. We would slow their attack at times, but not enough.” – Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor returns home to the Ferrell Center for a midweek match with TCU on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Ferrell Center, televised nationally on ESPNU.
