By Cody Soto
Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball looks to get back on track in Big 12 play as the team plays host to No. 19 Oklahoma Saturday night in the Ferrell Center.
The Bears (13-12, 3-7 Big 12) come into Saturday’s matchup with a 3-0 loss to No. 27 Kansas (17-7, 5-5) Wednesday night after taking two straight wins over conference opponent Iowa State and Texas Tech on Oct. 25 and 29.
In the loss, Baylor had a .068 hitting effort and only posted two blocks in Lawrence, Kan. Junior outside hitter Andie Malloy led Baylor with nine kills and was one of four players with a .167 hitting percentage or greater. The Bears combined for a -.033 hitting percentage in the first two sets and only had 36 digs after posting 89 digs in their four-set win over Texas Tech.
Before the road loss, freshman libero Jana Brusek was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week for her career-high 28 dig performance in the team’s four-set win over Texas Tech on Oct. 29.
No. 19 Oklahoma (16-8, 7-3) is coming off a disappointing five-set loss to TCU (15-10, 5-6) in Lubbock on Wednesday. The Sooners posted a .259 attack effort and 63 kills, but the team couldn’t overcome the Horned Frogs’ .312 hitting percentage and 10 blocks to drop their third conference match. Outside hitter Kierra Holst led Oklahoma with 22 kills in the loss.
One of the highlights of the Sooners’ season so far happened in Austin when they took a huge 3-0 win over then-No. 2 Texas (17-1, 9-1) to snap the Longhorns’ 53-match Big 12 home win streak on Oct. 25. In the match, Oklahoma used eight service aces and 50 digs to slow down the unbeaten Longhorns.
The Bears and Sooners met in Norman, Okla. on Oct. 18 with Oklahoma taking the four-set win to remain undefeated at home. Baylor had three double-digit hitters with Malloy leading all players with 19 kills and 18 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Sam Hill added 13 kills, and freshman outside hitter Katie Staiger had 12 in the loss.
The Bears hit .254 in four sets with an impressive .364 fourth set. Baylor’s lone set win was a 26-24 decision when the Bears rallied for 17 kills with five errors to head into the locker room tied 1-1.
The Sooners also had three players with double-digit kills. Outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner led the team with 17 kills, followed by outside hitter Madison Ward with 16 and Holst with 13.
Baylor will play its first of four straight home games before it gets back on the road for its final two conference games. Baylor and No. 19 Oklahoma face off at 7 p.m. in the Ferrell Center.
