In a flurry of firsts, Baylor soccer will continue its roll in Waco against Cincinnati for the first time in program history, while No. 20 Baylor volleyball will head to Ohio and clash with the Bearcats for the first time since 1992.
Volleyball
By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
No. 20 Baylor volleyball has struggled to win the first game in two-game series thus far, but second games usually end in a win for the Bears.
In 2020, COVID-19 forced the Big 12 to move to a heavy back-to-back schedule. In the 2020-21 season, the Bears went 12-4 in the first leg of back-to-backs in conference games and 15-1 in the back half — and the splits weren’t all close finishes either. In 2021, they lost the first game to Texas in straight sets before beating them in four the next day. A month prior, Baylor gave up a three-set run to Texas Tech to lose the opening game before convincingly winning the second match in four.
The Big 12 temporarily moved away from back-to-backs in 2022, but with four new teams joining the conference, they’re back — and early returns have looked familiar. The Bears are 0-2 in first matches and 2-0 in second ones. They also dropped a stand-alone conference game at BYU.
“Coach [Ryan McGuyre says], ‘Better team always wins on the second night,’” junior outside hitter Elise McGhee said. “And I don’t really know if that’s stuck. We probably need to win, obviously, both nights.”
The Bears have been able to bounce back from first game losses. They’re 17-1 in the second leg of back-to-backs since 2020 — but they’ve struggled to start with the same intensity they finish with.
“I think that kind of bitterness of losing may be the spark,” McGhee said. “I don’t really know if we figured it out yet. But we definitely have that mentality of like, we’re going to go in, and we’re going to prove why we should beat this team going forward.”
Even after falling to 2-3 in conference play and 8-7 overall, Baylor remains ranked in the top 20 of the AVCA volleyball rankings.
“I think we learned a lot of things about the team in the first match, and then we tried to apply that,” redshirt sophomore outside hitter Riley Simspon said of the Kansas State series. “Now I think where we can get one degree better is like, learning that and making adjustments and winning the first night.”
McGuyre said the key is to start faster.
“It’s definitely about starting hungry or better, stronger in rhythm,” McGuyre said. “And then holding onto — I think they referenced just like the sting of loss. Like, you learn from it, but hey, can we play like we’ve already lost or have that sting a little bit? I think as we’re maturing as a young team, that’s something that’s been building but needs to be stronger.”
The Bears have the opportunity to get back in the first-game win column at 5 p.m. on Thursday against Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 2-3 in conference play, including getting swept at home by UCF and beating Kansas State on the road. The Knights have lost 12 of 19 sets to start Big 12 play.
Soccer
By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Rolling back into Waco on a three-game winning streak, Baylor soccer looks continue its roll in the final home match of the season on Senior Night Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
For the first time in program history, the green and gold will lace up against new Big 12 foe Cincinnati. The Bearcats (3-6-5, 2-2-3 Big 12) will visit the Brazos River still searching for their first road victory.
Head coach Michelle Lenard and the Bears (8-5-2, 3-3-1 Big 12) entered 2023 looking to bounce back from a four-win 2022 campaign. Through 15 games, Lenard said the team has shown consistent growth.
“I’ve been really proud of how we built on each game and taken the lessons from the previous game and carried them over,” Lenard said. “That’s really been the difference in the last few games for us. While we are feeling really good and we feel confident, I think we’re a different team than we were at the start of the season. We never lacked confidence, really. We just needed time and experience.”
Before finding a route to a win streak, Baylor spent 367 minutes searching for a goal in conference play. The Bears then decided they finally had enough defeat.
“I think we [were] kind of tired of losing,” senior defender Blythe Obar said. “So we’re like, ‘OK, flip the switch,’ and just went into the games staying positive.”
With leadership from Obar, graduate student forward Jenna Patterson, graduate student goalkeeper Makinzie Short and others, the team emphasized playing sound for the full 90 minutes.
“I’ve had to grow in my leadership roles on the field and off the field,” Obar said. “[I’ve been] stepping out of my comfort zone in that, so I feel like I’ve improved.”
Baylor has already doubled its win total from a year ago and is in position to make the Big 12 tournament, needing only a few more points to secure the spot for good.
“The conference tournament slots are still pretty wide open,” Lenard said. “We’re focusing on one game at a time, and that’s really it. … I can say that looking down the stretch, that these last three games, we feel like these are all games we could win.”
Fueled by a three-game winning streak, Baylor has a chance to finish the year above .500 on the road (4-1-2) and at home (4-4) with a win on Senior Night.
“We’ve gained a lot of confidence,” freshman midfielder Salma Simonin said. “We’ve been doing really well recently, finally winning games. We’re really confident going into this next game that [we] will win.”
The Bears’ final home game of the season will kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
