By Grant Morrison | Sports Writer

Hundreds of yellow balloons floated around the stands of the Ferrell Center as No. 23 Baylor volleyball took the court for the first time in the 2024 season. On “Future Bears Day,” students from around the Waco area were in attendance to watch the Bears take down the Abilene Christian Wildcats, 3-0, in the first match of their Friday doubleheader.

Offensively, sophomore outside hitter Kendal Murphy was the star of the day. With a whopping 23 kills across the two matches, she delivered hit after hit and kept the energy high for the Bears (2-0).

“She’s a special athlete,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “She just understands the game, for as young as she is, at an incredible level.”

The green and gold opened the day with aggression, serving up 18 kills in the first set alone en route to taking the set 25-11. The Wildcats (1-1) kept the second set close, delivering some solid hits and capitalizing off of Baylor’s mistakes, but the Bears’ defense held strong to win the set 25-17.

Senior libero Lauren Briseño darted around the backcourt, corralling stray balls while sophomore middle blocker Victoria Davis and junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech delivered block after block at the top of the net. Davis put up six blocks and six kills on seven attempts to help the Bears snag the third set, 25-13.

The green and gold stayed red hot against Tulsa (1-1) in the second match, as Murphy, Sczech, and senior opposite hitter Elise McGhee each put up double-digit kills, including the 500th of Sczech’s career. With 14 kills and five blocks across the two games, the junior’s impact was undeniable.

“This is gonna be a big year for her,” McGuyre said. “She has the tools, the potential…her aspirations are big.”

The Golden Hurricane put up a closer fight than the Wildcats, and kept the second set within two before errors cost them the final points, winning Baylor the set 25-23. The Bears put all doubt to rest with a dominant final set, 25-17, and it was Murphy who slammed the door with the game-winning kill.

“I feel a lot more comfortable being on the court,” Murphy said, after starting most of her freshman campaign on the bench. “My mindset is always 110% at practice, every single day, because even if I’m not in the game, I know I’m making the starters better.”

The Bears will be back in action hosting Campbell (0-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Ferrell Center.