Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor
By Krista Pirtle
Sports Writer
Baylor took a break from conference play to sweep the University of North Texas on Tuesday evening 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-16.)
The Bears implemented a double sub, subbing in two players at a time, to increase the number of players receiving time on the court.
“It was a good night to get good work in,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “We got to play a number of players who haven’t gotten much playing experience.”
North Texas did not record a single block on the Bears for the night.
Junior right side hitter Alyssa Dibbern led Baylor in kills with 12 at .409 hitting percentage, followed by sophomore outside hitter Zoe Adom with nine at .267 and senior middle blocker Briana Tolbert with seven at .333.
Junior setter Kate Harris recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 14 digs.
Assisting her in the backcourt were seniors libero Allison King and outside hitter Qian Zhang with 15 and 10 digs, respectively.
The University of North Texas never exceeded a .130 hitting percentage for the evening (.000, .080, .128).
Barnes has said all season that he wants to see his team improve on its serve receive game.
Baylor allowed only one ace to North Texas, but had one of its own by senior defensive specialist Jordan Rice.
“If we have aggressive serves, the other team can’t handle us,” Dibbern said. “We beat them in three so obviously Coach Barnes is right.”
Barnes acknowledged the improvement, but he knows his team’s potential.
“Our serves have gotten better and better every game,” Barnes said. “They’re becoming solid. We are not making many service errors, but we need to create more aces. That part is really coming along.”
In the first set, Baylor jumped out on a 6-0 run before North Texas called a timeout. After that, North Texas came back to tie the game at seven.
From that point on in the first set, the Bears went on a solid roll, hitting .289, allowing few interruptions by North Texas.
Harris really favored Adom, setting her up for eight kills.
The second set featured a more varied attack at the front line with five kills coming from Dibbern, two from Tolbert and one from Zhang, freshman outside hitter Nicole Bardaji and senior middle blocker Melissa Jones.
Baylor took its foot off the pedal in the second set, hitting .190, but UNT never took full advantage.
Baylor would get back on track to solidify a win in the third set, hitting collectively at .324.
This matchup ended the Bears’ four-game home stand, in which Baylor went undefeated.
The team hopes to use this momentum to fuel a victory against the Iowa State Cyclones, the first place team in the Big 12. The game is at 7 p.m. Saturday in Aimes, Iowa.
