Michael Bain | Photographer
Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball finished the three match Baylor Classic with a win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Bears won the match 3-1, with sets of 22-25, 27-25, 25-17 and 25-18. The Bears finish up the Classic with a record of 1-2 and with a 2-5 record overall.
Mississippi State was led by freshman opposite hitter Kimmy Gardiner. Gardiner finished with a double-double, 20 kills and 14 digs. Freshman setter Suzanne Horner added 48 assists. Sophomore libero Roxanne McVey finished with 25 digs to lead all players.
Baylor dropped a close first set. In the second set, Baylor narrowly won 27-25 thanks to a balanced defensive effort, holding Mississippi State to a .120 hitting percentage.
The momentum continued on both sides of the ball in the third set. The Bears hit .500 in the third set, let by Adom and her six kills in the set. The fourth set was dominated by Munch-Soegaard, who had eight kills in the final set. Hope Ogden also came up with five key digs in the final set.
The Bears were led by senior outside hitter Zoe Adom, who finished with 18 kills and 2.0 total blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Thea Munch-Soegaard finished with a double-double, 18 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore setter Amy Rosenbaum had 48 assists.
The Bears held the Bulldogs to a .162 hitting percentage for the match. Baylor finished with 15 total team blocks, led by sophomore and junior middle hitters Adrien Richburg and Nicole Bardaji. They combined for seven blocks, and were aided by sophomore outside hitter Laura Jones’ eight block assists. The Bears also limited themselves to 13 attack errors, less than half the 30 that Mississippi State committed.
Baylor looks to continue their season on the road at Texas State on Tuesday night, but will return home for the three game Baylor Invitational on Sept. 13 and 14.
