By Cody Soto
Sports Writer
Baylor took a 4-set win over Texas State (18-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-23) at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos Wednesday night. The Bears (4-1) had dropped a 4-set thriller last year to the Bobcats.
Junior outside hitter Andie Malloy’s 20 kills and 15 digs led the team in the 3-1 win. This is the third straight match that Malloy has had a double-double, and she became the first Baylor player to have back-to-back 20-kill matches since 2006 in Tuesday’s win over Rice.
Sophomore middle hitter Tola Itiola had seven blocks and nine kills for the Bears while senior outside hitter Nicole Bardaji added five blocks and five kills in the match. Junior outside hitter Thea Munch-Soegaard had 10 kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Katie Staiger also contributed 14 kills with a .407 attack percentage and led all players with 23 digs. In the 4-set win, junior setter Amy Rosenbaum had 51 assists.
Senior libero Hope Ogden contributed with 16 digs and freshman Jana Brusek had 12 digs in Wednesday’s match.
Baylor (4-1) started out shaky and dropped the first set 25-18 to the Bobcats. In the second set, the Bears trailed 9-6 before going on a 5-1 run to take the lead for the rest of the set. Baylor won the set 25-23 and went into the locker room with a 1-1 match count.
Momentum was on Baylor’s side for the third set, and the Bears easily took the set 25-14. The Bears fought for the fourth set, and even trailed 18-14 late in the set. The team went on a 6-2 run to regain the lead and hold on long enough to secure the set 25-23 and won the match in four sets.
“It was a hard fought win,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “What an environment Texas State has. They had a huge crowd and their team played as hard as they could and they really challenged us. I am proud of how we maintained our poise under the pressure. It really was a great volleyball environment.”
The Bears will face Wichita State Thursday evening at 5 p.m. at San Marcos. The game will be played at Strahan Coliseum.
