By Cody Soto
Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball was handed its third straight Big 12 loss as No. 2 Texas swept the Bears on Tuesday night in Austin 25-12, 25-13, 25-17.
The Bears (10-8, 1-3 Big 12) hit a disappointing .047 attack effort throughout the match and were held to only three blocks compared to Texas’s 11 blocks in the match. The Longhorns (12-0, 4-0 Big 12) ended the night with a .473 attack percentage over the Bears.
Baylor’s 25 attack errors crippled the offense and provided Texas with lots of opportunities to maintain their lead.
Freshman outside hitter Katie Staiger led the team with eight kills and a .200 hitting effort in the loss. Junior outside hitter Laura Jones followed with six kills, and hitters Andie Malloy and Tola Itiola recorded four kills each for the Bears.
Junior setter Amy Rosenbaum had 25 assists in the match and added a kill of her own. Senior libero Hope Ogden contributed six digs in the back row in the sweep.
In the first set, Texas quickly took a 4-0 lead and forced a Baylor timeout early in the match. Despite holding their opponent to only nine kills in set one, Baylor was buried behind its -.069 hitting percentage and was unable to overcome the Longhorns’ five blocks to drop the opening set 25-12.
Things didn’t go much better for Baylor in set two. After the Bears were only behind by one point at 5-6, the Longhorns surged on a 9-0 run and forced a Baylor timeout. Texas continued to coast throughout the remainder of the set and used 12 kills to put away the Bears in the second set 25-13.
Baylor and Texas tied it up at 6-6 to start out the third set, but five attack errors and a service error allowed the Longhorns to pull ahead and take a 13-8 lead. Baylor created a small 3-0 run late in the set behind kills from Jones and Staiger, but it was not enough for the team to gain momentum. Texas took the third set 25-17 and the sweep over the Bears.
Baylor returns to Waco on Friday and will play Kansas in a blackout game in the Ferrell Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
