By Cody Soto
Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball dropped a 3-1 road decision to Big 12 opponent Oklahoma Saturday night at the McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. in its fifth consecutive conference loss of the season.
The Bears (11-10, 1-5 Big 12) improved their hitting percentage to .295 in the match, 42 points better than their previous average (.254) in the loss. Baylor was able to keep the match competitive but was unable to gain enough momentum to close out each set to allow the Sooners (14-5, 5-1 Big 12) to take the game 25-21, 24-26, 25-16, 25-21.
The Sooners push the all-time series to 21-4 over the Bears in Norman.
Junior outside hitter Andie Malloy racked up her 12th double-double of the season with 19 kills on a .400 hitting effort and 18 digs for the Bears. Sophomore middle hitter Sam Hill had a career-high 13 kills with an impressive .478 attack percentage in the four-set loss. Freshman outside hitter Katie Staiger added a dozen kills, adding to the team’s 58 kills on the night.
The Bears used a 6-2 offensive system and transitioned both setters into the lineup for their second straight conference match. Junior setter Amy Rosenbaum had 31 assists and sophomore setter Morgan Reed added 20 in the rotation.
Early leads for Oklahoma in the first, third and fourth sets kept the Sooners in front and allowed them to take the win over Baylor with a .331 hitting percentage. The Bears took the second set 26-24 behind a strong .316 hitting effort and even had a .364 attack percentage in the fourth set. Baylor looks to improve its blocking at the net after only posting four blocks compared to Oklahoma’s seven in the match.
The Bears return home to face West Virginia Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center in an effort to win their second Big 12 matchup. Both teams are set for a 6 p.m. game time.
