Skye Duncan | Lariat Photographer
Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball took a hard earned win over Texas Tech Wednesday night by taking down the Red Raiders 3-1 in Lubbock.
The Bears used a .261 attack effort for 69 kills to win the match 25-17, 31-29, 23-25, 25-23. The effort was the highest hitting percentage against a Big 12 opponent this season.
With the win, the Bears (13-11, 3-6 Big 12) avenged a five-set home loss to Texas Tech on Oct. 1. This is the second straight Big 12 victory for the Bears after going on a six-game losing streak early in conference play.
Junior outside hitter Andie Malloy recorded her 14th double-double with 24 kills on a .358 hitting percentage and 15 digs to lead the team. Junior outside hitter Thea Munch-Soegaard also recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs for the Bears. Senior outside hitter Nicole Bardaji and junior middle hitter Adrien Richburg added 12 and 11 kills respectively. Richburg hit .440 with no hitting errors.
Junior setter Amy Rosenbaum had 57 assists and 11 digs to record her first double-double since Baylor’s loss to Texas Tech earlier this month. Freshman liberos Jana Brusek and Ashley Myer rallied for 41 of Baylor’s 89 digs in the back row and posted 28 and 13 digs. The 28 digs were a career-high for Brusek.
The Bears got off to a hot start to take a 13-8 lead behind the team’s only service ace made by Malloy. The Red Raiders stayed within three or four points throughout the set, but Baylor used a 6-1 run and a .294 hitting effort to take the opening set 25-17.
Both teams went head-to-head and took slim leads throughout the second set. Down 23-20, the Bears used two unforced errors by Texas Tech and a kill by Malloy to tie the game at 24 points apiece. Baylor shook off four set points and put up a big block to end the set 31-29 and head into the locker room up two sets to none.
Baylor’s .196 attacking effort and game-high seven hitting errors doomed the Bears in the third set after Texas Tech jumped to a 24-22 lead late in the game. Baylor shook off a set point with a kill from Malloy but couldn’t hold off a Texas Tech kill and dropped the third set 25-23.
The Bears went up 8-3 to force a Texas Tech timeout early in the fourth set but allowed a 6-1 run for the match to be tied at 9-9. Baylor fell behind and trailed 17-14 before rallying for a 6-0 run to retake the lead and force another Red Raider timeout. Texas Tech pulled within one and shook off a match point before Bardaji pounded the ball on the right side and ended the set 25-23.
The Bears take a break this weekend and return to Big 12 action on Nov. 5 against Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m.
