By Adam Gibson | Sports Writer
Coming off a close win over Iowa State, No. 21 Baylor volleyball suffered its second conference loss of the season at No. 4 Texas Wednesday in Austin.
The Bears were unable to find a way to win a set as they surrendered all three to the Longhorns. The first set was the closest of the three as Baylor was able to get 23 points, right under the 25 needed to take the set.
Baylor hopped out to a 17-13 lead after a kill from senior outside hitter Aniah Philo, but Texas took the opening set after eight service errors and then an attack error at set point.
Baylor fought for the second set, but four straight points for the Longhorns led to a 9-4 lead that Baylor could never come back from, losing set two 25-16.
Baylor’s offense struggles continued into the third frame where they hit -.026 to drop the final set 25-15.
Sophomore outside hitter Yossiana Pressley led both teams in the match with 11 of Baylor’s 36 total kills. The Bears led in both kills and assists in the match but were unable to get past the Longhorns’ defense which posted 12 blocks.
The attack for the Bears fell much shorter of the Longhorns with only successfully hitting .107, while Texas was able to have an attacking percentage of .333. Sophomore setter Hannah Lockin led both teams in assists with 28 after only recording six in the previous match against the Cyclones.
A major part of the match that hurt the Bears was the amount of errors they had with 25, the same amount of points needed to win a set with seven, eight and 10 through the match. The Bears gave up six straight points in the third set to make them go from four points to eight, then four to 13. The Bears committed a season-high 14 service errors and the most since Baylor’s 2017 season opener against Florida State when they had 16.
Head coach Ryan McGuyre said there were many chances the Bears could’ve taken advantage in the match, but with it being an away match, it brought a more challenging aspect to the competition.
“I definitely felt like we had opportunities in that first set numerous times,” McGuyre said. “We really struggled from the service line. It really limited our ability to score. When we kept the ball in, we were getting a lot of digs and opportunities. If we take back even half of those missed serves, then I think we could have converted a lot more of those. Moving forward, Texas adjusted where they were hitting, and we were slow to respond and make plays. On the road, you’ve got to stay clean and be more consistent.”
The Bears return home from the two-game road trip to face Oklahoma at 8 p.m. Friday night in the Ferrell Center.
