By Francesca Maietta | Reporter
Baylor volleyball took down the Iowa State Cyclones 3-1 Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears swept the season series against the Cyclones for the second consecutive year and the first time since the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Head coach Ryan McGuyre said he was pleased with how the team played and pulled through for the win.
“The first set was a combination of offense and defense working together,” McGuyre said. “We played really good defense. Iowa State has been mixing some things up the last couple of matches. I felt like we were one step ahead and we made the plays. We had shorter rallies in the first set. The defense made the offense look good, and the offense put a little pressure on them.”
The Bears hit .600 to start the match, putting them in the lead and calling for an Iowa State timeout. A kill by junior middle blocker Shelly Fanning kept them in the lead through the last point. The Bears took the first set with a final score of 25-13.
The Cyclones took the lead at the beginning of the second set, but it was not long before the Bears caught up and were back at the top. Baylor forced an Iowa timeout with a 3-0 scoring run. Fanning collected her 11th kill of the night, aiding the Bears in remaining at the front of the opposition. Another kill by senior outside hitter Aniah Philo also helped the Bears dominate as they closed out the frame 25-19 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Bears struggled early in the third set and the Cyclones held a lead. The two teams went back and forth, exchanging leads throughout the set. Baylor hit a team low .100 after posting 12 kills with eight errors. The Cyclones kept the lead and took the third set 25-19.
The score was close the entire fourth set with both teams consistently tying each other. Baylor finally picked things back up and went on a 4-0 scoring run with blocks by Fanning and Philo and major kills from sophomore outside hitter Yossiana Pressley. Baylor made a push and rolled off five consecutive points. Fanning hit a kill to seal the match for the Bears with a 25-21 fourth set victory.
Philo said she feels like the games are getting more intense now and that they are unstoppable after wins like tonight.
“We are headed into the NCAA [tournament] now and we’re making every game more serious,” Philo said. “Instead of the first round where we’re usually kind of rocky, we’re making every touch, every pass and every hit intentional.”
The Bears will take on their next Big 12 match against Kansas State at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
