By Matthew Soderberg | Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball won their first five-set match (26-24, 15-25, 29-31, 25-15, 15-12) of the season against Oklahoma. After winning 48 of their first 50 sets, the Bears have now dropped six of their last 12.
After four-set matches with Wisconsin and Houston early in the season, the last two matches have now gone longer than many had come to expect. After the win, head coach Ryan McGuyre said he was happy to take on the test.
“[I was] glad that we could experience a five-set battle. I think the atmosphere and the adversity is good for us, [but I] didn’t feel that we handled it as well as we need to in the future,” McGuyre said.
Junior outside hitter Yossiana Pressley led all players with 25 kills on a season-high 72 attacks. that was about the only bright spot on offense Wednesday, with Baylor hitting a season-low in wins at .162.
The Bears racked up 32 attempts, about 68% higher than McGuyre would normally prefer on 191 attempts. Even after eeking out the win, he said that his team needs to get its head on straight.
“We can play at a higher level and make better decisions, so I thought our maturity was lacking … We did just enough to get the win, but it’s going to catch up to us if we don’t keep getting better,” McGuyre said.
Junior setter Hannah Lockin posted another double-double Wednesday, matching her season-high in assists at 50 and setting a new season-high in digs at 16. Senior libero Tara Wulf also set a season-high in digs with 23.
Oklahoma hitter Ashlynn Dunbar led the Sooners in kills with 18 on 58 attempts, also posting a double-double with 12 digs. Neither team had too much success, as Oklahoma also posted just a .160 hitting percentage with 26 errors. The Bears also failed to block yet another opponent, dropping the category 13-9.
Baylor gets another test at 4 p.m. Sunday against Iowa State in the Ferrell Center. The game can be watched on ESPNU or streamed on the ESPN app.
