By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
No. 9 Baylor (7-4, 2-1) started October with an upset loss against Texas Tech University (11-5, 1-2) three sets to two. The Bears’ six-match win streak came to an end and they are now 2-1 at home in the Ferrell Center. It was an exhilarating match of runs, with most of it consisting of scoring runs from both teams with no one truly taking control of the competition. The Red Raiders won three straight sets after going down two, to complete the upset.
The Bears didn’t play their best and had to play against not only Tech, but themselves as well. With 15 service errors, head coach Ryan McGuyre said he was unhappy with the poor performance in one of the few areas of the game they solely control.
“We just made it hard for us to win and get runs with our serves tonight,” coach McGuyre said. “I’m probably most disappointed in how we served. When we’re serving better it gives our defense a chance to block more balls, dig more balls and transition. Take away some of those free points and maybe we’re in a different situation. But that’s part of the game, we got to do the whole thing.”
Anytime a star player is having an off-night, things become difficult. Senior outside hitter Yossiana Pressley struggled in a good portion of the match with an attack percentage of .070. However, McGuyre said he is confident in Pressley and believes she will play better in the next game.
“She’ll respond tomorrow,” McGuyre said. “She plays at a high level very consistently and it’s something I expect from her all the time. So, definitely not her best night tonight, but expect to be back tomorrow for sure.”
The Bears began to play through senior outside hitter Avery Skinner who stepped up and led the team in kills with 24 and notched a double-double with 13 digs.
“You want to set the hot hand,” Skinner said. “I was confident and it was part of just recognizing that and feeling confident knowing I could go up. They hadn’t stopped me and that was something that we just needed in the moment and so it was working and that’s what we went with.”
In routine fashion, the Bears struck first and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first set. Tech would fight back with a 4-0 run that included a block on Pressley, prompting celebration from the TTU players. Pressley would immediately respond with multiple kills as the score evened at 6-6. Midway through the set, the Red Raiders put together a 5-0 run to put them up 15-11 before a Baylor timeout. Neither team was able to pull far ahead, but a Baylor block would win the set for the Bears 25-23.
In the second set Tech started strong with a 3-0 run, which would grow to a 5-1 lead before a kill from Skinner sparked a scoring run for the Bears, making it 5-4. Skinner would continue to make big plays, getting a block and a kill to help Baylor jump out to a 15-12 lead. Junior outside hitter Lauren Harrison came alive with a block followed by two kills to help give the Bears a 19-15 lead. Baylor would ride the momentum to a solid lead, capitalized by another Harrison kill to give Baylor the win 25-19.
The Bears jumped once again to an early lead in the third set. Four kills from Pressley put the Bears up 10-6. However, multiple Baylor mistakes allowed TTU to eventually take the lead 18-15 and force a Baylor timeout. Some impressive saves and blocks from the Bears ignited the Ferrell Center, as they tied the game at 22 apiece. However, Tech would silence the crowd as they went on a three-point run to end Baylor’s streak of five straight sweeps.
In the fourth set it would be the Red Raiders jumping to the early lead, starting out 6-1. Baylor hurt themselves with unforced errors, allowing TTU to build a 13-5 lead. Following a timeout, the Bears clawed their way back into the set, going on a 6-1 run to cut the lead to 14-11. The crowd roared as the Bears continued to fight closing the gap to 23-22. Despite the strong efforts, Tech would quell the Baylor comeback attempt with a 25-22 win.
Baylor came out strong with an early lead of 7-4 in the fifth set. The entire match was back and forth, and the final set reflected that the most with neither team gaining a big lead. Late in the set with the score 15-15, Baylor was unable to build on any momentum and lost 18-16, losing the match.
The Bears controlled the momentum early in the match, however Skinner said the team seemed to get comfortable causing them to not seal the win.
“We just took the foot off the pedal at one point,” Skinner said. “They took advantage of it and we struggled to get back into the way we play. So moving forward, we can’t let ourselves get relaxed at any point. We have to take care of every single point, it doesn’t matter what’s happening on their side of the net, we need to control our side way better than we did [tonight].”
The Bears will get a shot at redemption against Tech at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
