By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
The wait is still on for Baylor Athletics to open its home season, but the Bears have already been competing on the road. With the first week of classes in the rearview mirror, here’s a quick glance at everything you may have missed.
No. 2 Wisconsin handles No. 15 Baylor volleyball 3-1 to open Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge
No. 15 Baylor volleyball lost its season opener to No. 2 University of Wisconsin Friday night as part of the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. The Bears were outlasted by the Badgers 20-25, 14-25, 25-20, 17-25.
“I love [that] we came out and fought and battled,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “I thought it was a good start. We were point-for-point in the first half and a little bit passive in the middle. I knew this was a tough match going in, and the experience showed up a little bit.”
“I thought we prepared well for the season, but there’s stuff we need to get after and do. I’m excited to see how we can move forward and learn from it. Lots of great plays from everybody all around. We’ll just grow, be a little more sustainable and get after it, but it’s the tip of the iceberg for what we can do,” McGuyre said.
No. 7 Minnesota blanks No. 15 Baylor volleyball 3-0
No. 15 Baylor volleyball couldn’t bounce back from its loss to the No. 2 University of Wisconsin, as it dropped the final match of the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge to No. 7 University of Minnesota Saturday night at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis.
The Golden Gophers ran away with it in the third set, winning the match 25-20, 25-21, 25-11.
The Bears look forward to their home opener against No. 23 Rice University on Friday in the Ferrell Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will be available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Baylor soccer gives up second-half goal, draws with Texas A&M 1-1
Baylor soccer recorded a 1-1 draw against Texas A&M University on Saturday at Ellis Field in College Station. Senior midfielder Ashley Merrill netted her first goal of the season in the 16th minute, but the Aggies responded late in the second half to knot the tally.
“Really, really proud of our team,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “We set our mind to coming out today and playing the game that we wanted to play. From the kickoff, we didn’t want to let the crowd or the environment or a really good team prevent us from playing the way that we wanted to play, and we did that from the beginning.
“Of course, there were momentum shifts throughout the game. They’re a really good team, so we expected that, but we got on the ball a ton. We created a fantastic goal with a great finish. It was literally how we drew it up, so we are really proud. We knew we had to be disciplined throughout the game, because either team could’ve scored another goal easily. We hate that it comes down to a penalty, but [we are] really proud to get a good result from a great opponent in front of a great crowd. I am just proud of our team for handling this environment so well.”
The Bears are also looking ahead to their home opener, with theirs coming against Louisiana Tech University at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Field. This contest will also be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
