By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
No. 20 Baylor volleyball beat Cincinnati Thursday 3-1 in what marked the first time the Bears have won the first leg of a conference back-to-back this season.
“Really like how we came out defensively with some really good serves,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “Elise [McGhee] was good to start and open things up, Tehani [Ulufatu] throughout the whole night really changed the course of the match. We definitely executed what we wanted to do in the first two sets and made things simple. Offensively we were dialed in, doing pretty well.”
Baylor entered the match 0-2 in series-opening Big 12 games, but it sprinted out of the gate against the Bearcats, allowing fewer than 20 points in each of the first two sets. The win moves the Bears to 3-3 in conference play and 9-7 overall.
The first set started out even. Junior outside hitter Elise McGhee opened the match with a kill, but Cincinnati battled back to take a 5-4 lead. Then junior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe recorded a kill, assisted by sophomore setter Averi Carlson, and it was off to the races. That spike sparked an 11-3 run for the Bears, who led by as many as nine before taking the first set 25-17.
The second set featured more of the same. Cincinnati kept it close for a while, but ultimately couldn’t keep up. As the Bearcats blinked, the Bears turned a 9-8 lead into 14-8. Not long after, they made another four-point run, their fourth of the match. McGhee finished the set with her sixth kill of the game, and the Bears won 25-19.
A sweep looked to be in the works as freshman libero and defensive specialist Tehani Ulufatu drilled a service ace to make it 6-1, but the Bearcats scored 10 of the next 14 to take the lead. They went on another four-point run to make it 24-18 before junior middle blocker and opposite hitter Abby Walker closed it out with her first kill of the set.
With all the momentum swinging, it looked like the match could be turning too. Down 5-4, Cincinnati went on a 5-0 run, including three blocks. The Bearcats held that lead until 12-9, at which point the Bears promptly went on a 6-0 run and never let the score within three points again. The closest it got was 22-19 on a Bearcat service ace; the Bears scored the next two points and won the set, 25-21.
“Disappointed at moments in the third set but I’m glad we could regroup and make some big blocks, good digs and good adjustments in the fourth set to get the win before day two,” McGuyre said. “Allie Sczech did a good job hitting efficiently, Tehani really did a good job and had some clutch digs. Our serve-receive kept us in side-out the whole night.”
With freshman outside hitter Kyndal Stowers unavailable, McGhee (16 kills, service ace) and redshirt sophomore outside hitter and opposite hitter Riley Simpson (15 kills, service ace) stepped up in her place. The team still struggled with service errors, posting nine to Cincinnati’s three.
The team will have a chance to win the series over Cincinnati with the second leg set for 5 p.m. on Friday.
