By Grant Morrison | Sports Writer
Lined up across from No. 18 Minnesota, Baylor volleyball sophomore outside hitter Kendal Murphy wasn’t thinking about being the underdog in the match. She didn’t care that Minnesota had just beaten then-No. 1 Texas or that the Bears had dropped their last three matchups with the Golden Gophers.
“I was more focused on the fact that my cousin was on the other side of the court,” Murphy said.
A self proclaimed “volleyball freak,” Murphy has the sport in her DNA. Her parents met as club volleyball coaches, her aunt and uncle are coaches and three of her cousins play at the collegiate level.
“I grew up in the ball cart, going to practice with my parents.” Murphy said. “I feel like I could serve a ball before I could read.”
After her career at Horizon High School, where she recorded over 1,000 kills, Murphy was the No. 18 recruit in the country, and had narrowed her choice down to four schools: Utah, Pepperdine, Baylor and USC. Baylor was the fourth of these options.
“My three things I wanted from college were to start my freshman year, stay in the Pac-12 and play sand and indoor volleyball,” Murphy said.
But Baylor doesn’t offer sand volleyball, and it plays in the Big 12. Plus, when Murphy visited, the roster was too stacked for her to start. But when she took her official visit to Baylor, she knew this was the place for her.
“I feel like God called me to be here… when I stepped on campus, I was like ‘this is home for me.’”
By the end of her freshman year, Murphy had carved out a starting role and saw significant playtime. She coaches the men’s club volleyball team, giving her the opportunity to play in sand regularly. And she wanted to play in the Pac-12, to compete against childhood friends now playing at Arizona and Arizona State— two teams that joined the Big 12 just this fall.
Now in the second year of her Baylor career, Murphy has established herself as a dominant presence on the court. Her game is about consistency; she regularly pairs double-digit kills with a high hitting percentage. Whether she’s in practice or in a real match, every rep is about improvement.
“I want to make my team better every day. I want to put up the best block I can [in practice] so that my teammates are hitting against the best block,” Murphy said.
Senior libero Lauren Briseño cited Murphy’s consistency as a measure that sets her apart.
“I really trust that she knows how to execute,” Briseño said. “She’s intentional about doing all the reps that she needs to, outside of practice… I really respect who she is as a player.”
Pushing herself and her teammates to enhance their game at every opportunity builds confidence in a sport that demands it. Starting the season with four straight sweeps before beating Minnesota lights a fire in the heart of this squad. Confidence “goes so far in volleyball,” Murphy said, and “can change the momentum of a whole game.”
The bond these players have with each other is stronger now than its ever been. Over the summer, they traveled to Europe and faced the national teams of Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Italy.
Competing against the premier talents of these nations gave the Bears an opportunity to face teams of a higher caliber, sharpening their own skills while building relationships as a team. With seven seniors on this year’s squad, the trip served to connect younger teammates with those on their way out, and head coach Ryan McGuyre felt it “gives the underclassmen more to fight for.”
Back home, the team has developed individual chants and claps for each player as they serve. In most high-pressure sports situations—free throws, field goal attempts, penalty kicks— the team would want quiet. But Murphy and the Bears know that home or away, the court will be loud anyway. It brings a rhythm to each serve that drowns out the outside noise.
“[Serving] is my time,” Murphy said. “It’s gonna be loud in the gym anyways. Let’s have them cheer for me.”
Despite being a sophomore, Murphy’s feel for the game has earned her a regular spot in the starting rotation.
“She’s a special athlete,” McGuyre said. “She just understands the game, for as young as the is, at an incredible level.”
With the Bears off to a 5-2 start with a ranked win, Murphy sees this team as strong enough to take it all the way.
“National championship, for sure,” Murphy said. “Second best would be Big 12 champions. I want a ring on my finger.”
From the looks of this team, it’s not a far-fetched idea. The conference is wide open, and the Bears are strong enough to take it the distance. This team is talented and disciplined. Their foundation, and theme for this season, is trust.
“It’s about trusting our training, trusting our teammates and my teammates trusting me,” Murphy said. “I would not want to have this season with anyone else by my side.”
Next up, the green and gold will take on LSU (5-1) on Thursday and host Samford (5-0) on Sunday as part of the annual Baylor Invitational. First serve against the Tigers is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.
