By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer, Claire-Marie Scott | LTVN Broadcast Reporter
Between bursts of Brooks & Dunn’s Boot Scootin’ Boogie and a bass-boosted remix of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” No. 20 Baylor volleyball rolled Hawaii on Country Night Saturday, 25-14, 21-25, 25-14, 25-17.
LTVN’s Claire-Marie Scott breaks down Baylor’s 3-1 win on Country Night.
The Ferrell Center’s speakers played a heavy dose of country music all night long, a fitting soundtrack for the Rainbow Warriors’ (6-4) first trip stateside this season. Entering the week, they sat at 6-1, earning five AVCA Top 25 votes and already having avenged their sole loss against Pepperdine.
But after dropping a Polynesian-themed match at UNLV on Tuesday, they headed south for a brutal back-to-back in the Lone Star State: at No. 8 Texas on Friday and at the Ferrell Center on Saturday, both four-set losses.
“We want to win every match, so that always feels good,” Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre said after the win. “Want to learn from it, take from it. Last non-conference match as we head into conference. So, really [good] opportunity tonight to play a great team. Hawaii’s really, really good.”
The Bears flooded out of the gates to a first-set blowout, blasting a 12-2 closeout run on the back of two service aces and several timely errors. Sophomore outside hitter Kendal Murphy drilled her first of three aces in that first set, tying the career high she set on Sept. 10 against SMU.
“Serving, it’s all you back there,” Murphy said. “It’s so mental. And I think today, I just kind of let loose, and was kinda like, ‘Whatever happens, happens, but I’m gonna go for it.’”
Despite back-to-back aces from Murphy, the second set swung back Hawaii’s way, 25-21, behind several snap adjustments and five kills from junior middle blocker Jacyn Bamis. The Bears never led after 8-7.
“We knew that Hawaii was a very fighter-type team,” Murphy said. “I think after that set two loss, we knew, ‘They were gonna fight back. We should have been prepared for it. And now, let’s go and fight back even harder.”
On Friday, the only time the Rainbow Warriors scratched 20 points against the Longhorns was in a second-set victory. Saturday played out like a late-night TV re-run, as Hawaii’s second-set comeback repeated, but proved to be a mere blip on the radar. The Bears took the final two sets, 25-14, 25-17, en route to their eighth victory of the season.
“I love the progress we’re making,” McGuyre said. “We got areas we can improve on, we got some more wrinkles we want to add. We got, probably some things we’ve done well, but just aren’t consistent and steady enough. So I’m excited. Our future’s extremely, extremely bright.”
The win moves the Bears to 8-3 on the season ahead of week one of Big 12 Conference play. Baylor will play host to Arizona (11-0) on Wednesday and No. 14 Arizona State (11-1) on Friday to close out their nine-game Ferrell Center homestand.
