By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
In its first of eight ranked matchups, No. 20 Baylor stuck with No. 10 SMU through five back-and forth sets Saturday, falling 24-26, 28-26, 25-22, 21-25, 13-15 for its first defeat of the 2025 season.
Following a convincing 3-1 win over South Alabama Friday, Baylor (1-1, 0-0) was neck and neck with SMU (2-0, 0-0) in the first major test of a difficult early schedule.
The match started with both sides sending blows at each other, staying within three points until a pair of Baylor errors put the Bears behind 21-16. They closed the gap by rattling off six consecutive points behind two kills from sophomore outside hitter MJ McCurdy and two aces by junior defensive specialist Tehani Ulufatu to take a 22-21 lead.
The Mustangs had the edge to finish out the set. They retook the lead after three ties and won the first set 26-24.
Errors cost the Bears in this first set, as they committed seven against SMU’s two. The margin did not move as much as Baylor tallied two more errors than the Mustangs over the next four sets.
Baylor turned it around in the second set, staying neck and neck with 12 ties and four lead changes. Like the previous set, the Bears found a late surge to win 28-26, taking eight of the last 12 points. McCurdy helped lead the charge again with two kills and an ace.
She led the team with 16 kills, following her team-leading 12 in Baylor’s victory over South Alabama Friday.
Following the first two sets going beyond 25 points, the third was smooth sailing for the Bears. They did not trail throughout the set and recorded six more kills on nine more total attacks than the Mustangs.
In the fourth set, a five-point run for SMU created separation around the midpoint, taking a 12-8 lead after trailing 8-7. The squads traded blows, but the Bears could not overcome the four-point deficit. Even though Baylor tallied 11 more total attacks than the Mustangs, they could not cash in, bringing the match to 2-2.
Like the rest of the match, the final set was back-and-forth, with nine ties and three lead changes. The Bears stayed afloat as four of their last seven points were gifted to them off of SMU errors. Even with multiple errors, the Mustangs pulled through to take the final set 15-13, securing a 3-2 victory.
Both teams kept it close throughout the match as SMU outscored Baylor 89-88. It was also consistently back-and-forth with a total of 25 ties and 12 lead changes.
Baylor’s serving prowess showed up, scoring nine aces to SMU’s five. Ulufatu and junior middle blocker Victoria Davis sent forward three aces apiece — the only players with multiple in the match.
Baylor fell behind on its defense at the net. The Mustangs almost doubled the Bears’ block total, outpacing them 19-10. Graduate middle blockers Gabrielle Essix and Manuela Bibinbe led the effort with six blocks each.
The Bears will close out the weekend in Baton Rouge, La. at 2 p.m. Sunday against LSU.
