By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
After losing their first three ranked matchups, No. 20 Baylor volleyball remained in search for an early statement win.
They found one Saturday in a familiar foe: the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs, who already had five ranked victories under their belt.
Baylor (8-3, 3-0 Big 12) defeated TCU (11-3, 1-1 Big 12) in five sets, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19, 24-26, 15-9 for their first ranked win.
“I don’t care what sport it is, we all want to beat TCU,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “The Big 12 is up for grabs this year, so our hope is to be in the driver’s seat.”
With the Ferrell Center buzzing for the Bears’ first home match in 20 days, graduate middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe kicked the match off with an emphatic kill.
“It was valuable for the crowd that we had today,” McGuyre said. “When you’re looking at five-set matches, the crowd has an impact on the outcome.”
The first set lived up to the expectations of a tight duel, with six ties and two lead changes. A service ace from freshman outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik sealed the set for Baylor 25-22.
Rakhmanchik led the Bears with four kills in the initial set.
“It was the best match since I have played here,” Rakhmanchik said. “We can do more, and our best can be higher.”
Evan Hendrix set the tone early in the second set for the Horned Frogs, accounting for five of their first seven points. TCU led most of the way, but the Bears were able to stay with them and tie the set at 16. After four more ties at 17, 19, 20 and 22, a service error from freshman outside hitter Bailey Warren and a kill from Hendrix got the Horned Frogs set point at 24-22.
Bibinbe tried to take the set to extra points, but an attack error gave TCU the second set to tie the match 1-1.
Home court advantage played a key role to start the third set. Baylor jumped out to a 13-4 lead behind five errors by the Horned Frogs. They continued to push their lead, getting ahead 20-10. They held on to take the third set, 25-19, behind junior middle blocker Victoria Davis’ six kills and one block.
“Our foot was on the gas more than the third set knowing that we kind of gave them that second set,” Warren said. “Dialing back in and just [making] sure we do our jobs and not taking on anyone else’s roles.”
The fourth set began back-and-forth, with four ties leading up to a score of 12-12. TCU started to pull away with a four-point run that included two kills from Alexis Roberson, but Baylor found its way back to an even set at 20 with a kill from graduate middle blocker Gabrielle Essix.
A pivotal kill from Rakhmanchik was initially called out, but a challenge from McGuyre overturned the call and gave the Bears a 22-21 lead.
The Horned Frogs rattled off two straight points, but Davis elevated for a kill to bring the set to 23-all. An attack error from Lauren Murphy made it match point for Baylor.
TCU silenced the Ferrell Center crowd with three consecutive points to win the set 26-24 and force a decisive fifth set.
“One thing about the fifth set, I don’t have to worry about running out of subs,” McGuyre said. “We can get our best in each skill set out there.”
Two blocks and a kill from Bibinbe helped Baylor leap to a 4-0 lead. The Horned Frogs came back to tie the set at 7, but a six-point run put the Bears two points from victory. An attack error from Samara Coleman sealed the match for Baylor.
“We’re looking at our other ranked losses, where it was 15-13 in the fifth set,” McGuyre said. “To get over the hump and win that one is really important.”
The freshman trio of Warren, Rakhmanchik and libero Morgan Madison led the way for the Bears. Warren and Rakhmanchik led the team in kills and attacks as Madison posted 22 digs — the second time she has surpassed 20.
“To have two freshmen outside together, get a top-10 win in the Ferrell Center, I think is rare, if remarkable,” McGuyre said. “Winning’s hard, but to do it as freshmen and just carry that load, I thought was pretty spectacular.”
The Bears will return to action against Houston at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.
