By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball was looking for its first ranked win against No. 9 TCU after dropping its previous three ranked matchups.
The match stretched to five sets in front of a raucous Ferrell Center crowd. And when the Bears needed it most, a freshman stepped up to the moment.
Freshman outside hitter Bailey Warren led the way for the Bears with 16 kills — including a crucial one to set up match point in the decisive fifth set. Baylor won, 3-2.
With her impressive performance in the win over the Horned Frogs, Warren has found her way as one of the top attackers and freshman leaders for No. 15 Baylor (8-3, 3-0 Big 12), especially during her rise over the past two weeks.
“It’s also a big emphasis in our gym as well, of having good rhythm with the setters so we can put the balls away,” Warren said after the win. “This game, I felt rhythm a hundred percent of the time, and you could see that just in the top of the numbers.”
Warren ranks second on the team in kills, kills per set and points per set. She’s tallied 52 kills in the past five matches and reached double digits against No. 11 Florida, UCF and No. 9 TCU.
Head coach Ryan McGuyre has attributed Warren’s recent rise to success to her ability to learn from her mistakes.
“What I love about Bailey is she just has a short memory in a good way,” McGuyre said. “The things we’re asking her to do, she’ll remember, and she’s not afraid to make the mistakes to try and execute.”
Warren has 38 attack errors so far this season — second-most on the team behind graduate middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe. Limiting errors has been a focus for her early on, taking more time at practice toward cleaning up her game.
“We’re still playing through limiting errors,” McGuyre said. “She has the right mindset, and she’s one of the first in the gym.”
Even though her errors are a product of her inexperience in college volleyball, McGuyre sees Warren as well-equipped to perform at the highest level of college volleyball.
“There’s so much more I’m excited to work on,” McGuyre said of Warren and freshman outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik. “For both of these athletes, especially Bailey, their experience is at freshman level, but I think their maturity and focus level is different.”
Warren’s character and coachability have led to her productivity despite only being 11 games into her collegiate career. While McGuyre has seen Baylor freshmen throughout his tenure take time to adjust to college volleyball and coaching, Warren and the fellow freshmen, like libero Morgan Madison, have not struggled as much with that kind of adversity.
“I think she’s reliable when it comes [to] her character, as far as [having] thick skin,” McGuyre said. “You know you can coach her up freely and she’ll be like, ‘Hey, I’m going to apply it,’ and don’t have to dance around anything.”
Warren has developed as a leader on and off the court. She has been able to foster relationships with her teammates as well as build intensity in practice and during matches.
“The best leaders are the biggest servants,” McGuyre said. “I’ve seen that in Bailey for sure. Bailey can laugh and giggle, and there’s a serious kind of mean growl to her.”
Warren’s teammates have also reciprocated that bond. The returners have formed strong connections with the freshmen, which have allowed them to adjust to the college game more quickly and play at a higher level.
“Our team has loved and led the freshmen extremely well in that, so they can play with great confidence,” McGuyre said. “We got to be patient because they just don’t have experience, and we can’t force it on them. We just got to get out there.”
Warren and the Bears will return to action against No. 18 Kansas at 7 p.m. Friday at the Ferrell Center. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
