By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer, Claire Marie Scott | LTVN Sports Director
Riding the energy of its first ranked against No. 9 TCU on Saturday, No. 15 Baylor volleyball looked to keep the momentum going into a midweek matchup against a middle-of-the-pack team at home.
While they stumbled out of the gate, the Bears eventually found their footing.
Baylor (9-3, 4-0 Big 12) swept Houston (8-6, 1-2 Big 12) 25-16, 27-25, 25-17 Wednesday night despite slow starts in the first and second sets.
It was a sloppy start for the Bears, who committed four attack errors and one service error while holding onto a 14-11 lead. They pulled it together as the first set went on and recorded one more error in a 25–16 win.
“We work on knowing what the coaches are telling us, and work on it quick,” junior libero Tehani Ulufatu said. “We’re doing pretty well, and we’re adjusting quick.”
Graduate middle blocker Gabrielle Essix was a force at the net in the first set with five kills in eight attacks and a .625 hitting percentage.
Houston rattled off a seven-point run with two Baylor errors and three blocks to go ahead 12-6. The Bears fell behind due to four errors and five blocked attacks to give the Cougars a 15-9 advantage.
Freshman outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik led the comeback with four kills and a service ace to tie the second set at 21. After going back and forth for a few points, Ulufatu’s service ace sealed the 2-0 lead for Baylor with a 27-25 victory.
“It’s just our job, so we needed to do it and win this game,” Rakhmanchik said.
Rakhmanchik finished the night with two service aces for the third consecutive match.
“Sometimes I’m scared when I need to serve, and know that it’s point-to-point,” Rakhmanchik said. “I sort of feel more confident.”
The Bears started the third set on the right foot, jumping out to a 4-1 lead. Houston stormed right back with a seven-point run to go ahead by four. Baylor answered with their own 6-0 run behind two kills from freshman outside hitter Bailey Warren and graduate middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe. The Bears held off a Cougar rally to complete the sweep, winning 25-17.
“Conference play is strong,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “The first day of October, I feel like we’ve gotten a lot better, and we still haven’t arrived yet.”
The victory was Baylor’s second sweep in conference play, along with their win over UCF on Sept. 16.
“Winning is so hard in any sport, any level, definitely in the Big 12,” McGuyre said. “It hopefully gives us a step in the right direction for the next match because you know you don’t want to be in a long five-setter with one day to recover.”
Freshman libero Morgan Madison — coming off her second Big 12 Rookie of the Week nod — held up the back line with 17 digs to pair with Ulufatu’s eight and three service aces.
“It’s really just a reflection of our team and how they’ve embraced her,” McGuyre said. “When Morgan and Tehani are on the court together at the same time, I feel so confident.”
Baylor returns to the court at 7 p.m. Friday to face off against No. 18 Kansas at the Ferrell Center.
