By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Freshman outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik received a serve from Arkansas State’s Valeria Ortiz. Senior setter Bri Denney set Rakhmanchik up, and the freshman lasered the ball to the far corner to solidify the victory for the Bears in the fifth set.
That kill marked her season-high 32nd as Baylor (18-9, 12-6 Big 12) defeated Arkansas State (22-9, 12-4 Sun Belt) 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10 to continue the Bears’ 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The fifth set cemented the performance for Rakhmanchik, who racked up six kills and a service ace in the final frame. She finished the match with a .314 hitting percentage on 70 total attacks, 10 digs and three blocks.
“What [Ksenia] did for us at 32 kills, hitting .300, is pretty spectacular,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “To do that as a freshman is just testament to her steadiness and her willingness to listen to these stubborn coaches throughout the year.”
This was the second consecutive match Rakhmanchik set her season-best in kills, following 28 against TCU in the season finale.
Arkansas State jumped out to an 11-6 lead, connecting on eight kills to Baylor’s two. The Red Wolves tried to ward off the pressure from the Bears with multiple cross-court kills.
Baylor worked its way back into the initial set, capping off the comeback with three consecutive kills from Rakhmanchik to lead 20-19.
Rakhmanchik continued her recent tear by tallying eight kills in the first set.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m a freshman or junior or senior,” Rakhmanchik said. “For me, the one goal is to win, to win this championship.”
Arkansas State was down 23-21 but not out. Outside hitter Kaitlin Whitlock locked in for the Red Wolves with three straight kills to put them back on top. A poor serve receive from junior libero Tehani Ulufatu gave Arkansas State the upper hand with a first-set victory.
Neither squad could pull away for most of the second set. There were six ties as the teams were knotted at nine. Back-to-back kills from graduate middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe sent momentum Baylor’s way.
She added four more kills in the set, pairing with Rakhmanchik’s six kills in the second set. The Bears held onto a five-point lead as they tied the match with a 25-20 win.
“We want to play our best volleyball by December,” Bibinbe said. “[It’s] the confidence we have in one another, the way we compete in one another, the way we practice.”
The back-line defense started to step up after a slow first set. Ulufatu recorded 11 digs alongside freshman libero Morgan Madison’s nine through the first two frames — Madison finished the match with a Baylor tournament-record 22 digs in the five-set match.
“We’re talking about them all the time, but it’s just the freshmen and just what they continue to do in these big spots,” McGuyre said.
The Bears stayed above water throughout the third set behind Rakhmanchik’s eight kills. They held the lead until Arkansas State rattled off three straight points to jump ahead 24-23.
Baylor volleyball was on the wrong side of set point four times in the third set. Arkansas State’s Kaitlin Whitlock kept the Red Wolves ahead with two kills in extra points. Following a kill from redshirt sophomore setter Harley Kreck, junior middle blocker Victoria Davis denied the elevating outside hitter to give the Bears a crucial 2-1 match lead.
“We had a lot of singular heroic moments,” McGuyre said. “Tori, to be able to make a solo block on the outside to finish off set three, was really important.”
The leading Bears looked to be a step ahead of the seemingly deflated Red Wolves, leaping out to a 10-6 lead. Arkansas State regained its stride.
The Red Wolves, doing the limbo on the sideline during a Baylor challenge, found their rhythm and took a 14-13 lead. They did not give up their advantage, sending the match to a decisive fifth set, which Baylor emerged on top of, 15-10.
Dueling with Rakhmanchik was Whitlock, who led Arkansas State with 22 kills as well as 13 digs. Opposite hitter Addison Collum followed with 17 kills while outside hitter Devyn Lewis recorded 15.
Baylor had a relatively clean match on offense, hitting a team .317 percentage — the third-highest mark of its season, trailing wins over St. Mary’s and Utah.
The Bears will take on the winner of No. 3 Purdue and Wright State at 5 p.m. Friday at Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
