By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Baylor went undefeated across the board this week with some highlight-reel performances and ranked matchups. Let’s get the rundown.
Bennett shines in win over LA Tech
Junior quarterback made his second straight start for Baylor after junior DJ Lagway was ruled out earlier in the week with a lingering ankle injury. Bennett looked to clean things up after throwing a pair of interceptions against Prairie View A&M in Week 2.
Going up against a defense that picked off LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt three times a week prior, Bennett did not skip a beat on Saturday. He went 21-for-24 for an 88% completion rate, the best for a Baylor quarterback with over 20 passes in a game since Robert Griffin III in 2011. Bennett also totaled 253 yards with four total touchdowns in the Bears’ 36-19 win over Louisiana Tech.
No. 12 Soccer ties No. 9 WVU in top-15 clash
No. 12 Baylor soccer traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia, to open conference play against the No. 9 Mountaineers on Friday night. Both sides traded prime opportunities to score throughout the game but were unable to find the back of the net.
Senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison threaded a pass to senior forward Lauren Omholt, who scored the match’s first goal in the 78th minute.
The Bears tried to hold on for a top-10 road victory, but West Virginia forward Saige Wimes scored on a last-second corner kick to tie the game 1-1. Baylor remains undefeated on the road this season despite victory slipping away at the final moment.
No. 18 Volleyball ends conference play with a pair of Ws
No. 18 Baylor volleyball opened the week with a match against Incarnate Word on Wednesday night. The Bears dominated the first two sets, taking them 25-10 and 25-18.
The Cardinals did not go down without a fight. They strung together a strong end to the third set, extending the match. Baylor put UIW down in the fourth with a 25-19 victory to seal the deal.
The Bears closed out conference play against UTEP on Friday night. The Miners kept it close through the first two sets, but Baylor outpaced them 25-20, 25-21.
The Bears found themselves trailing 20-15 in the third set. They pulled it together behind a strong performance from junior outside hitter MJ McCurdy to come back and finish the sweep. Baylor finished its nonconference schedule on a three-match win streak.
Baylor is now entering Big 12 play across the board this week. Football takes on Colorado at 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium. Soccer plays Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Thursday and Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field. Volleyball hits the road to face off against BYU at 9 p.m. Friday and Utah at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Keep on rolling.
— Jeffrey Cohen
