By Bennett Parker | Sports Writer
Baylor volleyball needed a win. A 1-3 start in conference made this a rather desperate road game for the Bears, but they came out relaxed, dominant on the attack and got aced just one time Thursday night.
Baylor (10-5, 2-3 Big 12) traveled to Lubbock for a one-game road trip against Texas Tech (8-9, 0-5 Big 12) in search of a get-right game against a Red Raider team that is in a seven-game free fall. The Bears found their footing, winning 25-15, 25-20, and then 28-26.
Serve receive proved to be a glaring issue in their loss to Colorado; it was the Bears’ strong suit against Texas Tech. Baylor had an 81 side-out percentage, winning more than eight out of every ten points that the Red Raiders served.
Baylor got an early lead in the first set and did not let go, getting ahead 13-8 and not allowing the Red Raiders back within three thanks to a .464 hitting percentage and seven kills from sophomore outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik. Four different Bears recorded kills in the 7-1 run to seal off the set 25-15.
Set two was more of the same. The Bears jumped out to an early 10-5 lead and traded blows with Texas Tech until they won 25-20. The Red Raiders scored just three times while serving in the set. While Baylor only had a pair of three-point runs, it did not allow the Red Raiders to string together three or more points all set.
The deciding set was not as efficient for Baylor. The team logged another 17 kills, but the hitting percentage dipped to .167 — half the rate that the Bears converted in the opening sets.
The serve receive remained dominant, and Baylor kept its composure despite back-to-back errors, allowing a 25-26 Texas Tech lead.
The 3-0 run to seal the match seemed almost effortless from Baylor. It looked like the better team, staying relaxed while the Red Raiders were on their toes playing catch-up. The Bears closed the night with a .292 hitting percentage and a 16-kill performance from Rakhmanchik.
Baylor volleyball is back on track with the sweep, but there is still more work to do in order to climb back into the rankings after breaking a ranked streak of 127 weeks.
Baylor will head back home to face Arizona at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Ferrell Center.
