By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
After a four-set loss to TCU on Sunday, No. 18 Baylor volleyball is set to close out a three-game run against ranked opponents Thursday night at 8 p.m. at No. 23 BYU.
In hostile territory at the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse, the Bears (10-4, 2-1) will hit national airwaves for the second straight game, with FS1 broadcasting the game. The Cougars are 8-1 at home this season, the sole loss coming in five sets against then-No. 19 Georgia Tech.
Geographically, at least, Baylor is entering unfamiliar territory. So far, the Bears have played all of their games in the Lone Star State, all but two at the Ferrell Center. But a recent hot streak, featuring four-set wins over Arizona and then-No. 14 Arizona State, has set them up well for conference play.
After being hampered by an early-season injury, junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech has surged in Big 12 play, racking a dozen kills in three straight games for the first time in her career. Senior outside blocker Elise McGhee (3.16 kills per set) has notched 50 kills across the past four games, while senior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe notched 18 combined kills against the Arizona schools.
But BYU will present a unique challenge after facing a Horned Frogs team centered on Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Melanie Parra, who recorded a game-high 25 kills (10 more than the second-highest finisher). The Cougars boast a balanced attack behind sophomore outside hitter Claire Little (3.94 kills per set). Freshman outside hitter Elli Mortensen (139 kills) and graduate student middle blocker Kjersti Strong (101 kills) round out the offense, while sophomore middle blocker Brielle Kemavor and Strong each average over a block per set.
These teams have only played twice before: 2017, when Baylor upset No. 10 BYU in Hawaii, and in 2023, when the Cougars swept in Provo. The Bears will have a chance to tip that ledger back on Thursday night before heading to Salt Lake City for their first-ever bout with Utah on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Jon M. Huntsman Center.
