Baylor volleyball rebounded after losing to the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday by defeating Texas State in its final non-conference match of the season Friday night at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears completed a three-set sweep of the Bobcats (25-18, 25-12, 25-19) and moved to 13-5 overall (8-1 at home this season).
“We worked on that rhythm and that tempo,” head coach Ryan McGuyre said. “Texas State was our first spring matchup and kind of embarrassed us here. So it’s reflective of how much we’ve improved and how hard our girls have worked.”
The opening set appeared even, as both teams traded the first 18 points of the match. However, Baylor would go on a 6-1 run to take a commanding lead and capture the first set victory, 25-18.
Baylor was able to harness the momentum from the first set and come out aggressive to take an early 16-8 lead in the second set. The Bears took advantage of the lead and closed out the set to go up 2-0 against the Bobcats.
The third set began similar to the second one, as Baylor jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The Bobcats tried to claw their way back into the game by fighting off three match points, but the Bears eventually pulled through to claim the set 25-19, completing the sweep.
At the forefront of Baylor’s success was the team’s ability at the service line. The Bears registered a season-high nine service aces in the home win. Sophomore libero Jana Brusek led the way for the Bears and set a career-high with four service aces against Texas State.
“We served tough, with nine aces. Still missed too many, but that gave us more free balls that allowed us to be consistent so we could hit after them a little bit,” McGuyre said.
McGuyre’s side outperformed the Bobcats offensively, as Baylor combined for a .277 hitting effort. Texas State was limited to a .064 attack percentage, with seven of its players hitting negative. The match marked the second time that the Bears have held an opponent under .100 hitting this season.
“They had six or seven hitters hitting negative, so they never had anybody comfortable, and they’ve had some hitters that have done well this year,” McGuyre said.
Senior outside hitter Andie Malloy gave the Bears a consistent offensive threat, with a .308 attack percentage on 11 kills Friday night. Shelly Fanning, a freshman middle hitter, contributed 10 kills to rank second on the team.
Junior setter Morgan Reed led the Bears with 14 assists in the match.
Baylor will resume conference play after completing its last non-conference match against Texas State on Friday. Next up for the Bears is a home game versus the undefeated No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (17-0, 5-0 Big 12). That game is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.
