By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
No. 10 Baylor volleyball fell to No. 1 University of Texas in three sets. UT (18-0, 9-0 Big 12) snapped the Bears’ six-match win streak, as they are now 13-5 overall and 7-2 in conference.
Despite being swept, Baylor played a competitive match, scoring 20 or more points in every set, with two matches being decided by two points. Head coach Ryan McGuyre said the Bears need to close better because if they had closed sets stronger, the outcome of the match would’ve been different.
“I liked the way we started the match,” McGuyre said. “I like how we played in the beginning and middle phases of the match. We needed to be able to finish off. Texas is good for a reason, they got a lot of weapons. We slowed them down at times, but not consistently enough. At the highest level, the margins are really thin… Two sets by two points. That’s really one rally. If we win the rally then we have the point, they don’t and that’s the separation. Tomorrow we got to be better at creating a little bit more separation, and I think we can do that.”
Senior outside hitters Yossiana Pressley and Avery Skinner led the way for the Bears. Skinner finished with 14 kills and seven digs while Pressley finished with eight kills and six digs. Senior setter Hannah Sedwick put up 27 assists and seven digs. Another big contributor was junior outside hitter Lauren Harrison who had eight kills of her own. Harrison said the packed Ferrell Center was a big help for her and the team and she loved playing in that atmosphere.
“The fans really helped us,” Harrison said. “It was a fun environment to play in. We definitely feed off of them.”
The crowd roared as Baylor struck first with a kill from Skinner. The Bears got out to a hot start, swinging out to an early 4-1 lead. The Longhorns began to lessen the gap, but a thunderous kill from Pressley put Baylor up 6-4. After UT tied the set, consecutive kills from the Bears got the team fired up as they regained their lead at 8-6. Mistakes by UT helped Baylor increase their lead to 12-9 before the Longhorns called a timeout. UT fought hard to take control of the set as the teams traded points, knotting up at 18. UT opened it up with a five-point run and went on to win the set 25-20.
Baylor jumped out to a 3-1 lead to begin the second set, but UT quickly responded and the teams were tied at 4. The Bears seized momentum with a big block and an emphatic kill from Pressley which helped them to retake the lead at 7-5. The teams exchanged blows before Sedwick set from her knees for a kill from Harrison to make it 8-6. The Longhorns went on a 5-1 run before kills from Skinner tied the set at 12. UT once again went on a run, but a kill from Harrison helped the Bears regain momentum. Pressley followed up with an ace, cutting UT’s lead to 16-15. Energy surged through the arena as a diving save from Pressley set up a monstrous kill from Skinner to close the Longhorns’ lead to 18-17. UT would go up 21-18, but the Bears made a late-set surge to tie things up at 23. However, it wouldn’t be enough, as UT held on to win the set 25-23.
The Bears came out swinging early for the third straight set as they picked up a 3-0 lead. UT was unfazed and responded with a 8-2 run, taking the lead 8-5. The Bears responded with a run of their own. A long rally ended with a kill from Skinner, getting the crowd on their feet as the set was tied at 10. Baylor and UT would alternate points until UT took a 21-19 lead after a service error from Baylor. The Bears clawed back to tie the set at 22. UT scored two straight before a service error gave Baylor life at 24-23. However, the Longhorns didn’t let up as they won the final set 26-24.
Pressley said playing UT is different from most teams because of the players and the talent their team possesses. She said she believes Baylor needs to be more aggressive and dynamic in their rematch tomorrow.
“Being more physical,” Pressley said. “We were definitely there mentally, but we need to apply more pressure. I think Texas did a great job with applying pressure in tough situations where the score is tied, and we just need to do better … It definitely is different than most teams because you have girls like Brionne Butler, 6’5″ touching 11’3’’. Going into tomorrow, we need to be a little bit more dynamic with our swings.”
The Bears get another shot at the top-ranked team at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the Ferrell Center.
