No. 13 Baylor Volleyball Falls in Four Sets to Iowa State

AMES, Iowa – In only the second true road match of the season, the 13th-ranked Bears fell to Iowa State on Wednesday in Hilton Coliseum in four sets.

The Bears (11-3, 1-1) didn’t go out without a fight against the Cyclones (9-6, 1-1), the match finishing at 25-22, 25-20, 20-25, 25-22.

Lauren Harrison returned to the court for the Bears for the first time after missing four matches and made an impact, recording double-digit kills and leading the team with 16. Lauren Briseño continued to perform from the service livne with two aces, as well as leading the team with 15 digs. On defense, middles Kara McGhee and Mallory Talbert each had four blocks, both recording one solo. Freshman setter Averi Carlson recorded her second 45-assist match of the season against the Cyclones.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1

BU got started slowly, down 5-1 to start the first set. It was a block by Lauren Harrison and Mallory Talbert that stopped a 3-0 run for the Cyclones at 5-2 before Sophia Keene subbed in and served up Baylor’s first ace of the night to make it 5-3. The Bears tied it up at 6-6 and again 7-7. Kara McGhee got a kill at 12-9 to help lessen the ISU lead, then Harrison stepped up and brought the Bears within three at 13-10. Talbert recorded a few kills but Iowa State kept marching on. Elise McGhee put a stop to a major bleed with a kill at 20-15, followed by a kill from her sister at 20-17. BU got two kills in a row from Kara McGhee and Allie Sczech to make the gap just two points. It was Harrison who made it 23-21, then 24-22, but ISU’s Jaden Newsome put the final point on the board to close the set, 25-22.

Set 2

After a slow start in set one, the Bears came out with gusto and went up 9-5 where ISU called timeout, BU on a 4-0 scoring run. To get there, ISU recorded a few attack errors, but Elise McGhee had back-to-back kills to make it 7-5 before another Cyclone attack error. Putting the hammer down were Carlson and Kara McGhee, getting the block to have ISU call for a pause. Elise got her third kill of the set to make it 11-7, then ISU got four points in a row to close the gap, making the score 11-11. Kara McGhee stopped their run and regained the lead at both 12-11 and 13-12. Keeping the pace with the Cyclones, the squads kept tying it up all the way through 20-20, but then ISU pulled ahead by two, then by four. Iowa State took the second set at 25-20 to put them up 2-0.

Set 3

Baylor got the first two points thanks to a solo block by Kara McGhee after a Cyclone attack error, and the Bears kept the lead as Lauren Briseño got an ace at 5-2. After a Talbert kill, the Cyclones started their ascent. They tied got ahead at 7-6, but Harrison tied it up again with a kill. BU retook the lead and Cassie Davis pushed it an inch further with an ace at 9-7. Elise McGhee kept her momentum up to get a kill off Harrison at 11-9. Kara put the Bears up by two again at 12-10, then teamed up for a block with Sczech. Harrison got a kill, then a block with Talbert, then another kill to increase the lead at 18-12, with Iowa State calling time a point before. Talbert recorded a solo block at 19-12 and it was a service error from the Cyclones to tally BU’s 20th point of the set. ISU called timeout again after an Elise McGhee kill. The momentum stayed swung in the Bears’ favor, and BU won the set on a Briseño ace, 25-20.

Set 4

Riding the energy, BU went up 2-1 to start the fourth frame. ISU took the lead at 5-4, but the Bears lessened the lead with a Talbert kill. Tying it back up at 6-6 was a block assist from Carlson and Kara McGhee, and an attack error from Cyclone Eleanor Holthaus put the Bears back up. ISU tied it up just after, only for Elise McGhee and Sczech to each get a kill and push forward, making it 9-7. Iowa State crept closer, but Talbert and Sczech put up a block at 12-10. Harrison had a kill, then a Cyclone tied it at 13-all. A call on a Harrison kill was reversed in ISU’s favor to put them up by one, 14-13. Talbert tied it back up for the Bears, then a ball handling error on the Cyclones put BU back ahead, sending it to a media timeout at 15-14. Going back and forth, the teams kept it tied through 17-all. The Cyclones went up by two on a kill and solo block. A service ace put the Bears back within one, until Holthaus got a kill and an ace for Iowa State, prompting a BU timeout at 21-18.

BEAR BITES

• Three players finished with double-digit kills: Lauren Harrison (16), Mallory Talbert (12), Kara McGhee (11)
• Both Talbert and Kara McGhee had four blocks each
• Carlson had 45 assists, tying her season-best
• Briseño led the squad in digs with 15

UP NEXT

BU travels to Lawrence, Kansas, to face KU in a Saturday morning match, slated for 11 a.m. on the Big 12 Network on ESPN+.