No. 9 Baylor Volleyball Sweeps UCSB

*Per Baylor Athletics Press Release:

MALIBU, Calif. – The No. 9-ranked Baylor volleyball team defeated UC Santa Barbara, 3-0, on Saturday morning in Firestone Fieldhouse to close the Pepperdine Asics Classic.

The Bears (3-2) blanked the Gauchos (0-5) in three sets: 25-22, 25-20, 25-13.

Freshman Averi Carlson had a career-high three aces against UCSB along with dishing out 29 assists to her teammates. Lauren Harrison led the team with 13 kills, the only BU player in double-digits for kills. In blocking, Mallory Talbert led the pack with five, while Alexis Dacosta had seven digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set One

The Bears came out confident and started set one on a roll, adding freshman opposite Allie Sczech to the lineup. Kara McGhee got the tying first point for BU, then blocked a good ball with Sczech off USCB’s hands. Mallory Talbert and Sczech got a block after Lauren Harrison recorded a kill, and then the Gauchos had an ace and a kill to tie it up at 4-4. Pushing things along, Cassie Davis got an ace at 8-5, with two blocks by Talbert and Riley Simpson and Averi Carlson and Talbert putting the Bears up by five, 10-5. UCSB took a timeout, and came out to have a 5-1 run to make it 11-10. The teams matched eachother point for point all the way to 17-17, but Baylor pulled forward. Simpson had a kill, then teamed up with Carlson for a block to make it 20-17 and Santa Barbara called time. Out of the pause, the teams went 3-2 with the Bears leading and Simpson making it 22-20. Carlson stepped to the line to serve and had two in a row to make it set point. Gaucho Michelle Ohwobete had a kill to break it up, followed by another UCSB kill, but a service error on their side finished the set, 25-22.

Set Two

After getting the first set under wraps, Harrison started the second set and a 3-0 run, followed by Sczech and an ace from Lauren Briseño. The Gauchos caught up and tied it up at 4-4 before a Harrison kill and back-to-back kills from Simpson. McGhee made it 10-6, then UCSB started to catch up, tying it at 11-11 and then 12-12. Harrison scored at 13-12 then 15-12 to prompt a UCSB timeout. The Bears went on a 4-2 run thanks to two Harrison kills and two attack errors to make it 18-14. Santa Barbara went on a tear and made it 19-18 but the Bears responded with a Simpson kill, a block from Sczech and McGhee, and an ace from Carlson to make it 22-18. McGhee and Harrison each had kills to make it match point at 24-20. A block from Sczech and Talbert finished off the set in BU’s favor at 25-20.

Set Three

Primed for a three-set sweep, Baylor started out at 2-1. Sczech had a kill at 3-2 and then Briseño had an ace. Harrison followed it up at 5-3 with a kill before back-to-back attack errors from the Gauchos made it 7-3 and UCSB took a timeout. Rolling right along, Simpson got the 10th point for BU. Briseño had seven scoring serves in a row to hold UC Santa Barbara further back, going 12-9 to 21-9 over the Gauchos. In that stretch, Harrison and Sczech had kills while the rest came from Santa Barbara attack errors and a block from Harrison and Talbert. Alexis Dacosta got a kill at 24-12 to set the match up for completion. It was Ava Grace Haggard who delivered the final blow to finish the match, 25-13.

NOTABLE

• Freshman Averi Carlson recorded 3 aces against the Gauchos, a career-high
• Opposite Allie Sczech received her first career starting nod
• The win was the Bears’ first sweep on the young season
• Ava Grace Haggard finished the set and match with a kill
• Lauren Briseño had seven scoring serves in a row in the third set

UP NEXT

The Bears will return to their home court of the Ferrell Center for the Baylor Invitational against Colorado State, Arizona State and Evansville. The tournament will run from Sept. 8-10 in Waco.