No. 18 Baylor Volleyball Falls 3-1 to No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the Ferrell Center
WACO, Texas — The No. 18 Baylor Volleyball team (15-4, 4-2) fell in four sets to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (14-0, 5-0) Saturday afternoon in Waco. The sets went 25-19, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19.
Elise McGhee had a standout performance for the Bears despite the loss, registering 17 kills and three blocks on .324 hitting percentage and a .459 kill percentage. McGhee catalyzed a big comeback for the green and gold in set two to help the Bears win their lone set.
The first set was neck and neck until the Longhorns broke out with a 3-0 run to take a 20-16 lead. Overall, the visitors won eight of the final 11 points in the set and showed the difference in execution between the teams.
The second set looked to be getting even further out of Baylor’s control, with Texas jumping out to a 12-3 lead early on. However, the Bears showed great resilience and determination. The green and gold fought back on an 8-3 run to make it close. Then at 21-15 Texas, Elise McGhee and Baylor went unconscious in the attack.
The younger McGhee tallied six kills and two blocks as part of an 11-1 run to seal a second set victory for the Bears.
After the game, McGhee offered some insight into her mindset when the Bears were down big: “We’re down, I’m just going to go as hard as I can and whatever happens happens.”
That comeback got the crowd roaring and the green and gold looked to take that momentum into the third set.
However, as with every set on Saturday, Texas jumped out to a quick lead.
In the third set, it was a 4-1 lead. Three points may not seem like much, but in a game of runs, consistently letting that first run go to the opponent is an easy way for separation to be made.
And the Longhorns used that early run to their advantage more often than not. 4-1 in set three turned into 13-6, 20-13, and eventually 25-17.
Similarly, with the match on the line in set four, Texas grabbed a 4-1 lead and jumped out to 11-6. The Bears made a nice 5-0 run to tie things up at 11-11, but Texas responded with an 8-2 run and saw things out at 25-19.
Now, without some stumbles from Texas elsewhere in the schedule, Baylor is on the outside looking in for the Big 12 championship.
This young team will continue gaining experience and building their resume so that they might put themselves in a position to make a tournament run once they have a full season of experience.
For now, Texas Tech will visit Waco on Wednesday for a 7 PM game.
