No. 14 Volleyball Battles Past Texas Tech , 3-1

WACO, Texas — The No. 14 Baylor Volleyball team (15-4, 4-2) topped the Texas Tech Red Raiders three sets to one on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center. 25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19.

The second and third sets were tight affairs, while the first and fourth were more easily controlled by the Bears.

Mallory Talbert had a standout night, getting the Baylor attack going early and finishing with 13 kills and three blocks while hitting over .500.

Lauren Harrison produced as always finishing with 16 kills and hitting .250.

The first set went smoothly for the Bears, with the home team building a 15-9 lead by the media timeout. Talbert was leading the way with four kills and an .800 hitting percentage, which helped Baylor continue the lead to 20-13 and take the set 25-20.

After the game, Talbert was very humble noting how everything is a team effort, and that she is glad her early success could open up the offense more for her teammates later on.

The second set was much more hotly contested. Baylor rode a 3-0 run into the media timeout to lead 15-12, but the Red Raider responded with a 6-2 run later to make it 18-17.

From there both teams made 3-1 runs in bids to take the momentum wholesale. However, the score stayed close and Tech eked out a 25-23 win to even things at one set apiece.

The third set was even closer than the second. It was 15-13 Tech at the media timeout and soon 17-13. Baylor then made a 9-2 run grabbing a late 22-19 lead. The Raiders responded though surviving three set points before tying things at 24-24. The Bears would not lose their composure though, and rallied to win the set 27-25 with a couple of key Lauren Harrison kills toward the end.

From there, the Bears were done letting Tech hang around. They sprang out to an 8-1 lead at the start of the fourth set. Coach Ryan McGuyre noted how the team’s serving aided this greatly.

The Raiders tried to draw things back with a pair of 3-0 runs, but at 15-12, Baylor responded with a 3-0 run of their own to make it 18-12 and put the set out of reach. Allie Sczech then finished things off with a solid kill to take the fourth set 25-19. 3-1 Bears win.

After the game, coach McGuyre said “I thought we should have defended and blocked better tonight.” However, he was overall very positive about the Bears serving and how the middles played tonight.

In more broad terms, Harrison spoke to the team’s mindset in close sets like the second and third sets tonight, saying “We can’t let teams get comfortable with us.”

The Bears can’t get comfortable either though, with two road matches up next against Kansas State and Oklahoma.

The conference championship is still on the line, especially with Texas losing to Iowa State tonight.

Up Next: at Kansas State Saturday (10/22) 1 PM CST (ESPN+)