No. 6 VB Outlasts Pepperdine in Five Sets

WACO, Texas – No. 6 Baylor volleyball outlasted Pepperdine Sunday evening at the Ferrell Center, winning in five sets 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 23-25, 15-6.

Fourteen total blocks lifted BU in what was a back-and-forth affair. Yossiana Pressley led all players with 17 kills, while Lauren Harrison totaled 15 and Marieke van der Mark tallied 11. Preslie Anderson led the Bears with nine blocks, with Pressley and Emily Van Slate leading the team with 14 digs each.

Baylor (15-3, 13-3 Big 12) improved to 3-3 this season in five-set matches, handing Pepperdine (7-2, 7-1 WCC) its second loss in as many matches. BU now holds a four-match win streak.

The Bears got out to a hot start behind a combined 12 kills from Pressley, Harrison and van der Mark in the first set. Baylor led the frame from wire-to-wire and pulled away with a van der Mark smash at 22-20. 

However, in the second set BU’s offense fell flat, hitting -.074 and allowing Pepperdine to even the match. The Waves took advantage of Baylor’s miscues and held the Bears to just seven kills in the set.

BU responded strong with a dominant third set, hitting a whopping .609 as a team with just two errors. Harrison came up clutch with kills at 10-6, 11-7, 15-10, and two in a row to end the set. Pressley added another four and the defense collected four rejections to retake a 2-1 match lead.

After an energetic 6-4 start to the fourth that included impressive digs and an assist from Kara McGhee, Pepperdine hung around and clawed back. A seven-point run saw the Waves take a 21-11 lead. BU fought with a few short runs of their own, coming back at 22-15, 23-18 and 24-23, but ultimately dropped the frame and sent the match to a decisive fifth.

Baylor’s experience and grit showed up in the fifth, sparked by a setter switch as Callie Williams entered off the bench. The Bears rallied behind a Pressley kill at 4-3 that started a four-point run. After an attack error, Pepperdine called a timeout trailing 9-4, but it would be too late as the Bears continued their run to swell the lead to 13-4 and saw out the victory.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Baylor improved to 3-3 in five-set matches in 2020-21.
• BU held its opponent below a .165 hitting percentage for the 13th time this season.
• Baylor is 99-3 in the Ryan McGuyre era when its opponent hits below .200.
• BU reached double-digits in blocks as a team for the eighth time this season with 14.
• The Bears hit .609 as a team in the third set, recording 16 kills on 23 swings with just two errors.
• Yossiana Pressley recorded her fourth double-double of the season and 24th of her career.
• Three Bears tallied double-digit kills in Pressley (17), Lauren Harrison (15) and Marieke van der Mark (11).
• Pressley reached double figures for the 17th time this season, while Harrison did so for the 10th time.
• Three Bears collected at least five blocks in Preslie Anderson (9), Kara McGhee (5) and van der Mark (5).
• Pressley and Emily Van Slate, who tied her career-high, tied for the team-lead with 14 digs each, while Shanel Bramschreiber added 12.
• Hannah Sedwick and Callie Williams each reached double-digit assists, with 23 and 12, respectively. 

STAT OF THE MATCH
14 – The number of blocks Baylor recorded in the win over Pepperdine.

TOP QUOTES

Senior transfer Preslie Anderson

On being a leader in just her second match with the Bears…
“My whole thing is, I’m for the team. Like, this is a team sport, and any energy I can give for the sideliners or for the people on the court, that’s what I’m going to do. Because I consider that a big part of my job as a middle and what I consider to be a leader, or I’m trying to be, obviously, as I learn a new system.”

On the team’s blocking performance…

“Defensive intensity can really change the game. And I think blocks are not only huge momentum swings or momentum killers, but it’s also something that you should really pride yourself in. it’s definitely the hardest skill in volleyball, and when we can get that many blocks against a really good team, it says a lot about the way that we train and the way that we practice. It goes back to just having that well-developed system. But again, it’s something you should definitely pride yourself on and never act like it’s just nothing, because it’s a huge thing.”

WHAT'S NEXT
No. 6 Baylor (15-3, 13-3) travels south to Austin for another matchup at undefeated No. 2 Texas (16-0, 14-0) on Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast on Longhorn Network.