No. 21 Baylor VB Fights Off Oklahoma, 3-2

Wed Nov 1 23:41:16 CDT 2023

Media Materials Folder<https://baylor.box.com/s/69uadxyf8kd8n6jjvx8okg8lvl7f7e1a>
BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Nov. 1, 2023

No. 21 Baylor VB Fights Off Oklahoma, 3-2
Bears stave off reverse sweep to win in five

For more information contact: Madelon Allen; 254-252-7168, madelon_allen at baylor.edu<mailto:madelon_allen at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – The 21st-ranked Baylor volleyball team defeated Oklahoma on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center, staving off a reverse sweep of the Sooners to win, 3-2.

BU (13-9, 7-5 Big 12) handily took the first two sets against OU (9-13, 2-10 Big 12) at 25-14, 25-19, but fell in the third and fourth (20-25, 23-25), coming back in the fifth (15-12) to take the last conference victory over the Sooners.

The Bears were led by Elise McGhee for the third-straight match, bringing in 21 kills for BU. Alexis Dacosta served up three aces, a career high, out of Baylor’s 10. Alicia Andrew was all over the block with six total while Lauren Briseño had 16 digs and Averi Carlson had 42 assists.

THE RUNDOWN

Set 1

BU started the first set strong with a kill by Elise McGhee but quickly went down 6-4 despite impressive points from both Carlson and Riley Simpson. The Bears battled back to 8-8 with a block from Simpson and an ace from Dacosta. Baylor took their biggest lead of the night at 13-9 with kills by McGhee and Andrew. A combination of an Oklahoma error and a kill by McGhee put the Bears up 17-12. After two more Oklahoma errors, the Bears went up 19-12 on the Sooners. Simpson’s kill and Carlson’s ace brought the Bears up to a 21-13 lead. BU took it to set point with a pair of Oklahoma errors and a kill by Andrew. Baylor won the set 25-14, finalized by a block from McGhee and Andrew.

Set 2

The Bears started the second set with a block by McGhee putting the Bears up early. A kill by McGhee and an ace by Dacosta brought the Bears up to a 3-0 run. BU added to their lead going up 8-4 with a kill by Manuela Bibinbe. Kills by McGhee and Simpson brought Baylor to a 10-6 lead. A combined block by Andrew and Simpson as well as a kill by McGhee helped push the Bears to a 15-8 lead. An ace and a kill by Dacosta and McGhee, respectively, put the Bears up by 10, 18-8. A massive kill by Bibinbe got the Bears to a 20-12 lead. Back-to-back kills by McGhee helped Baylor to a 22-13 lead. The Bears pushed to match point with a kill from Carlson. Simpson’s kill won the Bears the second set, 25-19.

Set 3

Baylor opened up the third set with a kill by McGhee. McGhee, with her third kill of the set, brought the heat and led the Bears to a 4-3 lead. Kills from Bibinbe and Simpson helped push BU to an 8-4 lead. The Bears suffered kills from Oklahoma, taking them to a one point deficit. After a Baylor timeout, Simpson’s kill brought the Bears to a 10-10 tie. BU came out of its timeout firing with a kill by Bibinbe and another attack by McGhee, leading to an Oklahoma error putting the Bears at a 14-17 deficit but closing the gap. With kills by Simpson and Sczech, Baylor rallied up to a 17-19 deficit forcing Oklahoma to take a timeout. Bears fought down to set point but Oklahoma took the third set, 25-20.

Set 4

Bears take a 2-0 lead to start set four due to two Oklahoma errors. Kills from McGhee and Bibinbe extend the Bears lead to 4-2. An ace from Tehani Ulufatu and an Oklahoma error brought the Bears up 6-3. BU scored its second ace of set 4 with McGhee, taking a 7-3 lead. The Bears suffered continuous kills from Oklahoma but maintained a slight 9-8 lead. Baylor charged a timeout after going down 9-11 due to two Oklahoma kills and two errors. The Bears came out of the timeout with a kill by Sczech, bringing them up to 10-11. BU suffered an error on a serve and an OU kill but fought back with a kill by Bibinbe to a one point deficit. Two kills by Simpson brought the Bears to a tie at 16-16. BU took the lead and forced an Oklahoma timeout after an OU error. Baylor traded kills with the Sooners, bringing the score up to 18-17, the Bears with the lead. Simpson and Andrew forced an Oklahoma error and McGhee got a kill to extend the lead to 20-18. The Bears lost the lead after a kill and an error by Oklahoma, but tied the set at 22-all after a service error on Oklahoma. Baylor traded kills with the Sooners to tie it again, 23-23. Oklahoma took the fourth set 25-23 after a kill and an Baylor error.

Set 5

To start the fifth set the Bears trade kills with the Sooners tying the score at 1-1. After more back and forth kills, the Bears took a 3-2 lead with a kill by Sczech. A massive solo block from Bibinbe and two OU errors forced the Bears to a 7-4 lead. The Bears, on a 5-0 scoring run, saw an ace by McGhee, giving them a 8-4 lead. BU suffered two consecutive kills and an ace by the Sooners tying the game at 8-8 and forcing Baylor to use a timeout. The Bears came out of the timeout with two kills by Simpson bringing them to a 10-8 lead. The Sooners combined a kill with a Baylor error to tie the set at 10-10. Baylor struck back with a statement kill by Simpson, putting the Bears at a 11-10 lead. BU forced a timeout out of Oklahoma after scoring an ace with Carlson. A massive kill from Sczech brought Baylor to a 13-10 lead. Andrews extended the Bears’ lead to 14-11 lead with a kill. McGhee wins the set and match for BU with a kill, 15-12.

HIGHLIGHTS

  *   McGhee had 21 kills to tie her career high
  *   Dacosta served up a career high three aces
  *   This was the last conference matchup between OU and BU
  *   Bears have won 15-straight matches against the Sooners

NEXT UP

The Bears head to Lubbock for a match with Texas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. CT at United Supermarkets Arena.

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

- BaylorBears<http://www.BaylorBears>.com -

__________________________________

Madelon Allen | Associate Director of Athletics Communications
VB, A&T, BaylorBears.com
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-252-7168

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