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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 18, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
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<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;font-style:normal">No. 21 Baylor VB Set for Top-25 Tussle at No. 2 Texas<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;font-style:normal">BU is facing its second ranked opponent in five days</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information, contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280, </span><a href="mailto:WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Volleyball Media Materials:<b>
</b></span><a href="https://baylorbea.rs/vbmedia"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0432FF">https://baylorbea.rs/vbmedia</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0432FF"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">AUSTIN, Texas
</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">– </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">No. 21 Baylor volleyball (6-2) travels to Austin on Friday night
for its final non-conference showdown against No. 2 Texas (7-0) at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">The matchup marks the 97th all-time meeting between the Bears and Longhorns, the most against any opponent in Baylor program history. Meeting every season since 1982, Texas leads
the series 92-4, with Baylor seeking its fifth all-time victory in the series and its first win in Austin in 48 previous tries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Head coach Ryan McGuyre has liked the way his team has competed against elite competition this season, pushing No. 10 SMU and No. 11 Florida to five-sets each, and knows getting
off to a good start will be key in a tough road environment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">“A fast start is going to be big for us,” he said. “We did a good job of doing that last match, but you certainly don’t want to get in a hole early and feel like you are fighting
the whole entire night to get back in it. We’re going to have to fight, we’re going to have to weather some storms, but we want to compete the way we know how right out of the gate.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Baylor enters Friday’s match on the heels of a commanding 3-0 sweep at UCF to open conference play. The Bears delivered 11 service aces in the win—their most in a three-set match
since 2023—behind a career-high five from setter Harley Kreck and a season-best four from outside hitter MJ McCurdy. Freshman Bailey Warren recorded her first-career double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs, while freshman Ksenia Rakhmanchik tallied eight in
the sweep.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">The Bears are averaging 13.56 kills per set on .255 hitting this season, paced by Bibinbe (2.97 k/s) and Warren (2.40 k/s). Defensively, graduate transfer Gabrielle Essix is seventh
in the Big 12, averaging 1.34 blocks per set, and freshman libero Morgan Madison is eighth in the league at 3.50 digs per set.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Alex Loeb and Shelby Coppedge will have the call from the
</span><a href="https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1a7a8871-f0ac-42f1-8fc6-998c88452ff5"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;background:white">state capital on the SEC Network,</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">
beginning at 6 p.m. CT. Live stats are available at </span><a href="https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=bay"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;background:white">BaylorBears.com/stats</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
</span><a href="https://baylorbears.evenue.net/list/VB"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;background:white">Baylorbears.com.</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"> Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram
and Facebook for additional updates.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<i><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">—Baylorbears.com—<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:15.0pt;vertical-align:baseline"><b><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">2025 Season Honors<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Victoria Davis<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Preseason All-Big 12 (8/6)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Gabbi Essix<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Preseason All-Big 12 (8/6)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Morgan Madison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Big 12 Rookie of the Week (9/2)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Matt Roberts | Director of Athletic Communications
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<br>
C: 254-227-2280</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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