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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><b><u>BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Dec. 4, 2025</u></b></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><b>Sixth-Seeded Baylor VB Outlasts Arkansas State 3-2 in Five-Set Thriller</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><b>The win moves Ryan McGuyre to 10-0 in opening-round matches </b></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>For more information, contact:
</b>Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(149, 79, 114);"><u><a href="mailto:WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu" data-outlook-id="d6b5da0f-0e9e-4630-bf8d-c36f9c7ab686" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu</a></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: black;">Volleyball Media Materials:<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(4, 50, 255);"><b><u><a href="https://baylorbea.rs/vbmedia" data-outlook-id="c7de1210-5d51-45e9-b8f5-76c81fe8b28e" style="color: rgb(4, 50, 255); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">https://baylorbea.rs/vbmedia</a></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Postgame Press
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">conference:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/omSrfaiXcqk?feature=share" data-outlook-id="ec87faa5-8fd0-4abd-a0fd-c850b53614bd" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">
https://www.youtube.com/live/omSrfaiXcqk?feature=share</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;"><b>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –
</b>Baylor Volleyball delivered a postseason classic Thursday night, beating Arkansas State 3-2 to advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 at Holoway Gymnasium. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">The victory marks Baylor’s 10th-straight first-round win and moves the program to 18-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. It was the third time in 11 tries
this season, the Bears shook off an early 0-1 deficit to come back and win. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">Ksenia Rakhmanchik led the way with 32 kills, but head coach Ryan McGuyre loved the fight from his squad, getting contributions from up and down the roster.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">“That’s a testament to everyone on the team and how they speak life into each other, and how they lift each other up," he said. "Grace [Carroll] has gone
through a broken finger, a concussion — as has Bri [Denney]. We kind of need both of them to be healthy at the same time to use them, so we are glad they are here at the end of the year. Taylor [Crain] came in and had some good serves and good digs to create
some separation, so proud of the character they have shown to stay after it."</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">After trailing most of the first set, BU surged ahead 22-20 before Arkansas State closed on a 5-1 run to steal the opener. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">The second saw another point-for-point battle until a late Baylor push created separation, and Grace Carroll hammered one of her nine momentum-shifting kills
to even the match at 1-1.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">The pivotal third set turned into a marathon. Baylor led by four midway through the frame before ASU rallied with a 3-0 burst to put Bu’s back against the
wall. With the Red Wolves threatening at 24-23, Ksenia Rakhmanchik and Gabrielle Essix teamed up for a massive block to extend the match to extra points. Victoria Davis came up with a massive block of her own, as Baylor finally secured the 30-28 win to take
a 2-1 lead.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">Arkansas State refused to fade, edging a tight fourth set 25-23 to push the match to a decisive race to 15. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">Tied at 5 in the fifth, Carroll delivered again, giving Baylor a lead it would not surrender. Fittingly, it was Rakhmanchik who finished the job, slamming
down her 32nd kill, tying Yossi Pressley for the most kills in an NCAA Tournament match in program history. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">Rakhmanchik also added 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season, while Harley Kreck orchestrated the offense brilliantly with 61 assists, the most
by a Bear since 2023, paired with 17 digs for her team-leading sixth double-double. Morgan Madison set a Baylor Tournament record for a five-set match with 23 digs, anchoring a BU back row that tallied 75 as a team.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">In a season of many big performances from these freshmen, Thursday was just the latest chapter for a couple of future Baylor stars.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">“The future for Baylor is really, really bright," he said. "Right now, the future is a match tomorrow, but I can't help but dream about having those players
getting to play with each other for a long time. We see them as a big part of the core group that will carry on the legacy that Manu [Bibinbe] and her group are going to leave. Because they absorb what they see from others well, but then they also rise up
and are very confident in what they are able to do.”</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">At the net, Essix led the Bears in blocks for the 17th time this season, posting six blocks, while Bibinbe recorded 16 kills, at a .382 clip.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">With the win, Baylor advances to the round of 32, where the Bears will face third-seeded Purdue on Friday at 5 p.m. CT. Coverage will be available on
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(149, 79, 114); background-color: white;"><u><a href="https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/73a69b72-8186-492f-8283-9af834a122c6" data-outlook-id="c78db783-48cb-461c-8310-fb774e7b6dca" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">ESPN+,</a></u></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;"> with
live stats available at </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(149, 79, 114); background-color: white;"><u><a href="https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=bay" data-outlook-id="8b9b1c5a-461b-4420-87a8-cc488bee9611" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">BaylorBears.com/Stats.</a></u></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;"> More
tournament info can be found at the </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(149, 79, 114); background-color: white;"><u><a href="https://bit.ly/4pA5qAY" data-outlook-id="12fc5b9a-e41d-4eaf-bc05-8509245b8b7f" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Tournament
Central Page.</a></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black; background-color: white;">Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>—Baylorbears.com—</i></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">Matt Roberts | Director of Athletic Communications</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<br>
C: 254-227-2280</span></p>
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