TicketsWACO, Texas — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team came up short against No. 20 Baylor in four sets on Friday night inside the Ferrell Center.
The Bearcats (10-7, 2-5 Big 12) were defeated by Baylor (11-6, 6-3 Big 12) after struggling offensively, hitting .090 in the match. The Bears recorded 53 kills on a .259 clip and tallied 17 blocks.
Junior Sydney Nolan led the Bearcats with 16 kills, while sophomore Lilly Gillespie anchored the defense with 21 digs. Sophomores Andi Spies and Gretchen Sigman each added four blocks.
The opening set saw both teams trading points early before Baylor used a 6-1 run to take a 15-10 lead. Cincinnati responded with a 4-0 surge, highlighted by a kill from senior Carly Glendinning, to pull within two. The Bears, however, regained control behind late 6-1 and 4-0 runs to take the first frame, 25-16.
Baylor carried that momentum into the second set, breaking open a 4-4 tie with a 7-1 run to move ahead 14-7. The Bears continued to roll, closing out the set with another 7-1 stretch to win 25-13.
Cincinnati found its rhythm in the third set. After trading points to a 7-7 tie, a kill from senior Paige Pickering gave UC an 8-7 edge. The Bearcats later used a 5-1 spurt, capped by a Brooke Crummel kill, to go up 20-18. Baylor answered with a 5-1 push of its own to take a 23-21 lead, but UC refused to back down. Highlighted by a pair of Nolan kills, the Bearcats rallied to win the extended set, 31-29, forcing a fourth frame.
The final set was tightly contested. Cincinnati jumped out to a 6-2 advantage behind four early kills, but Baylor quickly responded with a 5-1 run to close the gap. The Bears continued to build momentum, using runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to surge ahead 18-14. UC closed within one at 20-19 after a short 3-0 burst fueled by two Baylor errors, but the Bears finished strong, ending the match on a 5-0 run to secure the 25-20 set and the 3-1 victory.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats return home to host Big 12 opponent Utah in Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m.
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