Baylor
0-1
UT Arlington
1-0
Volleyball Drops Five-Gamer at UTA in Season Opener
9/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2004
ARLINGTON, Texas - Baylor junior outside hitter Stella Odion (Houston, Texas), sophomore middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young (Berkeley, Calif.) and sophomore right-side hitter Nicole LeBlanc (Tampa, Fla.) all posted career highs in kills, but the Bears couldn't hold off a scrappy Texas-Arlington team in a five-game loss (30-23, 29-31, 30-23, 28-30, 15-17) in the season opener Wednesday at Texas Hall.
LeBlanc destroyed her career high and posted the first 20-kill match of her career with a match-high 28 kills and posted a double-double by adding 13 digs. Odion also had a double-double and the first 20-20 match of her career with a career-highs of 20 kills and 23 digs. Guilliard-Young added a career-high 16 kills, while junior outside hitter Kelly Spriggs (Houston, Texas) also had 16 kills.
After falling behind by four points early in game five, Baylor battled its way back and took a 13-9 lead courtesy of a 10-2 run. The Mavericks rebounded quickly by scoring four straight to tie the game, 13-13. After a couple of ties, UTA put together three-straight points to clinch the match.
The Bears got the season off to a fast start by jumping out to a 5-0 lead in game one. Spriggs hit .310 with seven kills for the game, while LeBlanc hit .500 with five kills. UTA hit only .150 and trailed by as many 10 at 21-11, but reeled off four straight points late to close to 28-23. Baylor then put the game away with a kill by Guilliard-Young and an ace by freshman defensive specialist Kristen Schramek (San Antonio, Texas) to make it 30-23.
Baylor held a lead for most of game two but could never shake UTA. The Bears also committed two costly service errors late and the Mavericks pulled the match even with a 31-29 decision. Odion led the Bears with six kills in the game, while Guilliard-Young and LeBlanc added five each. Baylor hit .264, while UTA only hit .196.
The Bears pulled away with timely kills to take game three, 30-23. Guilliard-Young and LeBlanc hammered five more kills each in the game, while Odion had four. Baylor hit .319 for the game, holding UTA to .083.
Baylor fought from behind the entire way in game four, trailing by as many as five on two occasions. The Bears faced game point at 29-25 and reeled off three-straight points before dropping the game, 30-28. Baylor hit .269, while UTA hit .224.
Ashley Van Antwerp led UTA with 19 kills, while Caley Smith added 15.
The Bears return to action in the Magnolia Invitational hosted by Ole Miss this weekend. Baylor opens with Morehead State Friday at 11 a.m.
