Oct. 17, 2009
Box Score
NORMAN, Okla. - No. 19 Baylor battled back from down a set twice against Oklahoma, but fell short in a 3-2 (13-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-19, 12-15) loss at Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.
Baylor came out sluggish, dropping a 25-13 first set, but found some offense in the second and fourth sets. Forcing a fifth set, Baylor couldn't convert opportunities to tie the score in the deciding set. Oklahoma took advantage of a late BU service error and took the match.
Led by right side Suzy Boulavsky's 21 kills and 20 digs, Oklahoma also got 11 kills and nine blocks by Sarah Freudenrich to get its first win of the season over ranked opponent. Baylor, meanwhile, had four players in double figures led by Katie Sanders' 12 kills. Anna Breyfogle and Torri Campbell each had 11 kills, while Ashlie Christenson had 10. Setter Taylor Barnes had a solid match for BU with a double-double of 50 assists and 12 digs to go along with seven kills.
The big difference of the match came in the hitting percentage as Baylor hit just .166, frustrated by Oklahoma's block and back row play. The Sooners had 14 blocks and 93 digs, while Baylor managed nine blocks and 76 digs. Libero Allison King was one of five Bears in double figures with 23 digs. Maria Fernanda led OU with 27 digs.
The first set was all OU from the start jumping out to a 6-1 lead. The Sooners made it with three consecutive points before Ashlie Christenson hammered a kill down the line to stop the run. Oklahoma answered three more to make it 19-11, then finished it off 25-13 with a kill by Caitlin Higgins.
Baylor came out on a mission in the second set after the sluggish start with a 3-1 run to open. Campbell took over with back-to-back blocks then pounded a kill for all three Baylor points. OU tied it at 13, but Campbell came calling again and recorded three straight kills for the Bears to make it 17-14. The Sooners again tied it at 20-20 forcing a Baylor timeout, and the Bears came out with five of the next six and a set-two victory. Breyfogle and Christensen set it up with kills, then Campbell and Elizabeth Graham slammed it shut with a block on Higgins.
The third set was the same story at the first for the Bears. OU built a 16-10 lead before Baylor mounted a small comeback with kills from Christenson and Graham sandwiched around a service ace from Qian Zhang. OU had the answer again with back-to-back kills then forced BU into three hitting errors, securing the set.
The Bears didn't go away quietly in the fourth, taking a 15-12 lead on a kill by Barnes. Baylor increased its lead to 18-13 with back-to-back kills from Campbell and Barnes. Then the duo each connected on another kill before two in a row by Breyfogle helped the Bears force a fifth set.
Baylor got the first point on a Barnes service ace, but OU scored three straight with a kill and a block by Boulavsky. Sanders and Breyfogle each got kills to tie it at 6-6. The Sooners scored two in a row, then traded points with the Bears until Baylor tied it at 10-10 with kills from Campbell and Christenson. Two blocks in a row by OU made it 13-10 and a Baylor service error made it 14-11. After a timeout at 14-12, OU setter Brianne Barker went to Freudenrich in the middle for the match's deciding kills.
Baylor (17-4, 6-4 Big 12) has the Big 12's bye during mid-week action and will resume play on Saturday in the second of a three-match road swing. The Bears will take on Kansas State at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24.
