Aug. 28, 2009
Box Score
HOUSTON - The Baylor volleyball team got off to a slow start in the first set, but found a good rhythm on offense on their way to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-15) sweep of Southeastern Louisiana in the first match of the Flo Hyman Invitational hosted by the University of Houston.
Setter Taylor Barnes spread the ball around in the match as the Bears notched 38 kills with a .359 hitting percentage. Katie Sanders led the offense with nine kills, while Anna Breyfogle tallied eight and Ashley Byrd had six.
On defense, the Bears kept the Lion hitters out of sync all game with solid play in the back row and spectacular play on the block. SLU had just 23 kills with 22 errors for an .011 hitting percentage. Breyfogle, who was seventh in the nation in blocks per set, started off 2009 with six block assists and one solo block for a total of seven. Libero Allison King led the back row with 15 digs, while Sanders tallied eight and Barnes registered seven.
In the first set, SLU took control early with a 5-2 lead but a block assist by Breyfogle and Barnes, followed by a kill from junior Ashlie Christenson tied the game at 6-6. The teams traded points until BU built a five-point lead on another Christenson kill and two Lion errors. The Bears closed out the set with kills by Sanders and Breyfogle.
The Baylor attack got it rolling in the middle of the second set with an 8-2 run on the strength of its middle blockers. Breyfogle and Ashley Byrd had two kills apiece during the run, while Elizabeth Graham had one. The Bears took an 18-11 lead at the point and turned it into a 25-15 set-two victory with a combination of Lion errors and quick, solid offense.
The Bears kept the offense rolling in the beginning of the third set building a 13-6 lead. Breyfogle and Sanders each tallied two more kills, while SLU struggled to get the ball around the Baylor block. Breyfogle was in on three blocks during the run.
From that point, the Bears cruised to a three-set sweep with some new combinations on the floor. Brittany Ridenour entered at setter and Qian Zhang came on at outside hitter. Ridenour set five balls, each of which were put down for a kill. Breyfogle was the benefactor of two Ridenour sets, while Graham, Byrd, and Zhang each had one.
The Bears will be back on the floor tonight against the University of Houston at 7:30 p.m. Follow the action online at BaylorBears.com with live stats and a live radio broadcast.
