Sept. 19, 2009
Box Score
WACO, Texas - No. 24 Baylor's defense came up big time after time to help the Bears to a four-set victory (25-10, 20-25, 25-13, 25-22) over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon inside the Ferrell Center.
"It's good that we got this win, taking care of our win at home," head coach Jim Barnes said of coming back after a loss to Texas on Wednesday. "If you don't get off the mat and be ready to punch back in the Big 12, things can go south quick. We showed we could get back and play well."
The match came down to Baylor's defense, which totaled 65 digs and 11 blocks, led by Allison King's 19 digs and Anna Breyfogle's 11 blocks. The Bear attack had a inconsistent night, totaling 49 kills, but hitting into errors 20 times in 133 attempts for a .218 hitting percentage. On the flip side, Baylor forced KSU into a .061 hitting percentage (41k-32e-147) with spectacular play at the net and in the back row.
Along with King, Katie Sanders had double-digit kills with 17, while Taylor Barnes and Jordan Rice each had eight. At the net, six Bears had at least two blocks. Along with Breyfogle's six, Ashlie Christenson and Torri Campbell each had four, while Taylor Barnes had three and Sanders and Elizabeth Graham each had two.
Christenson led the Bears' offense with 14 kills and only three errors on 34 swings (.324). Sanders had her seventh double-double of the season added 11 kills to her 17 digs. Meanwhile, Barnes flirted with a triple-double for the second time this season with seven kills, eight digs, and 39 assists.
Baylor was red-hot to start the match, ripping off the 10 of the first 12 points. Christenson and Campbell each two kills, while Barnes had two service aces during the run. Baylor held a 10-point lead the rest of the way until scoring the set's last five points, finished off by a Campbell kill for 25-10 win.
"It was a good start," Barnes said of the Bears' first set. "We came out and served aggressively. Our serving and passing really dictated the set."
The second set was a reverse effort for the Bears, who were unable to claw their way out of an early 8-2 hole. Baylor closed to within three at 13-10 on a KSU service error, then closed to within two at 20-22 on a Christenson kill. But, the Wildcats scored the next three points with a BU error and a service ace by Kathleen Ludwig.
In the third set, Baylor reverted back to form trading points until scoring five in-a-row to push the score to 14-8 on a kill by Breyfogle after two KSU hitting errors. The Baylor block also got going in the set, led by Breyfogle's three block assists, the last of which finished the set at 25-13.
K-State didn't go down without a fight in the fourth set, holding the lead until late in the set. The Wildcats jumped out 5-1, but BU closed with three-straight to bring the score to 7-6 on back-to-back points by Graham, one coming by kill, one by block assist with Breyfogle. After a KSU service ace and two BU hitting errors, the Bears found themselves down 18-15, but came out of a timeout with kills from Graham and Sanders to get within one at 18-19. Sanders tied it at 21, and Breyfogle tied it at 22, but two KSU hitting errors and the match-clincher from Briana Tolbert sealed the deal for the Bears.
Baylor will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 23, when the take on 10th-ranked Iowa State at the Ferrell Center. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
