Sept. 8, 2009
Box Score
WACO, Texas - Katie Sanders recorded her fifth double-double in the last six matches, leading Baylor to its eighth straight win to open the season with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-22) sweep over Texas State on Tuesday night inside the Ferrell Center.
Sanders was the only attacker with double-digit kills, totaling 13, but was one of three Bears with at least 10 digs, racking up 11. Libero Allison King also had 11 digs, while defensive specialist Jordan Rice had her first double-digit dig match of the season with 10.
"My team is there behind me and I couldn't have done it without Taylor giving great sets and the passers digging great balls," Sanders said. "It just shows that this is a very mature team that is doing really good this year."
The Bears hit an efficient .327 in the match with 42 kills and only nine errors on 101 attempts, while holding Texas State to just a .060 hitting percentage (30-23-116). The Bears totaled 51 digs on defense, along with seven blocks. Freshman Torri Campbell recorded a career-high five block assists in the match, and also added four kills on just six swings with no errors.
"Torri Campbell played great," head coach Jim Barnes said. "She had four kills on just six swings, and five blocks, so she is stepping up. She looks good."
Taylor Barnes led the Bears with 28 set assists, helping Anna Breyfogle to eight kills and Ashlie Christenson to seven, while totaling six on her own.
"It all starts with the pass, and whenever we are passing great we are going to have the ability to set up a transition and attack," senior Taylor Barnes said. "Our middles and outsides know exactly what to do. I know if I don't give them a great set then they will adjust."
Baylor came out on a mission in the first set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead on rocket-shot kill from Breyfogle. TSU came back to tie the set at 7-7 on a BU hitting error, but the Bears responded with a 6-0 run, getting kills from Christenson, Barnes and Campbell. BU pushed the lead from that point, with four kills from Katie Sanders, and closing out the set 25-14 with a kill from Barnes.
In the second set, Barnes went straight to her leading attackers Sanders and Christenson, who responded with kills to give BU a 5-2 lead. Breyfogle made the lead 10-5, and a Barnes service ace made it 13-7. From that point the Bears cruised to a 25-13 set win, closing out the set on Campbell's second block assist of the match.
In the third set, Campbell stepped up as a force at the net. With the Bears tied 19-19 late in the set, Campbell hooked up with teammates for back-to-back blocks. The first one Campbell and Sanders stuffed TSU's Melinda Cave, and then Campbell and Ashley Byrd denied Whitney Rhoden to give BU all the momentum and a 21-19 lead. With the Bears leading 24-20, the Bobcats threatened with a comeback, but Barnes quickly squashed that with a well-placed dump-set for the game's final kill and a 25-22 set win.
Baylor travels to the University of New Mexico this weekend for the Lobo Comcast Challenge. The Bears play twice on Friday, Sept. 11, with the first match at 10:45 a.m. against Pittsburgh, and the second at 7 p.m. against New Mexico. On Saturday, Baylor plays Cal State Fullerton at 3:45 p.m.
