No. 18 Volleyball Pushes Past UTSA
9/14/2018 6:49:00 PM | Volleyball
Baylor earns five-set win behind career day from Philo
THE RUNDOWN
SAN ANTONIO – 18th-ranked Baylor volleyball (7-3) powered back from a late deficit to take a five-set win over UTSA Friday afternoon at the Convocation Center, clinching a 25-21, 20-25, 26-28, 25-20, 15-9 victory to open the UTSA Invitational.
Senior Aniah Philo broke her career kills mark for the second time this season with a 20-kill performance while hitting .474 on the outside. With 17 digs, she also recorded her fourth double-double of the season and 24th of her career.
Joining Philo with double-digit kills was sophomore Yossiana Pressley (20) and Shelly Fanning (15). Junior Tara Wulf led the back row with 19 digs while three Bears had double-digit assists.
The Bears recorded over 15 blocks for the first time since Dec. 2, 2016 against San Diego in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. BU finished with 16 team blocks.
Baylor came out firing in the opening frame and never relinquished the lead after hitting .500. With six kills from Pressley, BU rolled for the 25-21 win.
UTSA stalled the BU offense in set two, forcing the Bears to hit .194 en route to the 25-20 win.
In set three, the Bears had a late run and fought off five set points before eventually dropping the set, 28-26.
Down 16-11 in set four, the Bears used three kills and a block to pull back within one at 16-15. After a Fanning kill tied it up at 18-18, the Bears closed out the frame on a 7-2 run to force a fifth set.
BU gave up an early lead in set five and switched sides with an 8-7 advantage, but the Bears would shut the door after they closed out the match on a 6-1 run for the victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Senior Aniah Philo posted a career-high 20 kills on a .474 efficiency. Her previous career high was 19 kills against North Texas on Aug. 28.
• The Bears recorded over 15 blocks for the first time since Dec. 2, 2016 against San Diego in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. BU finished with 16 team blocks.
• Redshirt junior Shelly Fanning matched a career-high eight blocks while junior Gia Milana posted a career-high five against UTSA.
• Yossiana Pressley recorded 20 kills in a match for the seventh time this season.
• Junior Tara Wulf led the back row with 19 digs.
• Sophomore Hannah Lockin led all players with 25 assists.
• Baylor is now 2-0 all-time against UTSA under McGuyre.
• Baylor is 16-6 as a ranked team under McGuyre.
STAT OF THE MATCH
20 – the new career-high kill mark for senior Aniah Philo.
TOP QUOTE
Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre
On getting the victory…
"To be good at volleyball, you have to be good at serve and pass. You've got to win that outside hitter battle. We weren't good at serve and pass, but we were able to get it done with our outsides. They both hit at a high clip and really did a great job managing swings. We turned the corner when Taylor (Marburger) came in and really pushed us over the edge. I'm proud of her since this is another match where she's done that. We've got to get healthy and better, and we've got to play cleaner."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears (7-3) close out nonconference action with a neutral site match against Virginia Tech (9-1) Saturday at noon CT at the Convocation Center.
SAN ANTONIO – 18th-ranked Baylor volleyball (7-3) powered back from a late deficit to take a five-set win over UTSA Friday afternoon at the Convocation Center, clinching a 25-21, 20-25, 26-28, 25-20, 15-9 victory to open the UTSA Invitational.
Senior Aniah Philo broke her career kills mark for the second time this season with a 20-kill performance while hitting .474 on the outside. With 17 digs, she also recorded her fourth double-double of the season and 24th of her career.
Joining Philo with double-digit kills was sophomore Yossiana Pressley (20) and Shelly Fanning (15). Junior Tara Wulf led the back row with 19 digs while three Bears had double-digit assists.
The Bears recorded over 15 blocks for the first time since Dec. 2, 2016 against San Diego in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. BU finished with 16 team blocks.
Baylor came out firing in the opening frame and never relinquished the lead after hitting .500. With six kills from Pressley, BU rolled for the 25-21 win.
UTSA stalled the BU offense in set two, forcing the Bears to hit .194 en route to the 25-20 win.
In set three, the Bears had a late run and fought off five set points before eventually dropping the set, 28-26.
Down 16-11 in set four, the Bears used three kills and a block to pull back within one at 16-15. After a Fanning kill tied it up at 18-18, the Bears closed out the frame on a 7-2 run to force a fifth set.
BU gave up an early lead in set five and switched sides with an 8-7 advantage, but the Bears would shut the door after they closed out the match on a 6-1 run for the victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Senior Aniah Philo posted a career-high 20 kills on a .474 efficiency. Her previous career high was 19 kills against North Texas on Aug. 28.
• The Bears recorded over 15 blocks for the first time since Dec. 2, 2016 against San Diego in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. BU finished with 16 team blocks.
• Redshirt junior Shelly Fanning matched a career-high eight blocks while junior Gia Milana posted a career-high five against UTSA.
• Yossiana Pressley recorded 20 kills in a match for the seventh time this season.
• Junior Tara Wulf led the back row with 19 digs.
• Sophomore Hannah Lockin led all players with 25 assists.
• Baylor is now 2-0 all-time against UTSA under McGuyre.
• Baylor is 16-6 as a ranked team under McGuyre.
STAT OF THE MATCH
20 – the new career-high kill mark for senior Aniah Philo.
TOP QUOTE
Baylor head coach Ryan McGuyre
On getting the victory…
"To be good at volleyball, you have to be good at serve and pass. You've got to win that outside hitter battle. We weren't good at serve and pass, but we were able to get it done with our outsides. They both hit at a high clip and really did a great job managing swings. We turned the corner when Taylor (Marburger) came in and really pushed us over the edge. I'm proud of her since this is another match where she's done that. We've got to get healthy and better, and we've got to play cleaner."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears (7-3) close out nonconference action with a neutral site match against Virginia Tech (9-1) Saturday at noon CT at the Convocation Center.
Team Stats
BU
UTSA
Kills
71
62
Errors
20
24
Attempts
168
176
Hitting %
.304
.216
Points
90.0
76.0
Assists
69
58
Aces
3
6
Blocks
16.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Flyin' High to 4️⃣-0️⃣ in Big 12 Conference play!
Sunday, October 05
The finishing touches 🎨 on 🔟 straight against the Coogs!
Sunday, October 05
Baylor Volleyball: Highlights vs. Kansas | October 3, 2025
Saturday, October 04
Baylor Volleyball: Highlights vs. Houston | October 1, 2025
Thursday, October 02