Friday, August 29
Baton Rouge, La.
2:30PM
Baylor
1-0,0-0Big 12
3
vs
1
South Alabama
0-1,0-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
South Alabama
25
18
28
17
1
Baylor
23
25
30
25
3
No. 20 VB Clips South Alabama 3-1 in season-opener
8/29/2025 5:53:00 PM | Volleyball
The Bears pick up a second-straight win in a season opener
WACO, Texas – No. 20 Baylor volleyball won its fifth season-opener of the Ryan McGuyre era with a 3-1 victory over South Alabama on Friday afternoon in the LSU Tournament.
After dropping the first set 25-23, BU battled back to even the match with a 25-18 win in set No. 2, behind three kills each from Brielle Warren and MJ McCurdy.
Down 19-14 in a pivotal third set, the Bears outscored the Jaguars 16-9 down the stretch to claim the 30-28 win. Surviving match-points at 25-24 and 27-26, Grace Carroll and Gabbi Essix teamed up on the clinching block to swing things back in favor of the Bears.
Leading 2-1, Baylor jumped out to a quick 7-4 lead in the fourth set on the strength of a Manuela Bibinbe kill, one of her 10 on the afternoon. Up 12-9, BU used another 4-0 spurt to take control of the match, with a seventh ace, courtesy of Kseniya Rakhmanchyk. BU polished off its first win of the season, 25-17, as McGuyre improved to 5-6 in season openers with the Bears.
Making her Baylor debut, McCurdy finished with a match-high 12 kills, her 18th double-figure kill match of her career. Senior Bri Denney, who entered this season with two career assists, notched 31 on Friday, which was also a match-high.
Freshman Morgan Madison also left her mark on the match with a team-high 12 digs.
Next up for the Bears is a Lone-Star showdown on Saturday against No. 10 SMU at 3:30 p.m. The Ponies, led by former BU assistant Sam Erger, open their season on Friday night at 7 p.m., against the host Tigers. Stats for all matches will be available via StatBroadcast.
Single-game and season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
After dropping the first set 25-23, BU battled back to even the match with a 25-18 win in set No. 2, behind three kills each from Brielle Warren and MJ McCurdy.
Down 19-14 in a pivotal third set, the Bears outscored the Jaguars 16-9 down the stretch to claim the 30-28 win. Surviving match-points at 25-24 and 27-26, Grace Carroll and Gabbi Essix teamed up on the clinching block to swing things back in favor of the Bears.
Leading 2-1, Baylor jumped out to a quick 7-4 lead in the fourth set on the strength of a Manuela Bibinbe kill, one of her 10 on the afternoon. Up 12-9, BU used another 4-0 spurt to take control of the match, with a seventh ace, courtesy of Kseniya Rakhmanchyk. BU polished off its first win of the season, 25-17, as McGuyre improved to 5-6 in season openers with the Bears.
Making her Baylor debut, McCurdy finished with a match-high 12 kills, her 18th double-figure kill match of her career. Senior Bri Denney, who entered this season with two career assists, notched 31 on Friday, which was also a match-high.
Freshman Morgan Madison also left her mark on the match with a team-high 12 digs.
Next up for the Bears is a Lone-Star showdown on Saturday against No. 10 SMU at 3:30 p.m. The Ponies, led by former BU assistant Sam Erger, open their season on Friday night at 7 p.m., against the host Tigers. Stats for all matches will be available via StatBroadcast.
Single-game and season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
—Baylorbears.com—
Team Stats
USA
Baylor
Kills
47
56
Errors
25
27
Attempts
142
145
Hitting %
.155
.200
Points
64.0
75.0
Assists
45
54
Aces
3
7
Blocks
14
12
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
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