GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 20 Baylor volleyball pushed No. 11 Florida to the brink, but came up just short in a five-set thriller, falling 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Exactech O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.

The Bears fell behind early in the match as Florida rode a 6-0 run in the middle of the first set to go in front 17-10 and never looked back, clinching the opener 25-20.

Baylor answered in the second, hitting .239 behind Manuela Bibinbe and Gabrielle Essix to secure a 25-22 victory and even the match.

The third was a back-and-forth battle featuring 14 ties, including five at 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, only to see the Gators reel off back-to-back points and secure the pivotal third set 27-25.

The Bears forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-22 triumph in the fourth, capped by a Bibinbe kill, one of her six in the set. Florida quickly grabbed control of the final stanza though, jumping out to a 10-5 lead and sealing the 15-9 decision with consecutive service aces.

Bibinbe delivered a career-high 18 kills, connecting at .429%, tying a career-high with seven digs and adding 1.5 blocks for a match-high 19.5 points. Essix, returning to Gainesville after four seasons with the Gators, posted a season-high 13 kills to go along with 1.5 blocks and 14.5 points.

Junior Victoria Davis and Freshman Bailey Warren added 10 kills each, as Warren recorded her career-first double-double. Freshman Ksenia Rakhmanchik just missed hers, chipping in nine kills and 10 digs. Setter Harley Kreck distributed a career-best 42 assists.

As a team, Baylor hit .231 with 69 kills and 5.5 team blocks, out-killing Florida 69-57. BU, now 1-2 in five-set matches this season, drops the Bears to 5-2 overall, while Florida improves to 5-2.

The Bears continue their sunshine swing with their Big 12 opener at UCF on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. CT, streaming live on ESPN+.

Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.