No. 21 VB Readies for Big 12 Opener at UCF
9/15/2025 2:44:00 PM | Volleyball
The Bears enter winners of three of the last four conference lid-lifters
ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 21 Baylor volleyball (5-2) kicks off Big 12 Conference action on Tuesday night with a road test against UCF (7-2) at the Venue at UCF in Orlando.
The Bears enter league play coming off a five-set battle at No. 11 Florida. BU has now faced two ranked opponents away from home, pushing each match to five sets. Head coach Ryan McGuyre feels good about having his team battle tested as they get set to embark on a tough Big 12 slate.
"I've loved seeing who we've been on the road," he said. "I think we've so far traveled well, which was the big question mark. Our freshmen have exceeded expectations, while our upperclassmen have done a good job leading them through it. With this team so far, both home and away, we want to know one way to play, and we hope we continue to have remarkable attention in each of those."
UCF enters Tuesday's match at 7-2 overall after falling in five sets to No. 13 Penn State on Saturday. The Knights are among the Big 12 leaders in points per set at 18.2 and boast a 4-1 mark in Orlando to start the season.
Through seven matches, Baylor is averaging 13.86 kills per set while hitting .260 as a team. Manuela Bibinbe leads the Bears at 3.17 kills per set, followed by MJ McCurdy at 3.19. On the defensive end, Gabrielle Essix (1.23 blocks/set) and Victoria Davis (0.86) have anchored the front line, while freshman libero Morgan Madison has stabilized the backline with 3.45 digs per set, including a career-high 26 earlier this season against No. 10 SMU.
This marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Bears taking all six. Baylor won the most recent matchup in 2025, a 3-0 decision in Waco, part of a stretch of six-straight set wins against the Knights, dating back to October 2023.
Diana Johnson, Ainsley Clifford and Cecily Webb will have the call from Orlando, Fla., on ESPN+, beginning at 6 p.m. CT. Live stats are available at BaylorBears.com/stats.
Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
The Bears enter league play coming off a five-set battle at No. 11 Florida. BU has now faced two ranked opponents away from home, pushing each match to five sets. Head coach Ryan McGuyre feels good about having his team battle tested as they get set to embark on a tough Big 12 slate.
"I've loved seeing who we've been on the road," he said. "I think we've so far traveled well, which was the big question mark. Our freshmen have exceeded expectations, while our upperclassmen have done a good job leading them through it. With this team so far, both home and away, we want to know one way to play, and we hope we continue to have remarkable attention in each of those."
UCF enters Tuesday's match at 7-2 overall after falling in five sets to No. 13 Penn State on Saturday. The Knights are among the Big 12 leaders in points per set at 18.2 and boast a 4-1 mark in Orlando to start the season.
Through seven matches, Baylor is averaging 13.86 kills per set while hitting .260 as a team. Manuela Bibinbe leads the Bears at 3.17 kills per set, followed by MJ McCurdy at 3.19. On the defensive end, Gabrielle Essix (1.23 blocks/set) and Victoria Davis (0.86) have anchored the front line, while freshman libero Morgan Madison has stabilized the backline with 3.45 digs per set, including a career-high 26 earlier this season against No. 10 SMU.
This marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Bears taking all six. Baylor won the most recent matchup in 2025, a 3-0 decision in Waco, part of a stretch of six-straight set wins against the Knights, dating back to October 2023.
Diana Johnson, Ainsley Clifford and Cecily Webb will have the call from Orlando, Fla., on ESPN+, beginning at 6 p.m. CT. Live stats are available at BaylorBears.com/stats.
Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
—Baylorbears.com—
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